Attention and Listening difficulties
Why is attention and listening important?
Attention and listening skills are the foundations of language (and all) learning. Children that are having difficulties with any aspect of their language development may also be having difficulties with their listening and attention skills. Therefore, developing a child’s skill in this area can have a huge impact on their ability to learn and use language.
What might it look like if my child has difficulties with attention and listening?
The following behaviours may indicate that your child is having difficulties with attention and listening:
Top tips for developing attention and listening skills in children:
Listening to instructions
Games / activities to develop attention and listening
Attention and listening skills are the foundations of language (and all) learning. Children that are having difficulties with any aspect of their language development may also be having difficulties with their listening and attention skills. Therefore, developing a child’s skill in this area can have a huge impact on their ability to learn and use language.
What might it look like if my child has difficulties with attention and listening?
The following behaviours may indicate that your child is having difficulties with attention and listening:
- Difficulty following instructions or misunderstanding what they have been asked to do
- Appears easily distracted
- Frequently asks for repetition
- Difficulty learning sequences (e.g. songs, counting, etc.)
- Slow / delayed responses
Top tips for developing attention and listening skills in children:
Listening to instructions
- Make sure you say your child’s name before giving them an instruction
- Break down longer instructions into chunks -
- For example “After you put your shoes on, go and get your coat, and then wash your hands” can be broken down into three parts: “Put your shoes on”, “Get your coat”, “wash your hands”
- Reduce noise and other distractions as much as possible
- Give instructions in the order you want them to be done
Games / activities to develop attention and listening
- Find out what really motivates your child and use this as a base for activities / games (e.g. bubbles, trains, jumping, anything really!)
- Play ‘ready, steady, go!’ games with your child. Gradually increase the amount of time they need to wait before you say ‘go!’.
- Play games with your child to encourage “Good Listening” – e.g. Simon Says, Sound Lotto, Musical Statues” etc.
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