ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ATTENTION AND LISTENING AT LEVEL 2

 

Level 2

Identifying a named object from a choice of two:

• Give the child two or three objects (for example a car, a banana and a ball) or simple pictures and ask them to select the one you request for example ‘find the ball’.

 

Joining in with nursery rhymes and action songs:

• Sing familiar songs repetitively and then wait for the child to join in with an action or sound, ‘row row row your…

 

Developing anticipation:

• Encourage the child to respond to a given signal, by using familiar phrases such as ‘1 2 3’ or ‘ready steady go’, while rolling a ball, going down a slide, pushing a car or knocking down a tower. Encourage the child to listen for the word ‘go’ or number 3, before they slide, roll or push. Increase the length of the pause, to encourage the child to wait for a longer period of time.
• Some children may not be able to focus on a whole story. Leave a gap for them to join in at key moments with repetitive phrases i.e. ‘so I sent him back!’
• See People Games in the Play section for more ideas.

 

TOP TIPS:

• Encourage parallel play by playing alongside the child. Copy their play and make simple comments without distracting them.
• In the setting, try to introduce new activities one to one if a child has attention and listening difficulties.
• Make sure you have the child’s attention before introducing something new.