Improving Your Child’s Attending & Attention Skills

Judy Benz Duncan, Occupational Therapist

Attending, or being able to pay attention, is one of the very first skills a child learns. Being able to attend or pay attention begins, for example, with an infant making and holding eye-contact, being able to take a bottle or eat a meal, being able to respond to their name and follow simple basic direction, listening to a story, or following with their eyes what they are looking at or playing with.

A child needs to be able to attend and pay attention in order to learn.

Normal Attending and Attention Span

Generally, you can figure the normal attending / attention span of a child to be from 3-to-5 minutes for each year of a child’s age. For example, if a child is 2-years old, they may have an attention span of from 6-to-10 minutes at the most.

This age-based time frame is significantly decreased for activities that a child does not like, has no interest in, does not meet any need they may have, or interferes with their thoughts of food, escape, or toileting needs.

For a child with sensory processing issues the challenge to attend becomes even more challenging. For children who also have delays in language development, or who have difficulty with understanding social cues or self-awareness, the strategies to teach and promote attending skills need to be carefully planned to meet a child’s specific issues and needs.

Attending Importance and Skills Needed

Learning to pay attention is important as it is needed for learning, becoming more self-aware, and being able to participate with others in play or social situations.

Paying attention includes being able to tune out background noises and distractions, being able to listen and understand the directions or what is being asked of them, being able to concentrate or focus on the activity or task for a certain amount of time.

Each child is different and the activities, goals, and strategies for learning attending skills need to be adjusted to fit the child’s learning style and needs.

First Steps – Setting Up - Preparation

It’s a good idea to get rid of all distractions before you start on any of the activities – turn off the radio, television, computer, electronic games, and phone
Try to plan your learning/activity time AFTER you have taken care of any food/drink/toileting needs, and after you’ve allowed some physical activity or given your child some “sensory diet” time.
Have a variety of activities ready to use. Work / Play with one at a time, but have a variety at the ready as needed so you do not have to stop and go hunt for or gather items. You can keep the “extra” activities/items covered up to prevent any distraction.
Try to avoid play or work with “open-ended” activities. For example, with playdough there is “no end” in sight – they can play and play and play. Try starting with quick easy activities with a definite end to it, like stringing 2 to 5 beads to make a necklace or bracelet.
Give simple direct directions. Instead of saying, “I want you to match the colors, red to red, blue to blue,” say “Point to the red things” or “Please give me the blue things”
Repeat the key words to help your child focus. “Catch the ball,” or “Color the flower”

Play is one of the best ways to help a child learn and develop the skill of attending or paying attention. Try to pick activities and games that your child enjoys to begin with – this will hold their interest and attending longer!
Talk and interact with your child as you play to keep their attention and focus. Repeat directions, repeat key words, ask your child questions about what they are doing.
Praise and give positive feedback for each step they complete and for finishing up the task or their attention to it!

Please speak with your child’s pediatrician, OT, ST, PT, and service providers for their input, advice and guidance before making or attempting changes – these ideas may or not be the best choice for your child, and working with those who do know your child is the best bet for success!

Ideas and activities to help develop a child’s attending and attention skills include:

o You can get started by choosing activities that your child finds naturally interesting and ones where they will naturally want to pay attention to

o Start by picking short activities that have a definite end to it, and ones they can complete in just a few minutes

o Backward Chaining on tasks and games – for example, let them put in the last piece of a puzzle, or have 3-5 empty puzzle pieces left to fill (not connected to each other) and let them complete the puzzle, or, you stack a tower and let your child put on the last piece (or last 2, etc., keep working it down to have them do more and more)

o Try using a timer that does not make clicking noises but one which they can see to know “how much time is left for that task or activity”

o Take "Attention Breaks" – remember the normal attending / attention span of a child is from 3-to-5 minutes for each year of a child’s age – give their growing minds a chance to rest and regroup!

o Provide positive feedback and specifically state what they are doing well, such as “good listening,” or “you did great waiting and listening to the directions.”

o Making eye contact is the first step in teaching your child how to pay attention and listen to others. Call their name, ask them to look at you, have them look at you when you are talking or giving direction – this may take time to get them used to holding a sustained gaze, but keep at it!

o Role play – acting out situations before-hand and talking about what will happen, what they will do, what is expected of them

o Play games that require start/stop, attention to direction, like Mother-May-I, Red Light-Green Light, Simon Says, Duck-Duck-Goose, Twister, Hopscotch, Pick-Up-Stix, Hungry-Hungry-Hippos, Kid Bowling sets, Bean Bag Games)

o Play games that require start/stop, attention to the directions being given, and the added distraction of music to the activity, like Musical Chairs, Cake Walk

o Visual scavenger hunt, I Spy/ I See games – start with easy to find items and then increase to make them need to look and focus and attend for longer periods in order to find the item (CLICK & GO for a fun Flashlight Scavenger Hunt Idea on TheraPlay4Kids.com)

o Puzzles (giant floor ones, 6-10 piece to 24 piece for small kids)

o Arts and Crafts projects (keep them simple and quick, and age appropriate)

o Mazes (simple and quick – can use their finger or a crayon to complete)

o Shape Sorters

o Stringing Beads (big and clunky and work down to small and slippery)

o Play board games like Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Mouse Trap, Chinese Checkers, Bingo (kid friendly ones with pictures)

o Play a game of where you have the child try to look at where YOU are looking and then tell you or go point to what they think you were looking at

o Playing toss and catch with a beach ball, and work down to a smaller ball or stuffed toy, bean bag

o Try using a timer for activities – help them to increase the time they can attend to and engage in an activity

o Sorting activities (coins, blocks, silverware, colors, shapes, and so on)

o Memory games – start with just 4 memory cards (to turn over and find the match) and slowly increase the number of sets of matching cards; start with simple pictures and/or shapes/colors to match and then move up to more complex pictures

o Give warnings for transition or for how much time is left to play before stopping or moving on.

o Repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat the talks and practice again and again.

o Word search games where they cross out all letter A’s for instance, or circle all the S’s; Start with just 4 to 6 letters to deal with, and then slowly add 4 or more letters to the mix at a time; have them work to where they can complete a whole page, paying attention and looking back for any missed letters; You may need to use a ruler or a blank piece of paper to have them do one line of letters at a time.

o Play any kind of turn taking games (boxed games, or active outdoor games, Old Maid, Go Fish)

o Library - attend story time, check out a book, explore all that the library has!

o Reduce distractions (visual, auditory); reduce any background noises, position your child facing away from windows or areas of activity

o Make a behavior chart, giving stars or points for meeting attention goals (1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes) – come up with a reward for getting so many stars/check marks/points over the week;

o Have your child repeat back any directions you have given them – did they really hear it all? Do they understand what is expected?

o Reduce clutter (this can be a distraction in itself)

o Develop a basic visual schedule of what to expect during the day with time guidelines (play time, park time, meal time, nap time, clean up time, etc.); use a sheet of paper, a blackboard, whatever works for you! Let your child help come up with ideas to put on the schedule, and check off things that are completed.

o Promote physically active play time, outdoor play, sensory rich playtime

o Play “cooperative games and activities” like puzzles, construction blocks and logs where there is a common goal to achieve and sharing is also a plus

o Share common heavy work like gardening and yard work, cleaning their room, carrying in groceries and putting them away

o Make an “independent attention-play box” where they can go when you are unable to give them one-on-one attention when you are cooking, talking on the phone, getting dressed, etc. Make this a “special time box” that is not just seen as a regular toy box – Fill with simple, quick, and easy tasks and activities that they can complete in less than 5 minutes

o Break bigger projects into smaller parts where it is easier to attend to for shorter periods of time

o Try to use short brief direction for easy understanding

o Give your child a “job” to pay attention to safety to help you and others stay safe

o Repetition cannot be stressed enough!!! Processing and learning take time – repeating learning tasks and opportunities are a great way to help support your child’s attention and attending skills!

o What other ideas and activities can you come up with?

Talk with your child’s service providers – they can help modify, adapt, or give suggestions on how to make changes that will be the most effective for your child.

CLICK & GO to TheraPlay4Kids.com Main Sensory Blog Page

Please Share with Credit to TheraPlay4Kids.com

Thanks for your support!

Connect with us:

Via: e-mail OR FaceBook: TheraPlay4Kids Group Or Linkedin: Judy @ TheraPlay4Kids

Improving Your Child’s Attending & Attention Skills

A child needs to be able to attend and pay attention in order to learn.

Normal Attending and Attention Span

Generally, you can figure the normal attending / attention span of a child to be from 3-to-5 minutes for each year of a child’s age. For example, if a child is 2-years old, they may have an attention span of from 6-to-10 minutes at the most.

This age-based time frame is significantly decreased for activities that a child does not like, has no interest in, does not meet any need they may have, or interferes with their thoughts of food, escape, or toileting needs.

Attending Importance and Skills Needed

Learning to pay attention is important as it is needed for learning, becoming more self-aware, and being able to participate with others in play or social situations.

Paying attention includes being able to tune out background noises and distractions, being able to listen and understand the directions or what is being asked of them, being able to concentrate or focus on the activity or task for a certain amount of time.

Each child is different and the activities, goals, and strategies for learning attending skills need to be adjusted to fit the child’s learning style and needs.

First Steps – Setting Up - Preparation

It’s a good idea to get rid of all distractions before you start on any of the activities – turn off the radio, television, computer, electronic games, and phone

Try to plan your learning/activity time AFTER you have taken care of any food/drink/toileting needs, and after you’ve allowed some physical activity or given your child some “sensory diet” time.

Have a variety of activities ready to use. Work / Play with one at a time, but have a variety at the ready as needed so you do not have to stop and go hunt for or gather items. You can keep the “extra” activities/items covered up to prevent any distraction.

Try to avoid play or work with “open-ended” activities. For example, with playdough there is “no end” in sight – they can play and play and play. Try starting with quick easy activities with a definite end to it, like stringing 2 to 5 beads to make a necklace or bracelet.

Give simple direct directions. Instead of saying, “I want you to match the colors, red to red, blue to blue,” say “Point to the red things” or “Please give me the blue things”

Repeat the key words to help your child focus. “Catch the ball,” or “Color the flower”

Play is one of the best ways to help a child learn and develop the skill of attending or paying attention. Try to pick activities and games that your child enjoys to begin with – this will hold their interest and attending longer!

Talk and interact with your child as you play to keep their attention and focus. Repeat directions, repeat key words, ask your child questions about what they are doing.

Praise and give positive feedback for each step they complete and for finishing up the task or their attention to it!

Please speak with your child’s pediatrician, OT, ST, PT, and service providers for their input, advice and guidance before making or attempting changes – these ideas may or not be the best choice for your child, and working with those who do know your child is the best bet for success!

Ideas and activities to help develop a child’s attending and attention skills include:

o You can get started by choosing activities that your child finds naturally interesting and ones where they will naturally want to pay attention to

o Start by picking short activities that have a definite end to it, and ones they can complete in just a few minutes

o Try using a timer that does not make clicking noises but one which they can see to know “how much time is left for that task or activity”

o Take "Attention Breaks" – remember the normal attending / attention span of a child is from 3-to-5 minutes for each year of a child’s age – give their growing minds a chance to rest and regroup!

o Provide positive feedback and specifically state what they are doing well, such as “good listening,” or “you did great waiting and listening to the directions.”

o Making eye contact is the first step in teaching your child how to pay attention and listen to others. Call their name, ask them to look at you, have them look at you when you are talking or giving direction – this may take time to get them used to holding a sustained gaze, but keep at it!

o Role play – acting out situations before-hand and talking about what will happen, what they will do, what is expected of them

o Play games that require start/stop, attention to direction, like Mother-May-I, Red Light-Green Light, Simon Says, Duck-Duck-Goose, Twister, Hopscotch, Pick-Up-Stix, Hungry-Hungry-Hippos, Kid Bowling sets, Bean Bag Games)

o Play games that require start/stop, attention to the directions being given, and the added distraction of music to the activity, like Musical Chairs, Cake Walk

o Visual scavenger hunt, I Spy/ I See games – start with easy to find items and then increase to make them need to look and focus and attend for longer periods in order to find the item (CLICK & GO for a fun Flashlight Scavenger Hunt Idea on TheraPlay4Kids.com)

o Puzzles (giant floor ones, 6-10 piece to 24 piece for small kids)

o Arts and Crafts projects (keep them simple and quick, and age appropriate)

o Mazes (simple and quick – can use their finger or a crayon to complete)

o Shape Sorters

o Stringing Beads (big and clunky and work down to small and slippery)

o Play board games like Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Mouse Trap, Chinese Checkers, Bingo (kid friendly ones with pictures)

o Play a game of where you have the child try to look at where YOU are looking and then tell you or go point to what they think you were looking at

o Playing toss and catch with a beach ball, and work down to a smaller ball or stuffed toy, bean bag

o Try using a timer for activities – help them to increase the time they can attend to and engage in an activity

o Sorting activities (coins, blocks, silverware, colors, shapes, and so on)

o Memory games – start with just 4 memory cards (to turn over and find the match) and slowly increase the number of sets of matching cards; start with simple pictures and/or shapes/colors to match and then move up to more complex pictures

o Give warnings for transition or for how much time is left to play before stopping or moving on.

o Repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat the talks and practice again and again.

o Play any kind of turn taking games (boxed games, or active outdoor games, Old Maid, Go Fish)

o Library - attend story time, check out a book, explore all that the library has!

o Reduce distractions (visual, auditory); reduce any background noises, position your child facing away from windows or areas of activity

o Make a behavior chart, giving stars or points for meeting attention goals (1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes) – come up with a reward for getting so many stars/check marks/points over the week;

o Have your child repeat back any directions you have given them – did they really hear it all? Do they understand what is expected?

o Reduce clutter (this can be a distraction in itself)

o Promote physically active play time, outdoor play, sensory rich playtime

o Play “cooperative games and activities” like puzzles, construction blocks and logs where there is a common goal to achieve and sharing is also a plus

o Share common heavy work like gardening and yard work, cleaning their room, carrying in groceries and putting them away

o Break bigger projects into smaller parts where it is easier to attend to for shorter periods of time

o Try to use short brief direction for easy understanding

o Give your child a “job” to pay attention to safety to help you and others stay safe

o Repetition cannot be stressed enough!!! Processing and learning take time – repeating learning tasks and opportunities are a great way to help support your child’s attention and attending skills!

o What other ideas and activities can you come up with?

Talk with your child’s service providers – they can help modify, adapt, or give suggestions on how to make changes that will be the most effective for your child.

CLICK & GO to TheraPlay4Kids.com Main Sensory Blog Page

Please Share with Credit to TheraPlay4Kids.com

Thanks for your support!

Connect with us:

Via: e-mail OR FaceBook: TheraPlay4Kids Group Or Linkedin: Judy @ TheraPlay4Kids﻿

Via: e-mail OR FaceBook: TheraPlay4Kids Group Or Linkedin: Judy @ TheraPlay4Kids