Using a feely bag is a great way to encourage attention. Use a pillow case or bag and fill it with toys and everyday objects and see what they pull out. Talk about what you can see.  

Simple action songs are a great way of getting your child’s attention e.g. ‘Wheels on the Bus’, ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’, Row, Row, Row Your Boat’.

Encourage your child to wait until you’ve said “go” before each turn and increase the length of time the child has to wait for the word “go”. Use bubbles, rolling a car/ball between you or build a tower/stacking cups and knock it down.  

Sharing motivating books with your child e.g. books with flaps, things they are interested in, family photo albums.  Show the child that you are interested too and talk about what you can see in the pictures.  Give your child time to join in and explore the book with you – don’t worry about actually reading the words.

Musical activities are a fun way to encourage listening.  Use a musical instrument e.g. drum, tambourine etc… and encourage the children to move around or dance. Ask the children to become still like a statue or sit down when you stop playing. 

Provide listening opportunities for your child e.g. go on a listening walk together and see how many sounds your child can hear e.g. a dog barking, birds tweeting and cars driving past.