How Play Builds Attention, Turn-taking and Listening 

ByTamelia Hamilton
a woman and a child sitting at a table working on a project

When children play it may appear as just fun. Toys are running, the room is full of laughter and imagination is on the go. However, something important is going on, behind all that fun. Play is secretly assisting children to build up essential skills they will utilize daily. These skills are attention, taking turns and listening. These are not just the nice to have skills. They are crucial in communication, learning and relationship building.

The best thing is that your children do not even know that they are learning. It is all natural through play. We will have a closer look at how play builds attention, turn-taking and listening.

Why These Skills Matter in Early Childhood?

It is necessary to find out why attention, turn-taking and listening are very important before we head into play.

  • Attention assists children in being able to concentrate on people and activities.
  • Turn-taking helps them learn to communicate with other people.
  • Listening will assist them to understand what is being said.

Together, these skills form the base for communication. Without these, the children are not able to follow conversations, express themselves and participate in group activities easily.

Shared Attention is The First Step Toward Communication

There is one important part of attention which is known as shared attention. This refers to when a child and an adult pay attention to the same matter. For example:

  • Playing with a toy together.
  • Seeing bubbles floating in the air.
  • Reading a picture book in pairs.

These mutual experiences are effective as they form bond. The child gets to learn to observe what you are looking at and respond to it. This is an early step in communication. This is made possible before children are able to have conversations. This is made simple by playing.

Building Focus Through Play

Young children are not supposed to sit down and focus on things. They become attentive over time and one of the most effective means to help this process is play. When a child is engaged in playing with something he likes, he will automatically have longer attention span.

For example:

  • Piling blocks occupy their hands and eyes.
  • They have to pay attention to details to complete a puzzle.
  • Playing with cars or dolls keeps them interested because they make little stories.

The child would be more likely to remain engaged since the activity is fun. Such moments of concentration start expanding over time. A child who played few seconds last time might begin playing several minutes with time.

Learning to Take Turns

Turn-taking is a skill that builds up with time. One of the simplest methods to teach a turn-taking is play. Initially, young children might not be able to wait. They can pick up toys or desire to be first all the time. It is all natural.

However, through play they will also start to learn:

  • Sharing of activities
  • Waiting is an aspect of the game.
  • Others should have an opportunity as well.

They can learn this with simple games, like:

  • Bouncing a ball forward and backward.
  • Turn taking with blocks stacking.
  • Playing simple board games

Turn-Taking and Real Conversations

Turn-taking in the course of play trains children for communication in life. In a conversation:

  • One person speaks
  • The other listens
  • Then they respond

This back and forth pattern is quite similar to what we do in turn taking games. Children are learning conversations when they play games that involve waiting and responding.

Listening Starts with Play

Listening is not simply a matter of hearing sounds. It is all about listening, perceiving, and acting. These skills are developed in a natural manner through play. For example:

  • A child is listening to instructions in a game.
  • They obey simple instructions such as Put the block here.
  • They respond when called by name.

Games that require actions and responses are particularly benefits for developing listening skills. Singing songs with moves or playing some games that are based on instructions make children listen attentively. With time, the children learn to interpret what they hear and react more appropriately.

Making Listening Fun

One of the reasons why kids develop listening skills with play is because play makes it fun. During play, listening becomes a part of their fun. For example, a child listens to take his turn in a game. He does not move until he gets a signal. The kid follows along with the instructions he hears.

As the activity is interesting, children will be more inclined to listen. This is quite opposite to making a child sit and listen without making him or her interact.

The Role of Repetition in Play

Children learn best when things are repeated. You can observe your child to take the same game repeatedly. Although this might be something repetitive to the adults but this is the way children learn. Whenever repeating an activity, they improve their attention and get better at waiting their turn. They also improve comprehension of instructions.

Repeating makes them feel comforted and contribute to their confidence development.

Social Play Strengthens These Skills

Interacting with others is an additional aspect of learning. When children play with other children or friends they share attention between people and activities and hear the ideas of other people.

This may be hard initially, but this assists them in growing. For example, when a child is playing with the group, he might be required to wait and allow the other child to use a toy. They also might have to hear directions or adhere to a common agenda. These experiences enable children to learn how to relate in social situations.

Everyday Moments Can Become Learning Opportunities

It is not always important to use toys to play with your kids. You can use different daily routines as well to support these skills. For example, you can take turns during a dinner table conversation to let your kid learn turn-taking.

Similarly, you can ask your kids to listen and respond to during story time. These small moments can add up and help your children to practice important skills throughout the day.

Final Thoughts

Listening, turn taking and attention are important parts of the development of your child. They are helpful in developing other skills in your child including communication and socializing. Play gives them a perfect opportunity to learn these skills as they grow. Play makes the process enjoyable and natural for them.