FM.A.8 LOOKS FROM ONE OBJECT TO ANOTHER

When a child first learns to focus on objects, he will appear to lose focus and gaze about in a random way before refocusing on something else. But as he develops, he learns to look purposefully from one object to another.

How to Assess

Method: With your child well supported, hold the 2 toys, one to either side, about 25 cm from his face. Attract your child’s attention first to one toy, then to the other. Give him 3 tries.

Score plus if your child looks first at one toy, then the other, in at least 1 of the 3 tries.

How to Teach

Begin by encouraging your child to look from your face to a toy, or vice versa. Talk to him, and when he is looking at you, shake the toy to attract his attention to it. When he is looking at the toy, talk to him again, to attract his attention back to you.

Then move on to using 2 toys. Toys that make an attractive sound are useful ones to start with.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

This skill is easily practised during normal daily activities. Encourage your child to look from your face to his bottle before you feed him, and from your face to a squeaky toy at bath-time. When he is propped in his baby chair watching you work, pause from time to time to show him 2 objects – they can be objects that you are working with, rather than toys. When you can’t be with him, make sure that he has 2 or more objects suspended near him, so that he can practise by himself.

Remembering and Extending

As your child gets the idea, experiment by holding objects at different distances, to challenge his focusing ability. Keep on encouraging him to look from your face to a toy; the skill of attending with you to an object or toy is important to language development (see Book 3, Chapter 2).