RL.A Listening and Attending

The skills in this sequence are basic to all further learning. Once a child can look at and listen to other people, she will be able to learn from them. Deaf and/or blind children must learn alternative responses, but they too must learn to attend before other learning can follow.

When new babies and families enter the Macquarie Program, the first 4 skills in this sequence provide the starting point. These skills require no special teaching techniques – rather, parents are shown how their natural caring responses to their child will allow these skills to develop. Indeed, for most of the skills in this sequence we do not distinguish between ‘teaching’ and practising in play or round-the-house situations. Teaching attending skills can be involved in almost everything you do with your child.

You will find some overlapping between this sequence and the early Personal and Social skills described in Sequence PS.A. Especially in young babies, attending and socialising are closely bound together. Once your child is maintaining eye contact, an awareness of how children develop expressive language, or communication, skills will help you to make the most of your time with your child, and we refer you to Book 3, Chapters l and 2.

Most of the skills in this sequence are mastered in the first 12 months of normal development. You will find just one skill each for the second, third and fourth years, all of which relate to the child’s ability to attend and respond to a story.

Below we list all the skills in this sequence.