RL.D.65 FOLLOWS DIRECTIONS INVOLVING 2 ACTIONS AND 2 OBJECTS WITHIN EACH DIRECTION, ANYWHERE IN THE ROOM

Now that the child can follow two-step directions in a distraction-free setting, you can help her to use this skill where it matters most – during normal daily activities around the home.

How to Assess

Method: In a room familiar to your child, give her a direction which involves 2 objects and 2 actions. Choose actions which do not always and inevitably follow each other, so that you can be sure that your child is really listening and is not just following a well-known routine.

Give 3 such directions. They may be given at different times, or even in different rooms. Here are some suggestions:

‘Shut the door and bring me a book.’

‘Find a car and sit on the sofa.’

‘Put on your hat and cuddle Dolly.’

‘Give Suzie a biscuit and bring me a spoon.’

Score plus if your child follows at least 2 out of 3 directions.

How to Teach

Start by giving directions which do go quite naturally together. If you listen to the directions you give your child during the day, you may well find that the same group of directions occurs at much the same time each day, particularly during the more routine activities such as eating, bathing, dressing and going to bed. Instead of giving these directions one by one, join them together, in pairs, like this:

‘Wash your hands and clean your teeth.’

‘Get down from the table now and put your plate in the sink.’

‘Open the door for Spot and give him a dog biscuit.’

‘Kiss Teddy goodnight and climb under the blankets.’

‘Find your new puzzle and sit up at the table.’

Once your child can follow directions such as these, you can start to introduce new directions which are not tied so closely to familiar routines.

A word of caution: avoid giving your child two-step directions unless you have the time to follow them through if your child gets lost – repeating the whole direction and helping your child through both steps if necessary. If you always remind your child of the second step, without going back over both of them, your child will soon learn that she doesn’t need to attend to what you say.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

The notes above relate to very practical directions, but of course you can involve two-stepdirections in play too. Why not introduce them into imaginative games, such as climbing into a carton and being a jack-in-the-box, or putting on a postman’s hat and taking a letter to Grandpa, or hiding in the monster’s cave and jumping out at Daddy.

Remembering and Extending

RL.D.66 introduces three-step directions. But most of the directions that you will want or need to use in the preschool years are two-step directions, so it is well worthwhile continuing to extend your child’s skills at this level. You can introduce new action words into your directions, and add an extra challenge by asking her to do one thing in one room, and something different in another room. You can begin to give her two-step directions when are many distractions around – such as a room full of busy people. If your child goes to preschool, her teacher will find many opportunities to extend her direction-following skills. Ask the preschool staff to observe whether or not she will follow directions given to the whole group, as well as directions given on an individual basis.