Nursery World - Speech & Language: Part 7

What are the developmental expectations for attention and listening in two- to three-year-olds and when should concerns be raised? By Anne-Marie Tassoni and Penny Tassoni

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QUESTION...

At my busy pre-school, we have two children who are always very disruptive at storytime. The boy is two years old and has just started at the setting, while the girl is nearly three years old and has been with us since she was two. The two-year-old is able to share a story with his key person and is always the first child to be ready when we say ‘snack time’! The older child rarely follows instructions unless she is shown what to do, but even then is easily distracted. Generally, she seems to find it hard to concentrate on anything, even when she has chosen the activity herself. Her parents say that at home she uses only the odd word and that she finds it hard to follow simple instructions such as ‘Where’s daddy?’ or ‘Give mummy the cup’.

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