You can extend your child’s attention to places far away by pointing to an object of interest. Your child is used to taking turns putting objects into a box near you. Now you can extend that familiar activity to putting away in a location that’s farther away.

Your child depends on your gestures to help them understand your directions at this level.

Today’s activity: Give your child an object and point to a location where you want them to put it. Say, “Put it in,” as you point.

Download the quick checklist to find your child’s current level here.

Download the list of all skills and activities for Level 6. It’s a summary of each episode content that you can use as a reminder or checklist.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to find courses for parents that help you target your child’s specific needs.

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Joint attention is sharing the focus on some other location—a shared point of focus. An important part of sharing the focus is that we check in with the other person’s face to see what they are looking at and how they are reacting.

Your child established joint attention for nearby objects during Level 5. Now we need to help them move that attention to objects farther away. This supports your child’s skills in following directions. It also helps them practice thinking about 2 things at the same time—you and your reactions plus the other thing and what you want them to do with it.

Today’s activity: Blow bubbles. Wait for your child to turn and show interest in getting you to do it again (using attention, gesture, sound or word). Help them notice a bubble by pointing and acting excited. Help them notice what your finger is pointing at by moving your finger closer to the bubble. If they don’t follow your point, move your whole body closer to the bubble while you keep pointing.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to find courses for parents that help you target your child’s specific needs.

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Download the quick checklist to find your child’s current level here.

Download the list of all skills and activities for Level 6. It’s a summary of each episode content that you can use as a reminder or checklist.

Download the quick checklist to find your child’s current level.

Download the list of all skills and activities for Level 6. It’s a summary of each episode content that you can use as a reminder or checklist.

Your child’s mutual attention skills have helped them learn how to observe your actions and pick up on important information. Now they can use those skills to imitate new actions.

Teaching some gestures and sign language is a perfect fit for this level. Your child can watch your model and imitate. We’ll talk more about this when we get to the Language domain.

Today’s activity: Continue to use social games, songs and finger plays to strengthen your child’s ability to do actions along with you. Add in a new action and encourage them to try it.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to find courses for parents that help you target your child’s specific needs.

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Your child’s mobility gives them lots more opportunities to learn about the world. You can share their excitement and enjoyment of trying out new things when you encourage mutual attention.

Today’s activity: Be side-by-side with your child as you show them how to go down the stairs on their tummy. Say, “Down” as you show them how to slide down the step.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to find courses for parents that help you target your child’s specific needs.

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Your child is showing their understanding of the world by using actions with objects. This builds later language skills, building associations between objects and characteristics like what you use them for.

At this level your child wants to do more for themself. They will use objects like a comb, cup, spoon on themself or a doll.

Today’s activity: Give your child opportunities to help with self-help tasks like dressing and feeding. Model how they can use the objects when playing with a doll.

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Your child’s concept of object permanence is really developing now. They will persist in searching because they know it has to be somewhere. Even though they can’t see it, they know it exists. This concept is important for understand how symbols work—words represent ideas that we can’t see.

Today’s activity: Hide a toy that makes noise if your child has trouble searching. As they get more skilled, add more variety with the objects you’re using. Make sure it’s a fun turn-taking game, not a drill. A tasty variation is to hide a snack under some bowls.

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Your child learns many thinking and language skills during play. This episode describes toys from the list in the Level 5 checklist.

Skills that develop during Level 5 include show more interest in new objects than familiar objects, use familiar objects for familiar actions, search for hidden object in 2 places,

Today’s activity: Your child doesn’t need a lot of toys to have some novelty. Put some away so you can change some weekly. Get out some new ones and put away some that your child has lost interest in. When you get the old ones out later, they will be more interesting.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to find courses for parents that help you target your child’s specific needs.

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Your child’s earliest communication is motivated by how they are feeling. They make movements and sounds that you can recognize as what they do when they do or don’t want something, or like or don’t like something.

These movements and sounds can be shaped into gestures and words. First, your child needs to know that you understand the meaning they’re expressing.

Today’s activity: Notice the meaning your child expresses with gestures and sounds. Act as if these signals have meaning, and say the word you think they are expressing like, “No thank you” or “want.” Say, “sorry” to let them know you recognize they don’t like something but this is one of those necessary activities.

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Your child will start to learn how to cope with their feelings when they have to participate in an activity that they don’t like. They might use an object or movement that helps them feel calm or happy.

Today’s activity: Notice the kind of object or activity that your child shows a preference for. Make that item or activity available to help them with a challenging activity.

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At Level 5 your child will check your face to find out your reaction. They will also learn to tolerate a necessary activity that they don’t like but has to be done.

Your child’s mutual attention skills help them develop in the affective area. They will check your face to find out how you react to a new or unexpected event. This helps them learn how they should respond.

Today’s activity: Put yourself in position so it’s easy for your child to see your face as you both experience the new or unexpected situation. Model an appropriate affective response, like happy, calm, surprised, liking, not liking.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to find courses for parents that help you target your child’s specific needs.

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