Easy Ways to Teach Joint Attention in Speech Therapy

Hey SLP friends! 👋

If you’ve ever worked with little ones who struggle to connect, you know how tricky joint attention can be to teach. That moment when a child looks at you, looks at the toy, and shares that focus—it’s magic! But for many of our students, especially those with expressive or receptive language delays, autism, or social communication difficulties, joint attention doesn’t come easily.

Before we dive into how to teach it, let’s make sure we’re clear on what joint attention actually is.

At its core, joint attention is when two people share a focus on the same thing. It’s foundational for learning language, building relationships, and engaging in meaningful interactions. Without it, communication can feel like a one-way street.

Understanding the Parts of Joint Attention

Joint attention isn’t just one skill—it’s actually a combination of several smaller ones. Breaking it down helps us pinpoint where to start.

1. Attending to Objects
Does your student struggle to focus on a toy or item in front of them? Maybe they flit from one thing to another or seem uninterested. Building attention to objects is the first step.

Try this: Use highly motivating toys—bubbles, spinning tops, or light-up toys—to hold their interest. Keep your sessions short and engaging to set them up for success.

2. Responding to People
Some children can focus on toys but have trouble connecting with you. They might not respond when you call their name or make eye contact.

Try this: Play peek-a-boo, sing silly songs, or use big, animated facial expressions. The goal is to make yourself part of the fun so that attending to you feels rewarding.

3. Turn-Taking
This is where the magic of back-and-forth communication happens—looking at an object, then looking back at you, then back at the toy. It’s the beginning of true social interaction!

Try this: Use simple games like rolling a ball, stacking blocks, or taking turns pressing buttons on a toy. Narrate what’s happening: “My turn! Your turn!” to build awareness of the pattern.

4. Sustained Attention
Even when a child can engage briefly, it may not last long. Attention spans can be short, so we want to build endurance slowly.

Try this: Use play routines with a predictable pattern—like feeding a toy animal or building a tower—and celebrate small wins. Even 10–15 seconds of shared focus is a great start!

Activities to Boost Joint Attention

Once you’ve identified which part of joint attention is the challenge, you can match your activities to that skill. Here are a few ideas to get started:

• Bubble Play: Perfect for building eye contact and anticipation. Pause before blowing bubbles to encourage your student to look at you.

• Wind-Up Toys: These create natural opportunities for joint attention—wind, pause, look, release, and giggle together!

• Cause-and-Effect Games: Think “Pop the Pig” or “Jack-in-the-Box.” The child learns that paying attention to both the toy and you leads to something fun.

• Books and Songs: Use repetitive books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear or fingerplay songs like The Wheels on the Bus to build shared engagement.

Teaching joint attention doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Start small, celebrate progress, and remember that every moment of shared focus is a building block toward meaningful communication.

When you take time to identify the why behind the struggle and match it with the right activity, you’ll see those little connections start to spark—and those moments are what make our work so rewarding.

Happy speeching!

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