Skill
Attends to Communication and Language
Child attends to and learns from language experiences, joining in joint attention with familiar adults.
Ages 0–36 months
Why it matters
Tuning in to a caregiver's words, signs, and gestures — and sharing attention on the same object or event — is how infants and toddlers extract meaning from language. Joint attention is a foundation for vocabulary, social communication, and later comprehension.
Builds toward this milestone
- learns from communication and language experiences with others. — Head Start ELOF
What mastery looks like
- Shifts gaze or focus toward a familiar adult who is talking or signing during face-to-face interaction.
- Looks back and forth between an adult and an object during shared attention.
- Shows interest or understanding during songs, rhymes, stories, or naming games.
How to observe it
- When you talk or sign about a nearby toy, does the child look between you and the toy?
- During a familiar song or finger-play, does the child watch, smile, or try to join in?
Accessibility
- For children who are deaf or hard of hearing, share attention visually with signs, gestures, and expressive faces.
- For children with vision differences, build joint attention through touch, sound, and named handling of objects.
Activities
Evidence
- Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) — U.S. Office of Head Start · 2015 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Early Atlas