Since birth your toddler has been listening to everything around them, from speech to environmental sounds. They have been making sense of these sounds and they rapidly began to learn that listening to and responding to language would provide them with meaningful interactions. Recently your toddler may have been listening to stories and will be engaging in two-way conversations.
When your toddler is engrossed in an activity, they need a prompt from you to get their attention. When they were younger, they may have completely ignored you because their sole focus was on what they were doing. Over the past few months, their concentration has improved, and their listening skills are becoming more adaptable.
It is around this time that you may notice your toddler being able to switch their attention from a task, and back again. They will still rely on encouragement to shift their attention in the form of saying their name, or a word that you know will capture their attention. When toddlers begin to learn to be able to stop what they are doing momentarily, they are boosting their skills in communication. By being able to tune into something that might be happening to the side of them they are learning how to secure a form of effective communication.
Even as adults, we can find it difficult to tune into what is happening around us if we are otherwise occupied by say a movie, or looking at something on a phone. Adults still need a verbal prompt to gain attention when they are engrossed in what they are doing. Your toddler is at the start of their journey to acquiring the skill of being able to listen and focus on what you are saying.
The development of attention and working memory has been the subject of extensive research. It is thought that when babies, toddlers, and children obtain attention through the use of certain methods, such as voice or visual attention, neural pathways are formed that support both attention and working memory. [1] Your toddler may now be more able to focus on the voice or sound that is attempting to capture their attention. They will use their working memory to link what they hear with their memory of ways in which words or sounds are used and they may start to remember that the voice or sound is trying to attract them.
Studies have been conducted to find out if the sound source for gaining attention and location of the sound make a difference in capturing the attention of young children. It's been suggested that if a toddler hears a sound from the side, they're more likely to share their attention than if the sound comes from behind them. It also suggests that the familiar sound of a voice, rather than mechanical sound or music, alerts younger children.[2]
Being able to tune into an alerting sound is a skill that is fundamental for life. Toddlers are now learning how to change their attention and focus on a conversation or instruction. This skill will be necessary in many areas of later life, such as school, being in a busy shop or in a Mums and Tots group. The ability to tune in to other stimuli in a noisy environment is a lifelong skill.[3]
Your toddler will begin to expand their ability to be able to listen and do. They will gain more capability of being able to stop what they are doing independently and rely less on an adult to help switch their attention.
[1] G.D. Reynolds, A.C. Romano (2016). The Development of Attention Systems and Working Memory in Infancy. Available online at: The Development of Attention Systems and Working Memory in Infancy (nih.gov)
[2] L.B. Adamson, R. Bakeman, K. Suma, D.L. Robins (2020) Sharing Sounds: The Development of Auditory Joint Engagement During Early Parent-Child Interaction. Available online at: Sharing Sounds: The Development of Auditory Joint Engagement During Early Parent-Child Interaction (nih.gov)
[3] C.M. Karns, E. Isbell, R.J. Giuliano, H.J. Neville (2015) Auditory attention in childhood and adolescence: An event-related potential study of spatial selective attention to one of two simultaneous stories. Available online at: Auditory attention in childhood and adolescence: An event-related potential study of spatial selective attention to one of two simultaneous stories (nih.gov)