Tools for your toddler when it comes to instructions

Your toddler will hear lots of requests and instructions every day. They can be straightforward, such as, “Find your coat,” or quite challenging, “Pop your teddy on the table next to the plate then come to me.” It's quite tricky for toddlers to understand longer instructions, so there are some basic things you can do when you talk to your toddler which will help them follow more complicated requests. 

The ability to follow instructions is essential in life   

We follow written and spoken instructions all the time: our sat navs tell us when to turn, in the supermarket we follow signs about where to place our basket and how to pay, we might follow an online recipe, and of course, where would we be without our flat-packed furniture guides? 

For your toddler too, life instructions will gradually start to get more complex. When they start nursery or school, they may be given instructions to line up behind a certain person or to sit in a particular space in the room. 

For now though, your toddler will be figuring out and connecting how to fully understand and do what is being asked. 

Following instructions simply means doing things in a particular order, but to do this, your toddler will be working hard at several things: 

1) Your toddler must be able to remember what they have heard 

Working memory plays a big role in following instructions as your toddler needs to remember everything that has been said to successfully complete what has been asked.  

It can be common for children to process the second part of the sentence and not the first. If you find this is happening, make it clear what you'd like your toddler to do first. Perhaps say, “First get the teddy,” then pause for them to get the teddy before saying, “And now put it in the bag.” 

Breaking the instruction down with the pause in between helps them to process both parts of the sentence. 

Don't be afraid to repeat the instructions your toddler is learning.  

2) They also need to understand what has been asked of them, so it’s important to use familiar language 

There will be times where your toddler misinterprets or misunderstands what has been asked of them; this is quite common given all there is to do when listening to instructions.  

Keeping language as simple as possible is a great help to your toddler. 

3) You need their full attention and concentration before giving an instruction 

It might be that you're playing, and you've asked your toddler to move the sheep from the farm and put it in the tractor, but if they are engrossed in the horses, they might not hear what you've said.  

When your toddler is busy playing or engaged in an activity, they'll be focused on that so will be less likely to hear what you’re asking them to do.