Alternating Attention
Parent introduces two bright objects and encourages baby to shift focus between them, building visual tracking and attentional control. The agent coaches the parent to observe gaze fixation, attention shifting, and visual engagement.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
Baby in a comfortable position (held, in a bouncer, or lying on back). Two bright, contrasting objects. Room with good lighting but not too bright.
How it works
- 1~25s
Let's start with just one object. Hold a bright toy about 8 to 10 inches from your child's face — right in their line of sight. Hold it still and watch your child's eyes. Does they look at it? Can they fix their gaze on it for a moment, or do their eyes wander? Even a couple of seconds of focused looking counts. Tell me what you see.
Watch for: Baby fixates gaze on an object at arm's length for several seconds.
- 2~30s
Now bring in the second object. Hold one in each hand, about the same distance from your child's face, with some space between them. Let your child look at the first one, then slowly wiggle the second to draw their attention. Does your child shift their gaze from the first object to the second? That shift is what we're looking for — it shows your child's brain is choosing where to direct attention.
Watch for: Baby shifts focus between two objects, demonstrating alternating attention.
- 3~30s
For our last round, let's add some movement. Slowly move one of the objects across your child's field of vision — from one side to the other. Go nice and slow. Does your child follow it with their eyes? Does their head turn to track it? Then try the same with the other object going the other direction. Tell me how your child's eyes follow the movement.
Watch for: Baby tracks a slowly moving object with eyes and/or head movement.