Initiates joint attention toward objects or events
Infant points, shows, or looks back and forth between caregiver and object to share attention, signalling a working model of the caregiver as a partner in meaning-making.
What the research says
Referenced across 1 developmental framework: bowlby_ainsworth_attachment_theory
Full quotes, source languages, and document links coming soon as we finish the source-evidence indexing pass.
Activities for this (12)
Rhythm Baby
Parent bounces and claps to music with baby, and the agent coaches the parent to observe baby's rhythmic responses — bouncing, swaying, clapping, or vocalising to the beat. This activity explores early aesthetic engagement through rhythmic movement and music.
Peekaboo Finder — Where's the Hidden Toy?
Parent hides a toy under a cloth while baby watches, then encourages baby to find it. Agent guides parent through increasingly complex hiding to assess object permanence development, while making it a delightful game of peek-a-boo with objects.
Quiet Together
Parent and baby share a peaceful, low-stimulation activity. The agent coaches the parent to observe baby's attention regulation — how long they can sustain calm focus, how they manage transitions between engagement and rest, and how they signal when they need a break.
Outdoor Explorer
Parent takes baby outside and the agent coaches the parent to observe baby's sensory engagement with the natural world — noticing wind, leaves, birds, grass, sky. This activity builds early ecological awareness through multi-sensory outdoor exploration.
First Words — Catching Those Meaningful Sounds
Parent engages baby in a naming game using familiar objects and people. Agent guides parent to observe whether babbling is becoming meaningful — whether specific sound patterns are consistently connected to specific things, people, or requests.
More Please!
Parent introduces the concept of 'more' during snack or play by offering items one at a time and pausing. The agent coaches the parent to observe whether baby understands, gestures for, or anticipates 'more' — the earliest quantitative concept.
Gentle roughhousing
Playful physical engagement — gentle tosses, tummy tickles, side-to-side swoops. The agent coaches the parent to read baby's cues for 'more' and 'pause,' treating roughhousing as a dialogue of trust rather than stimulation for its own sake. Observations track baby's joy signals and the parent's attunement to pause cues.
Joint attention with a favourite object
Parent and baby share focus on an object baby likes — a toy, a spoon, a leaf. Agent coaches the parent to point, name, and look back to check baby is looking too. Observations track the triangle: baby → object → parent → object. This is a precursor to language and shared meaning.
Mirror play
Parent holds baby in front of a mirror. Agent guides playful discovery of self and other. Baby won't know the reflection is 'self' until ~18 months, but the shared looking builds joint attention and shared joy. Observations track parent-naming and baby's response to the reflected caregiver.
Name-and-show
When baby shows the parent an object — by holding it up, pointing, or bringing it over — the parent names it warmly and returns the attention. Agent coaches the parent to treat every 'showing' as a meaningful bid for connection. Observations track baby's initiations and parent's responsiveness to bids.
Peek-a-boo rituals
Classic peek-a-boo — the game that helps baby feel the rhythm of disappearance and return. The agent coaches the parent to build a predictable mini-ritual (same cloth, same phrase, same timing). Observations track anticipation, delight, and the baby's emerging sense that you come back.
Mirror Magic: Making Faces Together
A playful mirror activity where parent and child explore different facial expressions to build emotional awareness and communication skills.
Formal assessments
No matching assessment items indexed yet.
Standardised assessment view
3 instruments measure this construct. The construct page shows how each one approaches it and at what age range.
View as assessment construct →