Observe whether the child: quietens or alerts to the sound of speech.
What it looks like
Three ways this behaviour shows up as a child grows. Each level includes everyday moments to watch for.
Emerging
Just starting
The child sometimes pauses, startles, or briefly quietens when someone begins speaking, especially close-by or with an exaggerated voice, but the response is inconsistent. They may quickly return to their activity without orienting to the speaker.
What you might see
An adult begins speaking near the child; the child continues kicking/flapping or playing with no pause or change in facial expression.
The adult talks in a normal voice while the child fusses; the child does not reduce crying or stillness and does not look toward the adult.
A new voice speaks from the doorway; the child does not show alerting (no stilling, no eye/head turn).
When an adult suddenly speaks, the child pauses movement for a second, then immediately resumes without looking toward the voice.
The child briefly quietens when spoken to, but only when the adult is very close or uses a very animated voice.
The child startles to speech onset (wide eyes) but does not sustain attention or orient toward the speaker.
Expected
On track
The child often quietens or becomes noticeably alert when they hear speech in familiar routines, and may briefly look toward the speaker. The response is clearer in quieter settings or with familiar voices.
What you might see
During play, the adult starts talking; the child slows their hand movement and looks up briefly toward the adult.
When the adult speaks softly while the child is fussing, the child quietens for a moment and looks toward the adult’s face.
When the adult says a short phrase near the child, the child stills and turns head partway toward the voice.
Exceeding
Going further
The child reliably quietens or alerts to speech across everyday contexts, turning toward the speaker and holding attention long enough to continue the interaction. They show a stable ‘listening’ response rather than a fleeting startle.
What you might see
When conversation starts nearby, the child becomes still, turns toward the speaker, and watches for a couple of seconds.
When called to with speech, the child pauses what they are doing and looks directly at the adult’s face.
In a familiar routine (e.g., getting ready), the child becomes alert to speech and waits, showing sustained listening.
The child re-orients to a speaker after a distraction: they look away briefly, then turn back as soon as speech continues.
When speech begins, the child turns quickly and smiles/vocalises as if joining the interaction.
The child stays alert to speech even with mild background noise (e.g., running tap), keeping eyes on the speaker.
Try this at home
Small everyday moments where you can notice this behaviour without setting up anything special.
When your child is calmly playing, start speaking in a normal voice from nearby; do they pause and look toward you as the speech begins?
When your child is fussing, try gentle, soothing speech for 10 seconds; do they quieten or become still enough to look at you?
In a different room, speak your child’s name or a short phrase; do they become alert (pause, widen eyes, turn) when they hear speech?
During a transition (nappy change, getting into the buggy), begin talking before touching; do they quieten or attend to your voice?
At story time, pause and then restart reading; notice whether your child re-orients (turns/looks) when the speech resumes.
Connected behaviours
Behaviours that scaffold, follow, or co-emerge with this one.
The framework source and supporting developmental research.
Framework source
Department for Education (DfE). (2012). Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
EYFS positions quietening/alerting to speech as an early listening-and-attention marker that supports later understanding.
Developmental research
Fernald, A., & Simon, T. (1984). Expanded intonation contours in mothers’ speech to newborns. Developmental Psychology, 20(1), 104–113. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.20.1.104
Research on infant-directed prosody supports the idea that speech acoustics regulate infant arousal/attention, aligning with quietening/alerting as an observable behaviour.
Five-level rubric (detailed)ShowHide
The full progression underlying the three levels above. Used by the platform’s reasoning agent when planning activities and observations.
Not Yet
When speech starts, the child shows little or no change in activity, attention, or emotional state. They do not reliably quieten, still, or become alert in response to a voice.
An adult begins speaking near the child; the child continues kicking/flapping or playing with no pause or change in facial expression.
The adult talks in a normal voice while the child fusses; the child does not reduce crying or stillness and does not look toward the adult.
A new voice speaks from the doorway; the child does not show alerting (no stilling, no eye/head turn).
Emerging
The child sometimes pauses, startles, or briefly quietens when someone begins speaking, especially close-by or with an exaggerated voice, but the response is inconsistent. They may quickly return to their activity without orienting to the speaker.
When an adult suddenly speaks, the child pauses movement for a second, then immediately resumes without looking toward the voice.
The child briefly quietens when spoken to, but only when the adult is very close or uses a very animated voice.
The child startles to speech onset (wide eyes) but does not sustain attention or orient toward the speaker.
Developing
The child often quietens or becomes noticeably alert when they hear speech in familiar routines, and may briefly look toward the speaker. The response is clearer in quieter settings or with familiar voices.
During play, the adult starts talking; the child slows their hand movement and looks up briefly toward the adult.
When the adult speaks softly while the child is fussing, the child quietens for a moment and looks toward the adult’s face.
When the adult says a short phrase near the child, the child stills and turns head partway toward the voice.
Secure
The child reliably quietens or alerts to speech across everyday contexts, turning toward the speaker and holding attention long enough to continue the interaction. They show a stable ‘listening’ response rather than a fleeting startle.
When conversation starts nearby, the child becomes still, turns toward the speaker, and watches for a couple of seconds.
When called to with speech, the child pauses what they are doing and looks directly at the adult’s face.
In a familiar routine (e.g., getting ready), the child becomes alert to speech and waits, showing sustained listening.
Reflexive
The child quickly uses the onset of speech as a cue to engage: they turn, watch the face, and may vocalise back to take turns. They maintain attention despite mild distractions and re-orient when speech resumes.
The child re-orients to a speaker after a distraction: they look away briefly, then turn back as soon as speech continues.
When speech begins, the child turns quickly and smiles/vocalises as if joining the interaction.
The child stays alert to speech even with mild background noise (e.g., running tap), keeping eyes on the speaker.
