Why Do Young Children Find It So Hard to Pay Attention?

Does your child seem to ignore you even when they’re looking right at you? Do they flit from toy to toy without settling? Maybe they concentrate on a TV show but can’t sit still at nursery? If so, you’re not alone. Many young children struggle with attention - but understanding why can help us support them more effectively.

Attention Capture vs. Attention Control

We can think of attention as having two modes: attention capture and attention control.
Attention capture happens automatically - when something is bright, loud, or moving, it grabs our focus without effort. This is a survival mechanism. As early humans, anything that moved or made noise nearby might have been prey - or a predator. So our brains evolved to notice these things instantly. Even very young children are skilled at attention capture, which is why they’re drawn to colour, movement and sound.

Attention control, on the other hand, is the ability to focus deliberately and ignore distractions - like reading a book on a noisy train. It’s like controlling a spotlight, and it's a far harder skill to master. The brain networks responsible for attention control don’t fully mature until our mid-20s. For young children, these systems are still developing, making it biologically difficult to sustain focus or filter out background noise.

Practical Strategies to Support Your Child’s Attention

Once we understand that young children aren’t choosing to be distracted - it’s just their stage of development - it becomes easier to support them without frustration.

1. Minimise Distractions

Reduce competing distractions when you want your child to focus:

* Turn off the TV/radio or move to a quieter space.
* Move closer and make eye contact.
* Speak clearly and use expressive tones to help their brain tune in.

Young children struggle to pick out one voice in a noisy environment - this skill doesn’t fully develop until around age 12. So when your child seems not to listen while others are talking, it’s not rudeness - it’s a normal brain response.

2. Use Repetition and Predictability

The brain thrives on repetition and routine. These build neural pathways and help children focus.

Children’s brains constantly predict what might happen next and these predictions help them pay attention to information when it arrives. Try:

* Pre-warning: “I’m about to tell you something...”
* Signposting: “Listen for the ‘beep beep’ in this song.”
* Prompting: “What do we do after we brush our teeth?”
* Repeating familiar stories, songs, and activities: Your child is still learning from them every time.
* Using your child’s name before an instruction: “Anna, please put your shoes on now” gives the brain time to tune in to the question.

Understanding the difference between attention capture and control allows us to create environments that support focus and align with children’s natural development.
Dr Gemma Goldenberg is a psychologist and researcher at ISEY – the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth. This article is based on the book Take Action on Distraction by Dr Gemma Goldenberg and Professor Sam Wass.