Attention Box 

The Attention Box is an interactive approach designed to build essential early communication, social and focus skills in children. It uses engaging, structured activities to help learners develop shared attention, vocabulary, turn‑taking and two‑way interaction - all crucial foundations for successful learning and meaningful communication.

What Is the Attention Box Approach?

At its core, the Attention Box approach:

• Encourages shared attention and joint engagement with activities.
• Builds vocabulary including words like “finished” and “stop”.
• Supports the initiation of interaction and reciprocal communication.
• Develops turn‑taking skills, which are key for social and learning contexts.
• Improves the ability to follow adult‑led tasks and engage with structured activities.
• Enhances attention and concentration, especially in learners who find it hard to sustain focus.

This method is especially useful for practitioners working with young children or learners who may benefit from a step‑by‑step, visually supported structure to help them engage, interact and focus. It can act as a stepping‑stone to more structured visual supports, such as “Now and Next” boards, which are widely recognised in SEND settings for supporting task understanding and transitions.

Why use this approach?

Supporting attention and focus is a key part of helping children access learning and social interaction. When attention skills are strengthened, pupils are more able to participate fully in classroom activities, follow instructions, and benefit from teaching. Practitioners across settings often implement attention‑building strategies — whether through play, routine tasks or structured activities - to create more inclusive and effective learning environments.

The Attention Box offers a fun, interactive and practical way of achieving this, making it ideal for use in schools, early years settings or one‑to‑one support sessions.

What we Offer

We offer sessions that:

• Demonstrate the Attention Box approach to staff or colleagues.
• Provide modelling with children in real settings, helping practitioners understand how to embed attention and engagement strategies into everyday practice.

Contact us for more details