{"h1":"Helping a Young Child Who Isn't Pointing to Show Things","faq":[{"a":"Pointing to share interest (joint attention) usually appears between about 9 and 15 months. Many children are still developing this skill through their second year, so for a 12–24 month old it is well worth encouraging gently rather than worrying.","q":"At what age should a child start pointing to show things?"},{"a":"Reaching while looking at you is a wonderful early building block of pointing. Respond instantly and warmly, name what they want, and you can gently help shape a point with hand-over-hand support, then fade your help as they take over.","q":"My child reaches but doesn't point — is that okay?"},{"a":"If by around 15–18 months your child rarely points, shows or follows your point — especially alongside limited babble or weak response to name — a friendly developmental check and a routine hearing check are sensible. This is monitoring and support, not a diagnosis.","q":"When should I seek a developmental check about pointing?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-help-a-young-child-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"How to Help a Young Child Who Isn't Pointing to Show Things","entity":{"key":"no-pointing","kind":"phenomenon","name":"Not Pointing To Show Things","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Communication","value":"communication"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Home Support","value":"home_support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Speech-Therapy","value":"speech-therapy"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"behaviours","label":"Behaviours"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-pointing-and-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How can I work on pointing with my child at home?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-not-pointing-to-show-things-be-an-early-sign-of-a-developmental-concern","title":"Can Not Pointing To Show Things Be an Early Sign of a Developmental Concern?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-young-children","title":"What causes not pointing to show things in young children?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-handle-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"How do I handle not pointing to show things in a 1-year-old?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-should-i-do-if-my-child-doesn-t-point-at-things","title":"What should I do if my child doesn't point at things?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-pointing-gesture-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Pointing Gesture at Home"}],"summary":"Pointing to share (joint attention) usually emerges by 9–15 months, so for a 12–24 month old you can encourage it daily — model big clear points, get face-to-face, follow your child's gaze and reward every attempt to share. If pointing, showing and following a point are still rare by around 15–18 months, a gentle developmental check (with a hearing check) is sensible — not alarming.","answer_md":"*When a little one points to share a discovery — a bird, a balloon, a biscuit — they are saying *look with me*. Helping that pointing bloom is one of the most joyful things you can do at home.*\n\n## In short\nPointing to show things (called joint attention) usually emerges between 9 and 15 months, so for a child aged 12–24 months it is worth gently encouraging through play, naming and shared excitement. You can build it every day by getting face-to-face, exaggerating your own pointing, following your child's gaze, and rewarding any attempt to share. If a child is well past 15–18 months with little pointing, showing or following a point, that is worth a friendly developmental check — not a cause for alarm.\n\n## Simple ways to help at home\n**Make pointing irresistible to copy**\n- Point clearly and slowly to interesting things — \"Look, a *dog*!\" — then look back at your child with delight. Children copy what they see modelled often.\n- Sit or kneel face-to-face and at eye level, so your child can see your face *and* what you point to.\n\n**Create reasons to share**\n- Put a favourite toy slightly out of reach or in a clear tub so your child must request it — pause, look expectant, and accept *any* gesture (reaching, looking, an open hand) as a first step toward pointing.\n- Read picture books and tap-point at one picture per page: \"Where's the cat? *There!*\"\n\n**Follow your child's lead**\n- When your child looks at or reaches for something, look there too, name it warmly, and react with shared joy. Following their interest teaches that sharing attention is rewarding.\n- Use bubbles, windmills, peek-a-boo and lift-the-flap books — surprise naturally pulls eyes and gestures together.\n\n**Reward every attempt**\n- Respond instantly and happily to reaching, eye contact or a noise — these are the building blocks of pointing. Hand-over-hand help to point, then fade your help as your child takes over.\n\n## When a check makes sense\nGesture, babble and shared looking are early communication milestones. If by around 15–18 months your child rarely points, shows, or follows your point, and especially if babble or response to name also seems limited, a gentle developmental check is the sensible next step — alongside a routine hearing check, since hearing affects communication. This is monitoring and support, not a diagnosis.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nA clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an app, a checklist or a single observation at home. Our team can profile your child's communication strengths across domains and, where helpful, shape playful goals through [speech therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate) so progress is measured against your own child's baseline. Explore more support at [Pinnacle Blooms Network](/).\n\n## Trusted sources\nGuidance here is aligned with the CDC's developmental-milestone resources, the American Academy of Pediatrics' HealthyChildren guidance on early communication, and ASHA's parent resources on gestures and joint attention.\n\n**Next step —** try one of these games today, and if you'd like a friendly developmental check, message the Pinnacle team on WhatsApp at +91 91001 81181 to arrange a screen.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-help-a-young-child-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-help-a-young-child-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"behaviours","label":"Behaviours"}],"meta_title":"Help a Child Who Isn't Pointing Yet","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Each day, point clearly at one exciting thing — \"Look, a bird!\" — then look back at your child with big delight. Children learn pointing by seeing it modelled often and joyfully.","published_at":"2026-06-10T11:52:00.350809+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"signs","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"can-not-pointing-to-show-things-be-an-early-sign-of-a-developmental-concern","title":"Can Not Pointing To Show Things Be an Early Sign of a Developmental Concern?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-i-worry-about-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"Should I worry about not pointing to show things in a 1-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-should-i-worry-about-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-my-child","title":"When should I worry about not pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-a-frontline-worker-refer-a-child-showing-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"Should a frontline worker refer a child not pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-developmental-conditions-can-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-child-point-to","title":"Absent Pointing to Show: A Clinician's Signs Guide","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-should-a-doctor-investigate-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-young-child","title":"When should a doctor investigate not pointing to show things in a young child?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Recognise signs & concerns","total":6},{"key":"causes","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-young-children","title":"What causes not pointing to show things in young children?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"Why a 1-Year-Old May Not Point to Show Things","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Explore causes & influences","total":2},{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-should-i-do-if-my-child-doesn-t-point-at-things","title":"What should I do if my child doesn't point at things?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-not-pointing-to-show-things-be-a-sign-of-autism","title":"Can Not Pointing To Show Things Be a Sign of Autism?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"do-children-usually-outgrow-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"Do children usually outgrow not pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-not-pointing-to-show-things-a-normal-part-of-child-development","title":"Is Not Pointing To Show Things Normal?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-makes-not-pointing-to-show-things-worse-in-a-child","title":"What makes not pointing to show things worse in a child?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-other-behaviours-often-occur-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"What other behaviours often occur with Not Pointing To Show Things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-a-teacher-support-a-1-year-old-who-shows-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-class","title":"How can a teacher support a 1-year-old who isn't pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-therapy-address-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-child","title":"How therapy addresses a child not pointing to show things","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-should-a-frontline-worker-respond-to-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-child","title":"How should a frontline worker respond to a child not pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-should-a-teacher-respond-to-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-young-child","title":"How should a teacher respond to not pointing to show things in a young child?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-therapy-techniques-help-a-child-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"Therapy techniques for not pointing to show things","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":11},{"key":"home","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-handle-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"How do I handle not pointing to show things in a 1-year-old?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-pointing-and-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How can I work on pointing with my child at home?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-pointing-gesture-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Pointing Gesture at Home","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"At home & in everyday life","total":3}],"what_to_watch":"Watch for warm signs of shared attention emerging: reaching while looking at you, following your point, bringing or showing objects, and babble with eye contact. Seek a developmental check if by around 15–18 months pointing, showing and following a point remain rare, especially alongside limited babble or weak response to name.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov/child-development","label":"CDC — developmental milestones for young children"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"AAP HealthyChildren — early communication"},{"url":"https://www.asha.org","label":"ASHA — gestures and joint attention"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T11:52:00.350809+00:00","meta_description":"Simple, warm home ways to encourage a young child to point and share — plus when a gentle developmental check makes sense. Reassuring parent guidance.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}