How to Work on "Look at Me" with Your Child at Home

Every shared glance is a tiny conversation — and "Look at Me" is how you gently teach your child that faces are worth turning towards.

In short

"Look at Me" is a simple home technique that builds eye contact and shared attention through warm, playful moments — never by forcing your child to stare. You make your face the most interesting, rewarding thing in the room, and you reward every flicker of a glance with delight. Keep sessions short, joyful and woven into everyday play, and follow your child's lead rather than demanding eye contact.

How to work on "Look at Me" at home

Get to their level

• Sit or kneel face-to-face, at your child's eye height — even lying on the floor together.
• Hold a favourite toy or snack near your own eyes, so looking towards it means looking towards your face.

Make your face the reward

• The moment your child glances towards your eyes, light up — smile big, say "You looked at me!", and give the toy or a tickle straight away.
• Reward the attempt, not perfect eye contact. A brief glance counts.

Build it into play

• Use sing-song games — "peek-a-boo", "round and round the garden", or pausing a tickle and waiting for a look before you continue.
• Blow bubbles, then hold the wand by your face and wait for a glance before blowing again.

Keep it gentle and short

• Two to three minutes, several times a day, beats one long session.
• Never physically turn your child's face or repeat "look at me, look at me". Pressure makes eye contact feel unsafe; warmth makes it inviting.

When to ask for more help

If your child consistently avoids faces, doesn't respond to their name, or these games bring distress rather than connection across several weeks, it's worth a friendly developmental check — not as alarm, but to get the right support early. You can explore the full Look at Me technique and how it fits a wider plan.

The Pinnacle way

A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — home activities support that journey but never replace it. Our therapists can show you how to weave "Look at Me" into daily routines and pair it with speech therapy when shared attention and early communication need a boost.

Trusted sources

Guided by the American Academy of Pediatrics and healthychildren.org on early social interaction, and by ASHA on building joint attention and communication foundations in young children.

Next step — book a developmental assessment with Pinnacle Blooms Network, or message our team on WhatsApp at +91 91001 81181 to learn playful ways to build eye contact at home.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.