--- title: Why some kids don’t listen description: Some kids just don’t listen. But why? It might not be about disrespect, but rather a legit difficulty following what people say. Learn more. slug: why-kids-dont-listen author: Bob Cunningham, EdM published: '2020-04-29T15:07:57.847Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/gXg5iAqVZFHcdNdUS5HVw/b729110e56346ea0492edff2b3d5018a/Enhance60_1200x900_thumbnail_UnderstoodWhykidsdon-tlisten.png source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-kids-dont-listen lang: en --- # Why some kids don’t listen It can be really frustrating when kids don’t seem to listen when you ask them a question or give them an instruction. You might wonder if there’s a problem or if they’re ignoring you on purpose.  A lot depends on age. When kids are little, they often don’t seem to be listening. They may be wrapped up in a game they’re playing. Or they may hear you but not look at you, so you don’t realize they *are *listening.  As kids get older, they typically learn a simple social rule — when someone is talking, you stop and look at the person, so the person knows you’re listening.  Sometimes, though, it becomes obvious that a child doesn’t listen very well. What could be causing that? It’s possible the child has a hearing problem, and that’s the first thing to check out. But there are other reasons kids have a hard time listening. Two common cases are trouble with language or trouble with following directions. Focus challenges can also play a role.  No matter what’s causing the difficulty, it’s important to know that kids don’t mean to be disrespectful. They just need help building the skills they need for listening. --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-kids-dont-listen#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-kids-dont-listen","description":"Some kids just don’t listen. But why? It might not be about disrespect, but rather a legit difficulty following what people say. Learn more."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-kids-dont-listen","name":"Why some kids don’t listen"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2020-04-29T15:07:57.847Z","description":"Some kids just don’t listen. But why? It might not be about disrespect, but rather a legit difficulty following what people say. Learn more.","headline":"Why some kids don’t listen","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-kids-dont-listen","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```