Children can find it difficult if adults ask them too many questions. This can be for many reasons, for example they:
- May not understand the question.
- May not know how to answer.
- May be tired.
- Don’t like the feeling of having to ‘perform’ in front of others (they may know that you know the answer…so why ask it?).
It is natural to ask your child questions but for children with speech, language and communication difficulties it can be more effective to turn questions into comments.
- Instead of ‘what is that’…say ‘it’s a dog’
- Instead of ‘what is she doing’…say ‘she is running’
- Instead of ‘what colour is it’…say ‘that one is purple’.
You could add a pause in your comment, this gives the child an opportunity to respond without feeling any pressure that they have to, and if they don’t, you can say it for them (e.g. ‘it’s a…dog’).
You can also add other comments that don’t need a response (e.g. ‘that’s so silly’, ‘oh dear’, ‘he is jumping’).
Think give, don’t quiz!
Commenting on what a child is holding, looking at, playing with or doing is a great way for children to learn language. Children need to hear a word over and over again to learn and understand what it means before they might begin to use it.
It is still ok to ask questions, some questions are easier for children to respond to.
Such as:
- Questions that give your child a choice (E.g. do you want milk or water? do you want to wear a red or green t-shirt?).
- Questions that need a yes or no (e.g. is it raining? Do you want your hat?).
