Why Can't My Child Answer My Questions?
Understanding and answering questions is a big part of everyday communication.
Some questions, like "what," "where," and "who," are often easier for children to learn first. Others—like "why," "when," and "how"—usually come later and can be much trickier to grasp.
In therapy, I spend a lot of time supporting children to understand and respond to different question types—especially "why" questions. Why? Because learning to answer why helps kids express their thinking, explain their choices, advocate for themselves by sharing their beliefs, and assert their ideas. And that’s a big deal—it builds confidence and empowers communication. 💬✨
For children who find answering questions challenging, this may be linked to a language delay or communication difference. But no matter where your child is in their language journey, here are two gentle strategies I try for introducing why questions:
❓ Give the answer first
Instead of asking, “Why do we need an umbrella today?”, try this:
🗣️ “It’s raining today. We need an umbrella... Why do we need an umbrella?”
You’ve done the hardest part—giving the context. Now they just need support to build a response like, “Because it’s raining.”
This models the thinking behind the question and helps them connect ideas.
❓ Use fill-in-the-blank scaffolding
Prompt them with a sentence they can finish:
🗣️ “Why do we need an umbrella? Because it’s…” (then pause and wait)
This helps children get used to the sentence structure and builds their confidence over time.
All children benefit from visual support. They help reduce the language load and make abstract questions more concrete.
I love the FREE question visuals from @smalltalk_speech (check their bio!)—they’re a fantastic, accessible tool to add to your communication toolkit.
Remember: asking and answering questions isn’t just a skill—it’s a doorway into connection, expression, and advocacy. Let’s support kids as they take that step, in a way that works for them. 💛
About the writer:
Lauren is a speech pathologist who has over 18 years experience working with children and teenagers who present with a range of learning and communication differences. Lauren is passionate about helping others and loves to find simple and creative ways to make learning fun!
The blog posts featured on this site are written on behalf of Remindables and are intended for educational purposes only and to provide general information and an understanding on a particular topic. By using this blog site, you must be aware that the information shown is not to be used as a substitute for therapy advice and you should therefore seek the opinion of suitable professionals to assist you. The views expressed here are the author’s views alone and not those of their employer or others, unless clearly stated. ⠀⠀⠀