Section 7.4

LEARNING AND USING THE QUESTION WORD 'WHY'

MAIN ACTIVITY

        1. Collect some storybooks that could be used to ask ‘why’ questions. For example, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ could be used to ask:‘Why does Goldilocks go into the house?’

          ‘Why does Goldilocks eat the porridge/sit on the chair/sleep in the bed?’.

        2. Use ‘why’ as you ask about the pictures, for example:‘Why is Goldilocks eating the porridge?’ ‘Because she is hungry.’

          ‘Why is Goldilocks sleeping?’ ‘Because she is tired.’

        3. Link the questions to feelings and emotions that the child has experienced.

          ‘Why did the chair break?’ ‘Because Goldilocks sat on it’. ‘How does Goldilocks feel?’

        4. Prompt your child to answer (‘Why did the chair break?’ ‘Because…’) or give the correct answer if the child is stuck and ask them to repeat it.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

        1. Throughout the day ask your child simple ‘why’ questions. For example, ‘Why are you brushing your teeth? Why are you eating your lunch?’
        2. Choose more complex pictures with more details to ask the ‘why’ questions.
        3. Don’t prompt or model the answers.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

        1. Give a hand signal to show ‘why’.
        2. Write the words ‘why’ and because’ on a piece of paper and point to it as you say it.
        3. Use soft toys to represent the characters from the story and act it out, asking ‘why’ questions as you go.