Answering questions

This guide is about how your child answers questions. In the ideas below, you ask one question at a time and then wait.

They fit into play, jobs around the house and trips out. You can use the same ideas in any language.

When children learn this

Between 2 and 3, many children start to answer who, what and where questions. Many cannot answer why and how questions yet.
Health checklists say that by 3, most children can say what someone in a picture is doing when you ask.
Health checklists say that by 4, most children answer simple questions about what a thing is for.
Health checklists say that by 5, most children answer simple questions about a story you read or tell them.
Health checklists use 'most children' to mean at least 3 in 4 children. If your child is not doing a 'most children' skill by the age given, see your GP or child health nurse for advice.
Children learn language skills at different ages.

Try this

While you play

Look at a picture book together. Point to one picture, ask one question, then wait. If your child does not answer, say the answer yourself and move on.

You: What is the dog doing?
Your child: Dog sleep.
You: The dog is sleeping. Shh, the dog is asleep.

Around the house

Set the table together. Hold up a spoon, ask one question, then wait. If your child does not answer, say the answer yourself and move on.

You: What do we use a spoon for?
Your child: Soup.
You: For soup. We eat soup with a spoon.

When you go out

On a sunny day, put on hats before you go out. Ask one question, then wait. If your child does not answer, say the answer yourself and move on.

You: Why do we wear a hat?
Your child: Sun.
You: The sun. A hat keeps the sun off your face.

Why it helps

When you pause, your child has a chance to talk. Your child does not have to copy you.
Reading together and talking about the pictures gives you both something to talk about.

When to get help

Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is between 3 and 4 and does not understand simple instructions.
Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is between 4 and 5 and has trouble understanding what people say.
Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is 5 or older and has trouble telling a simple story or what happened, has trouble understanding what they hear or what is read to them, or has a lot of trouble following or remembering spoken instructions.

Safety and when to act

If your child stops using words or skills they had, or you have new worries, see your GP. Do not wait.
If your child is 3 or older and people who know them well understand very little of what they say, or your child is 2 or older and not putting two or more words together, see your GP or child health nurse for advice.
Hearing problems can affect talking. Ask your GP about a hearing test, especially after a lot of ear infections.
If your child stutters, contact a speech pathologist. Give your child time to finish. Do not use word lists or sound games with a child who stutters unless your speech pathologist says so.
Tell your GP if your child often coughs, chokes or gags when eating or drinking, has wet or gurgly breathing, keeps getting chest infections, or is losing weight. If food is stuck and your child cannot swallow, go to the nearest emergency department. If it is hard for them to breathe, call 000 and ask for an ambulance. If your child is choking and cannot cough or make a sound, start first aid and call 000.
Do not ask your child to say a word again and again. They may get frustrated.
You can do these ideas in any language. Learning more than one language does not cause talking problems.
These ideas do not replace a speech pathologist. Stay on the waitlist.

More help

Sources

Last checked 12 October 2026

Answering questions