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Curiosity is the key to learning, and questions are one of the most powerful tools for getting your toddler’s wheels turning. This resource will provide you with ideas and strategies for building your child’s thinking skills by using questions throughout your daily interactions together.
Why Are Questions Important for Learning?
When your child asks a question, she is taking an active role in her own learning. She is trying to figure out how her world works by seeking information. As she asks questions, she is developing critical thinking skills that build brain power.
Asking questions is also an important form of communication. Your child is seeking out a knowledgeable person—you, another child, a family member or caregiver—and requesting information that he needs or wants.
Finally, when your child asks questions, it shows how important strong relationships are in helping children learn and grow. Children turn to the people they love and trust to help them learn.
Can Babies and Toddlers Ask Questions Before They Can Use Words?
As children get older—usually starting at about 2 ½ to three years—they will use language to ask questions. But there are many other ways to ask questions that don’t require words.
A baby or toddler may be asking a question when she:
• Looks closely at an interesting object or person
• Reaches for an object or person
• Points to something
• Touches something
• Looks at you with a questioning facial expression
Sarah, age 10 months, is sitting on the grass with her mother. She sees a squirrel run by and stop for a moment at the base of a nearby tree. Sarah stares at the squirrel for a few seconds and then looks at her mother. She waves her arm and hand toward the squirrel, as if she is reaching for it. Her mother says, “Are you wondering what that animal is? It’s a squirrel. Squirrels live in trees.” Sarah bounces up and down as she watches the squirrel run across the grass and race up the tree.
When a young child asks a question without using words, first say the question or questions you think she might be asking out loud: “Are you trying to tell me you don’t like the sound of the fire engine and you want me to pick you up?” Adults have to imagine being the child for a moment and wonder what questions they may have. When you say those questions out loud, you help your child develop language skills.
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