Asking and answering Wh questions in English is a key part of language development, as questions are an important form of communication. Children use questions to have a conversation and figure out the world around them.
Coming up with a question comes naturally to children, but reinforcing the lessons about the Wh questions for classes 1, 2 and 3 is always useful for young learners. It’s advisable to start by teaching them Wh questions and their uses from an early age.
Let’s look at how to make and use Wh questions in English.
What Are Wh Questions?
Let us understand the meaning of Wh questions. These are questions we ask to get information about different things. Children use these questions almost daily at home or in the classroom. These questions lay the groundwork for kids to participate in daily conversations, demonstrate knowledge, and collect information about things around them.
At What Age Do Kids Ask Wh Questions?
Children are curious to know the reason behind things. They start to ask and answer the Wh questions between the ages of one and two years.
Between the age of 1 to 2, children can answer the question “where” by pointing at things. When asked the question “what”, they can choose from two things and start using question words beginning with Wh.
Uses Of Wh Questions
Below are the uses of Wh questions you can teach your child.
- “What” is used for asking about something.
- “When” is used for asking about a time.
- “Where” is used for asking about a place.
- “Why” is used for asking about a reason.
- “Who” is used for asking about a person.
Why Is It Important To Teach Wh Questions To Your Child?
A child should know about the Wh questions because of the flowing reasons.
- It helps them to take part in conversations with family and friends.
- It helps them answer the questions asked in class.
- It helps them to understand assigned tasks and projects.
- It helps them to follow directions & stay safe.
- It helps them to sharpen their language skills.
How Can You Help Your Child Learn To Understand And Answer Wh Questions?
Help your child to learn to understand and answer Wh questions with the help of the following tips.
- Start with easy Wh questions and then progress to harder, more abstract Wh questions.
- Model answers to Wh questions if your kid needs to learn how to answer them correctly.
- Give your little one multiple opportunities to ask and answer the Wh questions.
- Repeat the similar Wh questions along with different activities. For example, when your child is reading a book, ask them – What are you reading? What is the story? etc.
Why Is Your Child Struggling To Learn Wh Questions?
Here are some reasons behind your child struggling to learn the Wh question.
- If the child is unable to understand the meaning of the Wh question words.
- If the child is unable to differentiate between two or more Wh question words.
- If the child doesn’t understand the words used to form the question.
- If the child cannot formulate the answer to the question being asked.
List Of Wh Questions With Answers For Kids
Below are some Wh questions and answers for your child to learn and understand how it works.
Questions Starting With What
What questions and answers for kids.
1. What is your name?
Answer: My name is Aradhya
2. What time is it?
Answer: It’s 7’0 clock.
3. What are you eating?
Answer: I’m eating a piece of cake.
4. What are you doing here?
Answer: I came to buy stationery.
5. What will you do after this?
Answer: I will play with my brother after this.
6. What comes after 9?
Answer: 10 comes after 9.
7. What is your favourite colour?
Answer: My favourite colour is red.
8. What is in your lunch box today?
Answer: I have a sandwich for lunch today.
9. What’s your favourite cartoon?
Answer: Peppa Pig is my favourite cartoon.
10. What does a red light mean?
Answer: Red light means to stop.
11. What do you do before going to sleep at night?
Answer: I read a storybook before sleeping.
12. What is the best dish you have ever had?
Answer: Lasagne is the best dish I have ever had.
13. What reason did you last see a doctor?
Answer: I had a cold, so I visited the doctor.
14. What are the things we wear in winter?
Answer: We wear a jacket, sweater and coat in winter.
15. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Answer: I want to be a doctor when I grow up.
Questions Starting With Where
Where questions and answers for kids.
1. Where do you live?
Answer: I live in Delhi.
2. Where do we put spectacles?
Answer: We put spectacles on our eyes.
3. Where do we sleep?
Answer: We sleep on a bed.
4. Where do fishes live?
Answer: Fishes live in water.
5. Where do we put our clothes?
Answer: We put our clothes in a closet.
6. Where is your school?
Answer: My school is in Malviya Nagar.
7. Where do we see a rainbow?
Answer: We see a rainbow in the sky.
8. Where do we buy groceries from?
Answer: We buy groceries from grocery stores.
9. Where do we plant seeds?
Answer: We plant seeds in the ground.
10. Where are your toys?
Answer: My toys are inside the basket.
11. Where do we cook our meals?
Answer: We cook our meals in the kitchen.
12. Where do children go to study?
Answer: Children go to study in school.
13. Where do we put gloves?
Answer: We put gloves on our hands.
14. Where do we buy books?
Answer: We buy books in the bookstore.
15. Where do birds live?
Answer: Birds live in a nest.
Questions Starting With When
When questions and answers for kids.
1. When is your birthday?
Answer: My birthday is on 14th August.
2. When do people wear sunglasses?
Answer: People wear sunglasses when it’s sunny outside.
3. When do we use an umbrella?
Answer: We use an umbrella when it rains.
4. When are you going on vacation?
Answer: I’m going on vacation next month.
5. When do you wake up?
Answer: I wake up at 6 in the morning.
6. When is Christmas celebrated?
Answer: Christmas is celebrated on 25th December.
7. When are you going to complete your homework?
Answer: I’m going to complete my homework after playing.
8. When will your winter break start?
Answer: My winter break will start on 10th December.
9. When do you go to sleep?
Answer: I go to sleep at 9 pm.
10. When are you going to your grandmother’s house?
Answer: I’m going to my grandmother’s house next week.
11. When do you need a flashlight?
Answer: We need a flashlight when it’s dark.
12. When do we go to a doctor?
Answer: We go to a doctor when we are sick.
13. When do leaves fall from trees?
Answer: Leaves fall from the trees in the Fall season.
14. When do you do your homework?
Answer: I do my homework in the evening.
15. When are you going to a picnic?
Answer: I’m going to a picnic on Saturday.
Questions Starting With Which
Here is which questions list with answers for your kid.
1. Which animal is known as the “ship of the desert”?
Answer: Camel
2. Which month has the least number of days?
Answer: February
3. Which is the largest mammal?
Answer: Blue whale
4. Which way is anti-clockwise, left or right?
Answer: Left
5. Which is the smallest continent?
Answer: Australia
6. Which is the tallest mountain in the world?
Answer: Mount Everest
7. Which is the fastest animal on the land?
Answer: Cheetah
8. Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
Answer: Mars
9. Which is the tallest animal on the earth?
Answer: Giraffe
10. Which is the largest country in the world?
Answer: Russia
11. Which country is home to the kangaroo?
Answer: Australia
12. Which food do you like the most?
Answer: I like pizza the most.
13. Which colour do you like the most?
Answer: I like the colour black the most.
14. Which city would you like to visit?
Answer: I want to visit Paris.
15. Which season do you like?
Answer: I like the winter season.
Questions Starting With Who
Who questions and answers for kids.
1. Who is your best friend?
Answer: Abhishek is my best friend.
2. Who is your favourite teacher?
Answer: My maths teacher is my favourite teacher.
3. Who takes care of the garden?
Answer: A gardener takes care of the garden.
4. Who do you call when you’re sick?
Answer: We call a doctor when we are sick.
5. Who takes care of you?
Answer: My parents take care of me.
6. Who cuts people’s hair?
Answer: A barber cuts people’s hair.
7. Who is coming tomorrow?
Answer: My aunt is coming tomorrow.
8. Who gives us milk?
Answer: A cow gives us milk.
9. Who do you go to when your teeth hurt?
Answer: I go to the dentist when my teeth hurt.
10. Who catches criminals and thieves to keep the city safe?
Answer: Police keep the city safe.
11. Who flies a plane?
Answer: A pilot flies a plane.
12. Who is your favourite Bollywood actor?
Answer: Shahid Kapoor is my favourite Bollywood actor.
13. Who makes furniture out of wood?
Answer: A carpenter makes furniture out of wood.
14. Who sells flowers?
Answer: A florist sells flowers.
15. Who gave you this toy?
Answer: My mother gave me this toy.
Questions Starting With Why
Why questions and answers for kids.
1. Why are you studying?
Answer: I am studying because it is my exam tomorrow.
2. Why do we sleep?
Answer: We sleep to give rest to our bodies.
3. Why are you playing alone?
Answer: I am playing alone because everyone is busy.
4. Why do we wear a watch?
Answer: We wear a watch to know the time.
5. Why do animals have fur?
Answer: Animals have fur because it protects them from cold.
6. Why do adults work?
Answer: Adults work to earn money.
7. Why do we brush our teeth?
Answer: We brush our teeth to keep the germs away.
8. Why do we wear shoes?
Answer: We wear shoes to protect our feet from dirt.
9. Why do we wear a seat-belt in the car?
Answer: We wear a seat-belt in the car to stay safe in an accident.
10. Why do we drink water?
Answer: We drink water to stay hydrated.
11. Why do we go to a market?
Answer: We go to a market to buy things.
12. Why do people go on vacation?
Answer: People go on vacation to relax.
13. Why are you laughing?
Answer: I’m laughing because I heard a joke.
14. Why do we go to the park?
Answer: We go to the park to enjoy nature.
15. Why do your like ice cream?
Answer: I like ice cream because it is sweet.
Games And Activities That Will Help Your Child To Understand Wh Questions
Here are some Wh question activities for kindergarten kids.
1. Read & Ask
Read a story to your child and ask questions about it starting from Wh. Encourage your child to ask the similar Wh questions
2. Daily Life Information
When your child returns from school, ask questions like – Who did you sit with at lunch? When did you eat your lunch? etc.
3. Picture Book
Cut pictures from magazines and make a Wh-question chart with each Wh question in a separate column. Show your child a picture and ask them to place it in the correct column. For example, a picture of a boy will go in the “Who” column.
4. Pick A Chit
Make chits with Wh questions. Ask your child to pick one chit at a time and frame a question with that Wh word. For example, if they pick when chit – they can ask, “When are we going on a trip”.
5. Get/Point At The Answer
Ask your child simple questions, like where the blanket is or what time it is, and they have to answer by bringing the thing to you or pointing at it.
Also Read:
Indian History Quiz for Kids with Answers
General Knowledge Questions On Myself for Kids
GK Questions On Planets and Their Moons for Children
