To help young children build strong oral language skills, which type of questions should adults include in conversations?

• A. Yes/No Questions
• B. Questions Requiring Them to Express Abstract Ideas
• C. Repetition of Single Words
• D. Reading-Only Prompts

Answer: (B)

When helping young children build strong oral language skills, the focus should be on questions that invite explanation, reasoning, and description. These prompts push kids to use more words, try new vocabulary, and organize their thoughts in complete sentences, which grows expressive language over time. For example, asking why a character acted a certain way or how we might solve a problem and why that solution would work encourages children to articulate ideas, justify their thinking, and make connections.

In contrast, yes/No questions often lead to short, one-word answers and less practice with language structure. Repeating single words doesn’t stretch vocabulary or syntax, and reading-only prompts don’t foster back-and-forth dialogue in everyday talk. By including open-ended questions that require children to express ideas and reasoning, adults support richer conversations, which better develop oral language, storytelling, and overall communication skills.