Question of the Walk Game

Walking shoes for you and your child

An outdoor space to explore — any route works

Head outside for a walk.

Start with an open-ended question: "Why do you think that tree is so tall?"

Listen and respond with interest: "Oh! Tell me more about that."

Ask a silly hypothetical: "What if dogs could fly? Where would they go?"

Let your child ask YOU a question. Answer thoughtfully.

Use "I wonder" prompts: "I wonder where that bird is going."

Let surroundings spark questions: a truck, a puddle, a flower.

Keep conversation flowing — every corner brings new topics.

Open-ended questions (why, how, what if) build longer sentences and more complex thinking than yes/no questions. "Do you like that tree?" gets a one-word answer. "Why do you think that tree is so tall?" gets a whole thought.

The "tell me more" response is your secret weapon. It validates whatever your child said and invites them to expand without directing what they should say.

Silly questions are just as valuable as serious ones. "What if puddles were made of juice?" requires the same cognitive work as a factual question — imagining, reasoning, expressing.

If your child's answers are short, that's fine. Model longer responses yourself: "I think that bird is going home to feed its babies. Maybe it found a worm!" They'll gradually mirror your sentence length.