TEY 13.2

EMMA SPIERS IS AN EARLY EDUCATION CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR H ave you ever been out and about with a three-year- old who is at the “why?” stage? As I played in the garden with my niece recently, I received a timely reminder through a perfect demonstration! “We need to tidy up.” “Why?” “It’s time for tea.” “Why?” “We need to get in the bath now.” “Why?”… The practitioner part of my brain was delighted. Asking questions and being inquisitive is a powerful developmental step for a three-year- old. My niece was showing me that she’s well on the way to becoming a competent communicator and fully Great uestion! functioning learner. Or was she? WHY QUESTIONS? Asking and answering questions is a key part of human interaction; it’s the strategy we use every day to gain information, clarify our understanding, or get help. We ask questions to ourselves as we think through problems, trial solutions, or attempt to make sense of our place in the world. Some children move from learning words and putting them together to phrasing simple questions easily. Others find this developmentally more challenging. Using questions for communication takes two forms: receptive language, which involves processing, understanding and responding to questions asked by others; and expressive language, i.e. thinking about, developing, and articulating questions to find out more. Early years children need to develop equal competence and confidence in both aspects. DON’T OVERDO IT It’s easy to fall into the trap of asking too many questions. We want to know what our children think, so we ask them. But overdoing it, or asking questions that are too complex, can be counterproductive. There can be an overemphasis on the receptive nature of these questions, cultivating a belief that questions are something that is “done” to us. Too many questions can feel uncomfortable in any interaction. If we Emma Spiers suggests ways to support children as they learn to ask and answer… 42 Teachearlyyears.com