Who Questions: Speech therapy tips and activities

January 14, 2021 Stephanie Keffer

Toddlers typically begin responding to who questions, such as “Who’s that?” between 24 and 30 months.

As with every skill, toddlers need time to observe, learn, and practice before they are ready to respond to these questions on their own. With this in mind, when we are teaching your little ones to answer who questions, we should be prepared to give lots of answers in the beginning. Young children will listen to your responses as they get ready to answer on their own.

When helping your toddler learn to answer who questions, here are some friendly speech therapy tips to ensure smooth sailing with your practice:

You must have your toddler’s attention when you are asking questions. If they are not paying attention to the question you are asking, they certainly will not answer it, or be available to listen to your response and get closer to answering it themselves.
If your toddler is really enjoying their current play activity, interrupting them to ask an unrelated question such as “Who is that?” is likely not the best time to motivate them to respond and learn. Be sure to eliminate distractions when possible and use eye-contact to promote sustained attention.

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Speech therapy tips for teaching your toddler who questions at home

Tip 1: Start with “Who is that?”

Begin to practice by asking your child, “Who is that?” when looking at a family photo or talking about the people in the room. Point to a person as you ask, “Who is that?” Wait five seconds to see if your child responds on their own.

If your child responds correctly, confirm their answer and show them your excitement that they have answered the question correctly.

If your child does not answer or gives an incorrect response, you should state the correct answer to your question “Who is that?... It’s Grandpa!” And wait a few seconds to see if your child repeats your answer. It is important to know that you do not need to ask your child to “Say ____.” It is better to say the answer and provide a moment of silence to give your child the opportunity to imitate you. If your child does not copy you and you have their attention, know that they are likely internalizing your answer and getting ready to answer on their own in the future.

Step 2: Next Ask “Whose ____ is that?”

To make who questions one step more challenging, begin to ask “Whose ____ is this?” For example you may be in the kitchen and ask, “Whose cup is that?” Or you might be folding laundry and ask, “Whose shirt is this?”

If your child does not answer or gives an incorrect response, you should state the correct answer to your question “Whose is that?... It’s Daddy’s! ” and wait a few seconds to see if your child repeats your answer.

Keep in mind, you do not need to ask your child to “Say ____” in response to your question, simply provide a moment of silence to give them the opportunity to copy you. If they do not copy you, know that they are internalizing your answer and getting ready to answer it on their own.

Step 3: Ask Who questions in different activities and settings

Usually, children start answering questions in one context or activity first. It may be that they have been practicing responding to questions during snack time with lots of success. Let’s say your child has listened to and answered the same questions during snack over many weeks, and they are now answering these practiced questions during snack time on their own. You can challenge your toddler to answer the same question(s) during a new activity. If they have learned to answer, “Whose ___ is this?” during snack time, start practicing “Whose ____ is this?” as you put away toys in the backyard. You will know your child has mastered Who questions when they can answer a variety of “Who’s that?” and “Whose ____ is this?” questions accurately during several activities.

Download our guide to teaching who questions: speech therapy at home activities ↓

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Who Questions: Speech Therapy At Home Activity

Sorting Laundry

Materials:

A pile or hamper of laundry that has at least two different people’s items inside
Space to sort the laundry with your child

Set-up:

Bring your hamper to the area where you normally sort laundry and bring your child with you. Plan your laundry sorting for when you have extra time for your child to “help” you.

What to do:

In this activity, you will help your child learn to answer “who” questions about who an item of clothing belongs to. Sometimes your child may not know who the item belongs to. In those cases, skip that item and only pick ones that you are sure your child knows.

Pull out an item of clothing. Say out loud, “Whose shirt is this? It’s Emma’s shirt!” and put it in a pile for Emma. Then pull out another item and say, “Whose pants? Papa’s pants!” and put it in a pile for Papa. Once you have established the piles, you can start to ask your child to help by telling you who the items belong to. Say, “whose pants are these?” and wait. If they answer, put it in the pile and move on. If they don’t answer, ask again and then answer the question yourself.

What to say:

You: Whose sock is this? [waits 5 seconds]

Child: [says nothing or says something else]

You: Whose is this? It’s Mama’s sock!

You: Whose sock is this? [waits up to 5 seconds]

Child: Mama.

You: Mama’s sock! It sure is. [puts in correct pile]

Download our PDF activities guide with the laundry activity + 2 more ↓

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Toddler Talk

Who Questions: Speech therapy tips and activities

Toddlers typically begin responding to who questions, such as “Who’s that?” between 24 and 30 months.

Speech therapy tips for teaching your toddler who questions at home

Tip 1: Start with “Who is that?”

Step 2: Next Ask “Whose ____ is that?”

Step 3: Ask Who questions in different activities and settings

Download our guide to teaching who questions: speech therapy at home activities ↓

Who Questions: Speech Therapy At Home Activity

Sorting Laundry

Materials:

Set-up:

What to do:

What to say:

Download our PDF activities guide with the laundry activity + 2 more ↓

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