Late Talker Tip: Balancing Questions with Comments

You Might Be Asking Your Toddler Too Many Questions! 👀

And you're not alone...we all do it!

Questions like “What’s this?” or “Say ___!” are usually meant to help, but here’s a gentle shift that can make a big difference.

Frequent quizzing during play can lead to:
- Children waiting to be prompted to communicate.
- Guessing the answer instead of learning what words really mean.
- Interruption of play, adding pressure to “perform,” rather than connection and back-and-forth interaction.

One simple strategy many speech-language pathologists recommend is less quizzing, more modeling. 🧸💬

A helpful guideline is aiming for about 1 question for every 4 comments. 🌱

To support spontaneous communication, try joining your child’s play and commenting on what you see, think, or feel:

Labeling & narrating:
- "Big truck!” 🚗
- “It’s a cow!” 🐮
- “This is fun!” 😊

Copy & add:
- Child: “Car.” Adult: “Fast car!”

Verbal routines & fill-in-the-blank phrases:
- "Ready, set…” 🟢
- “The cow says…” 🐄

Save this tip and give it a try next time you're playing with your child!