Thinkabara❓ WH questions (who, what, where, when, why)
Answering who, what, where, when and why questions is a key language skill for following stories and conversation. Each scene below asks one kind of question, starting with "what" and "who" and moving to "when" and "why".
Tips for parents and teachers
- Teach one question word at a time: who = a person, where = a place, when = a time, why = a reason ("because…").
- Use visual cues: a person icon for who, a map pin for where, a clock for when.
- If a child answers a "where" question with a person, gently give a choice: "At the park or at school?"
All questions and answers
Use these to read aloud in the car, at dinner or in a group. Answers are in bold.
What and who (6)
- The girl is eating ice cream. WHAT is she eating? — 🍦 ice cream / 🍕 pizza / 🍎 an apple
- The firefighter puts out the fire. WHO puts out the fire? — 🧑🍳 a cook / 🧑🚒 the firefighter / 👶 a baby
- The dog is chasing a ball. WHAT is the dog chasing? — 🐈 a cat / ⚽ a ball / 🦴 a bone
- The doctor helps the sick boy. WHO helps the boy? — 🧑⚕️ the doctor / 👮 a police officer / 🧑🏫 a teacher
- Grandma knits a scarf. WHAT does Grandma make? — 🧣 a scarf / 🎂 a cake / 🪁 a kite
- The teacher reads a book to the class. WHO reads the book? — the children / the teacher / the dog
Where (6)
- WHERE does a fish live? — 🌊 in the water / 🌳 in a tree / 🏠 in a house
- Mom is cooking eggs. WHERE is she? — 🛁 in the bathroom / 🍳 in the kitchen / 🚗 in the car
- Leo goes down the slide. WHERE is Leo? — at the park / at the doctor / in bed
- WHERE do you sleep? — in the fridge / in a bed / on the bus
- Dad buys apples. WHERE does he go? — the grocery store / the library / the beach
- WHERE does the bird lay its eggs? — in a nest / in a shoe / in a cup
When (6)
- WHEN do you go to sleep? — at night / at breakfast / at recess
- WHEN do we eat breakfast? — in the morning / at night / at midnight
- WHEN can you build a snowman? — in summer / in winter / on a hot day
- WHEN do you blow out candles on a cake? — on your birthday / at the dentist / when it rains
- WHEN do you use an umbrella? — when it is raining / when you are hungry / when you sleep
- WHEN do many Americans eat turkey with family? — on Thanksgiving / on the first day of summer / every morning
Why (6)
- WHY do we wear a coat? — because it is cold / because it is a toy / because we are hungry
- The boy dropped his ice cream. WHY is he sad? — because he dropped his ice cream / because it is sunny / because he is sleepy
- WHY do we brush our teeth? — to keep them clean / to make them longer / to wake up the dog
- WHY did the car stop? — the light is red / the light is green / the car is happy
- WHY do we water plants? — so they can grow / so they can talk / so they can sleep
- WHY does the baker wear oven mitts? — so she doesn't burn her hands / to look funny / because it is raining
🖨️ Printables
Press Print above to print the task cards and circle-the-answer worksheets below on US Letter paper.
WH question task cards
WHO brings the mail? 📬
WHAT do you wear on your feet? 👟
WHERE do you keep ice cream? 🍦
WHEN do you wear pajamas? 🌙
WHY do we wear seat belts? 🚗
WHO helps you when you are sick? 🧑⚕️
WHAT do you use to cut paper? ✂️
WHERE do you take a bath? 🛁
WHEN do you eat lunch? 🥪
WHY do we wash our hands? 🧼
WHO teaches at school? 🧑🏫
WHAT says "moo"? 🐄
WHERE do you buy food? 🛒
WHEN do leaves fall? 🍂
WHY do we need sunscreen? ☀️
WHAT do you do with a book? 📖
What and who
Name: ____________________ Circle the answer.
- 👧 🍦 The girl is eating ice cream. WHAT is she eating?
🍦 ice cream🍕 pizza🍎 an apple - 🧑🚒 🚒 🔥 The firefighter puts out the fire. WHO puts out the fire?
🧑🍳 a cook🧑🚒 the firefighter👶 a baby - 🐕 ⚽ The dog is chasing a ball. WHAT is the dog chasing?
🐈 a cat⚽ a ball🦴 a bone - 👨⚕️ 🤒 The doctor helps the sick boy. WHO helps the boy?
🧑⚕️ the doctor👮 a police officer🧑🏫 a teacher - 👵 🧶 Grandma knits a scarf. WHAT does Grandma make?
🧣 a scarf🎂 a cake🪁 a kite - 🧑🏫 📖 🧒🧒 The teacher reads a book to the class. WHO reads the book?
the childrenthe teacherthe dog
Where
Name: ____________________ Circle the answer.
- 🐟 🌊 WHERE does a fish live?
🌊 in the water🌳 in a tree🏠 in a house - 👩🍳 🍳 Mom is cooking eggs. WHERE is she?
🛁 in the bathroom🍳 in the kitchen🚗 in the car - 🛝 🧒 Leo goes down the slide. WHERE is Leo?
at the parkat the doctorin bed - 🛏️ 😴 WHERE do you sleep?
in the fridgein a bedon the bus - 🛒 🍎 Dad buys apples. WHERE does he go?
the grocery storethe librarythe beach - 🐦 🪺 WHERE does the bird lay its eggs?
in a nestin a shoein a cup
When
Name: ____________________ Circle the answer.
- 🌙 😴 WHEN do you go to sleep?
at nightat breakfastat recess - 🥣 🌅 WHEN do we eat breakfast?
in the morningat nightat midnight - ⛄ ❄️ WHEN can you build a snowman?
in summerin winteron a hot day - 🎂 🎉 WHEN do you blow out candles on a cake?
on your birthdayat the dentistwhen it rains - ☂️ 🌧️ WHEN do you use an umbrella?
when it is rainingwhen you are hungrywhen you sleep - 🦃 🍂 WHEN do many Americans eat turkey with family?
on Thanksgivingon the first day of summerevery morning
Why
Name: ____________________ Circle the answer.
- 🧥 ❄️ WHY do we wear a coat?
because it is coldbecause it is a toybecause we are hungry - 😢 🍦⬇️ The boy dropped his ice cream. WHY is he sad?
because he dropped his ice creambecause it is sunnybecause he is sleepy - 🪥 🦷 WHY do we brush our teeth?
to keep them cleanto make them longerto wake up the dog - 🚦 🔴 WHY did the car stop?
the light is redthe light is greenthe car is happy - 💧 🌻 WHY do we water plants?
so they can growso they can talkso they can sleep - 🧤 🔥 WHY does the baker wear oven mitts?
so she doesn't burn her handsto look funnybecause it is raining
Frequently asked questions
In what order do children learn WH questions?
Typically "what" and "where" come first (around 2–3 years), then "who", then "when", "why" and "how" (around 4–5 years). "When" and "why" are harder because they involve time and reasons.
How can I help my child answer WH questions?
Ask during real moments and books, give two choices when your child is stuck ("Is the dog in the house or in the yard?"), and model full answers ("Where? In the yard!").
More language activities
Related pages
All speech therapy activitiesLanguage milestones by ageAAC boards