Your 25-month-old: Asking questions

Your 2-year-old nowYour little one's a budding conversationalist, even if you're the one doing most of the talking. He's beginning to ask lots of questions, a development that fills two needs for him: It's a way of finding out about things, and it's also a way of keeping the interchange with you going. That lets him engage with you longer and pick up even more words.

Early favorite questions include "Why?" and "What's that?" (Or simply, "Dat? Dat?") As his language skills grow more sophisticated, so will his questions: "What's making that sound?" "What if the car went off the road?" "Why don't the birds fall down?"

Try to answer his questions as quickly as you can, in simple, full sentences. "Birds have wings that keep them up in the air." Being responsive encourages future questions, and your answers help him learn from your example how to put sentences together. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know." Find a book on the subject to share.

Your preschooler loves to answer questions as much as ask them. When you're reading books, ask about the pictures or the story: "Where is the brown doggie?" "What do you think he likes to eat?" "What will happen next?"