Why variations

“What did you like about that?”

(Kid’s response: “It was fun.”)

“What was fun about that?”

“What made it fun?”

Why this technique
Kids have a hard time answering “why?” and often shrug, say they don’t know, or answer with one word. Follow-up probes, such as these, are helpful for digging deeper into what they are thinking and feeling. 

See more methods

Encourage without validating

Silence is golden

Use kids’ words

Go away germs