Talking with children does not always need to involve asking questions. Making simple comments about what a child is doing, seeing or experiencing can create natural opportunities for communication and language development.
Commenting can reduce the pressure on a child to provide an answer while still giving them useful language to hear and respond to. Parents, carers and educators can use comments during play, everyday routines, books and shared activities to support back-and-forth interaction.
Comments can make interactions feel more natural because they do not always require the child to answer a question.
When adults comment on what a child is doing, looking at or experiencing, they provide useful language that matches the moment. This can help children hear words and sentence patterns in a meaningful context.
For example, instead of asking:
- “What colour is the car?”
- “What is the dog doing?”
- “What did you build?”
you might comment:
- “That car is really fast.”
- “The dog is running.”
- “You built a tall tower.”
This gives the child language to listen to without turning the interaction into a test.
Comments can also create space for children to respond in different ways. A child might add a word, make a sound, point, gesture, look towards the adult, use a sign or communicate through AAC.
The goal is not to stop asking questions completely. Instead, try balancing questions with comments, pauses and shared observations so the interaction feels more conversational.
Tip: If you notice you are asking lots of questions, try replacing every second or third question with a simple comment about what is happening.
- Commenting can be used during everyday routines, play and shared activities without needing special materials.
- Try using comments during:
- Play. If your child is playing with cars, you might say “The blue car is going fast” or “That one crashed.”
- Books. Instead of asking questions on every page, make observations such as “The boy looks surprised” or “There are lots of animals here.”
- Mealtimes. Comment on what is happening, such as “Your toast is crunchy” or “You poured the milk.”
- Getting dressed. Use simple language such as “Your shoes are on” or “That jumper is warm.”
- Outdoor play. Comment on movement, sounds and what the child notices, such as “The swing is going high” or “I can hear a bird.”
- Classroom or learning activities. Educators might comment on what a child is doing, such as “You found the matching picture” or “You’re putting the blocks in a row.”
- Try to keep comments connected to what the child is already interested in or doing. This makes the language more meaningful and easier to relate to the situation.
- After making a comment, pause briefly. Your child may respond with a word, gesture, sound, facial expression, eye gaze, sign or AAC message.
Tip: Keep comments short and relevant. One simple sentence that matches the activity is often more useful than a long explanation.
Comments are most useful when the language is easy enough for the child to understand while still giving them something new to hear.
If your child is using single words, you might use short two- or three-word comments such as:
- “Fast car.”
- “Big bubble.”
- “Dog running.”
- “More blocks.”
If your child is already using short phrases, you can model slightly longer comments such as:
- “The red car is fast.”
- “The dog is running outside.”
- “You made a tall tower.”
- “The bubbles are going up.”
The idea is to keep your language just a little ahead of what the child is already using, without making the sentence too long or complicated.
For children who communicate using gestures, signs, pictures or AAC, you can still model spoken language while also recognising and responding to their preferred communication method.
Try not to ask the child to repeat every comment. Hearing useful language in a natural interaction can still provide valuable modelling.
Tip: Aim for language that is simple, natural and connected to what your child is already doing.
When might Speech Pathology help with communication and language?
Some children may benefit from additional support to develop understanding, expressive language, social communication or other communication skills.
A Speech Pathologist can look at how your child currently communicates and interacts during everyday activities. Support may include modelling language, building vocabulary, developing sentence structure, supporting back-and-forth interaction or exploring augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) where appropriate.
At Innerlink Therapy, our Speech Pathologists work with children and families to identify practical strategies that can be used during play, routines and everyday interactions.
If you are concerned about your child’s communication or language development, contact Innerlink Therapy to discuss whether Speech Pathology may be appropriate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is commenting useful for children’s communication? Commenting gives children useful language without always requiring them to answer a question. It can make interactions feel more natural and provide words or sentence patterns that match what the child is doing or experiencing.
Should I stop asking my child questions? No. Questions can still be useful, but it can help to balance them with comments, pauses and shared observations so the interaction does not feel like a test.
What kinds of comments should I use? Keep comments short, relevant and connected to what the child is already doing. For example, you might say “The car is fast”, “You built a tall tower” or “The dog is running.”
What if my child does not use spoken words? Children can still respond through gestures, eye gaze, sounds, signs, pictures or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). These can all be meaningful ways to take part in an interaction.
Should I ask my child to repeat my comments? Not usually. The aim is to model useful language naturally. Hearing words and sentences in context can still support communication without requiring the child to repeat them.
When should I consider seeing a Speech Pathologist? You may consider speaking with a Speech Pathologist if you are concerned about your child’s understanding, expressive language, social communication or overall ability to communicate in everyday situations.
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