250+ WH Questions List For Students & Speech Therapist

 A key part of language development is understanding and using the WH questions  effectively. These are open questions, which can provide a lot of content information. 

There are seven main WH words found in the English language: Who, Where, What, When, Which, Why, and Whom. Each WH word forms a different type of question, allowing us to seek information in various ways. 

They typically require more elaborate responses than yes/no questions, also known as closed questions. Let’s break down these WH question words into a list for our average child in primary 1.

1. Who Questions List

“Who” questions can be the easiest questions for children to understand and use at an early age as they usually deal with people or characters. It’s best to start with visual support such as a picture of a boy or a girl, a teddy bear, or any other familiar characters.

1. Who is your best friend?
2. Who is your favorite teacher?
3. Who cooked dinner last night?
4. Who is in the picture?
5. Who likes ice cream?
6. Who is reading a book?
7. Who plays with you in the park?
8. Who is wearing a red hat?
9. Who is the president?
10. Who is driving the car?
11. Who is singing the song?
12. Who brought the cake?
13. Who has the blue ball?
14. Who lives next door?
15. Who will come to the party?
16. Who found the lost dog?
17. Who went to the market?
18. Who is the tallest in the class?
19. Who drew this picture?
20. Who helped you with homework?
21. Who is riding the bicycle?
22. Who likes strawberries?
23. Who sings your favorite song?
24. Who is your favorite superhero?
25. Who can jump the highest?
26. Who is your music teacher?
27. Who feeds the pet at home?
28. Who can run the fastest?
29. Who is your math teacher?
30. Who does your laundry?
31. Who waters the plants?
32. Who is the principal of your school?
33. Who will take you to the park?
34. Who makes your breakfast?
35. Who is your neighbor?
36. Who sits next to you in class?
37. Who is your favorite cartoon character?
38. Who cleans the classroom?
39. Who takes out the trash at home?
40. Who is the author of your favorite book?

2. Where Questions List

“Where” questions help children with their receptive language skills by asking them to identify locations or directions. Here is a list of such questions:

1. Where is your school?
2. Where do birds live?
3. Where did we go last week?
4. Where is the red ball?
5. Where can we buy apples?
6. Where does the teacher sit?
7. Where is your favorite book?
8. Where did I put my glasses?
9. Where should we put the trash?
10. Where do you eat lunch?
11. Where does the sun rise?
12. Where can we see stars?
13. Where did you put your shoes?
14. Where does a fish live?
15. Where are you going after school?
16. Where should we plant this tree?
17. Where can we play football?
18. Where is the nearest library?
19. Where does your grandma live?
20. Where is the cat hiding?
21. Where did you go on your last vacation?
22. Where do you keep your toys?
23. Where do firefighters work?
24. Where does the President live?
25. Where does the moon appear at night?
26. Where did we park the car?
27. Where can you find a lion?
28. Where is your bedroom?
29. Where do you buy your clothes?
30. Where did you see a rainbow last time?
31. Where is the tallest building in the world?
32. Where can you swim?
33. Where is the nearest bakery?
34. Where do we get fresh vegetables?
35. Where does the queen live?
36. Where can we see a movie?
37. Where does a spider live?
38. Where is the zoo located?
39. Where do your cousins live?
40. Where is the bathroom?

3. What Questions List

“What” questions promote expressive language skills and often need a more detailed answer. These questions usually require the child to identify objects, actions, or descriptions.

1. What is your name?
2. What are you eating?
3. What color is your bag?
4. What did you do at school today?
5. What is your favorite color?
6. What is the weather today?
7. What is your favorite animal?
8. What kind of music do you like?
9. What is your dog’s name?
10. What is your dad doing?
11. What is in your lunchbox?
12. What is the time now?
13. What do you want for your birthday?
14. What is the capital of our country?
15. What are you wearing?
16. What do cows eat?
17. What did you learn today?
18. What makes you happy?
19. What sport do you like?
20. What do you see in this picture scene?
21. What is the name of your school?
22. What do you usually have for breakfast?
23. What is the color of the sun?
24. What is your father’s job?
25. What sounds do cats make?
26. What kind of food do you dislike?
27. What time do you go to bed?
28. What is your favorite holiday?
29. What do you like to draw the most?
30. What does a baker do?
31. What do you like about your best friend?
32. What is your favorite season?
33. What can you see out of the window?
34. What did you dream last night?
35. What shape is a soccer ball?
36. What makes you scared?
37. What is the first letter of your name?
38. What do you do when you’re sad?
39. What animal lives in the jungle?
40. What is your favorite thing to do in the park?

4. When Questions List

“When” questions involve a specific time or event, helping children comprehend the concept of time. They can be slightly more difficult questions compared to the previous lists.

1. When is your birthday?
2. When do we eat lunch?
3. When does school start?
4. When did you last visit your grandma?
5. When is Christmas?
6. When will it be summer?
7. When does the sun set?
8. When can we go to the park?
9. When was the last time you cried?
10. When did you learn to ride a bike?
11. When are you happiest?
12. When should we brush our teeth?
13. When does the movie begin?
14. When do birds fly south?
15. When will we reach home?
16. When did you last eat a cake?
17. When do we sleep?
18. When did you get that teddy bear?
19. When should we cross the road?
20. When do flowers bloom?

5. Which Questions List

“Which” questions are choice-based and let the child pick an option from a given set. They often involve visual cues to make it easier for kids.

1. Which is your favorite toy?
2. Which ice-cream do you want, vanilla or chocolate?
3. Which book should I read, fairy tales or animal stories?
4. Which color do you like more, red or blue?
5. Which pet would you like to have, a cat or a dog?
6. Which dress should you wear, the pink one or the blue one?
7. Which game should we play, chess or checkers?
8. Which fruit is sweeter, apple or banana?
9. Which vegetable do you dislike, broccoli or spinach?
10. Which story did you like more, the lion and the mouse or the tortoise and the hare?
11. Which bird can swim, a pigeon or a penguin?
12. Which one is a fruit, a carrot or an apple?
13. Which is faster, a bicycle or a car?
14. Which way should we go, left or right?
15. Which meal do you like more, breakfast or dinner?
16. Which month comes after June?
17. Which animal is bigger, a cat or an elephant?
18. Which is colder, ice or water?
19. Which season comes after winter?
20. Which is your favorite TV show?
21. When do you brush your teeth?
22. When do you usually wake up?
23. When is your birthday?
24. When does school start?
25. When do the flowers bloom?
26. When is the next holiday?
27. When do you eat lunch?
28. When is bedtime?
29. When do you go to the park?
30. When did you last visit the doctor?
31. When do we celebrate New Year’s Day?
32. When is your friend’s birthday party?
33. When does the library open?
34. When did you learn to ride a bike?
35. When is it time to feed the pet?
36. When did you last go to the zoo?
37. When do you visit your grandparents?
38. When does the movie start?
39. When did you last eat pizza?
40. When does the school year end?

6. Why Questions List

“Why” questions encourage children to provide explanations or reasons, promoting their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

1. Why do we need to eat vegetables?
2. Why do birds fly?
3. Why should we brush our teeth daily?
4. Why is the sky blue?
5. Why do we need to sleep?
6. Why does a dog bark?
7. Why do we need to go to school?
8. Why do we stop at a red light?
9. Why can’t we touch hot things?
10. Why do we wear shoes?
11. Why does it rain?
12. Why do you like to play with your friend?
13. Why should we read books?
14. Why do we need to drink water?
15. Why are you crying?
16. Why do flowers smell good?
17. Why should we not litter?
18. Why is fire dangerous?
19. Why do we celebrate birthdays?
20. Why is it important to say please and thank you?
21. Why do we brush our teeth?
22. Why do birds fly?
23. Why do we need to eat vegetables?
24. Why do cats purr?
25. Why do people wear glasses?
26. Why do we have to sleep at night?
27. Why is the sky blue?
28. Why do we celebrate birthdays?
29. Why do we need to drink water?
30. Why do plants need sunlight?
31. Why do we need to go to school?
32. Why does the moon change shape?
33. Why do we use a zebra crossing?
34. Why do we have weekends?
35. Why do we wear seat belts in the car?
36. Why do some animals hibernate?
37. Why do we need to wash our hands before eating?
38. Why does ice cream melt?
39. Why do we have different seasons?
40. Why do we say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’?

7. Whom Questions List

“Whom” questions, although less common in daily conversations, are important for children to understand as they advance in their language skills. They help in distinguishing between the use of “who” and “whom”.

1. Whom did you give the flower?
2. Whom are you going to invite to your birthday party?
3. Whom should we ask for directions?
4. Whom did the teacher praise?
5. Whom are you playing with?
6. Whom should I give this letter to?
7. Whom are you waiting for?
8. Whom did you see at the park?
9. Whom do you love the most?
10. Whom does this book belong to?
11. Whom did the cat follow?
12. Whom should we thank for the gift?
13. Whom did you go shopping with?
14. Whom did you lend your book to?
15. Whom are you sitting next to?
16. Whom did you tell the secret?
17. Whom will you help with the homework?
18. Whom did the dog bark at?
19. Whom did you say goodbye to?
20. Whom do you want to be when you grow up?
21. Whom did you go to the zoo with?
22. Whom are you going to call?
23. Whom do you see in this picture?
24. Whom do you want to be like when you grow up?
25. Whom did you play with at the playground?
26. Whom should we send this letter to?
27. Whom did you give the last slice of cake?
28. Whom do you share your secrets with?
29. Whom will you give your old toys?
30. Whom are you most thankful to?
31. Whom do you want to take care of your pet when you are away?
32. Whom should I ask about the homework?
33. Whom are you making a birthday card for?
34. Whom are we going to the museum with?
35. Whom did the coach select for the game?
36. Whom are you going to the party with?
37. Whom do you admire the most?
38. Whom did you see at the library?
39. Whom does your sister help with homework?
40. Whom do you trust the most?

It’s important to remember that while presenting these questions, we should ensure that we model the correct responses and provide as many opportunities for practice as possible.

 Remember that each child is unique, and the pace of progress will differ. Speech therapists and speech-language pathologists can provide exceptional speech therapy activities for children with special needs or those showing signs of a speech delay. 

For children, asking a lot of questions is a sign of curiosity and is beneficial for language development.

However, if you notice a child struggling with these basic questions, it might be time to get in touch with a qualified speech-language pathologist.

 As educators and caregivers, it’s crucial to recognize the root of the problem early on and provide the necessary help. Whether it’s through simple WH questions or complex WH questions, we must guide our young learners to become proficient in this essential language skill.

Remember, the best way to learn is through practice. Encourage children to ask and answer the above questions during their daily conversations, role-plays, or while reading a book together.

 I hope this WH questions list is helpful and can be used as a tool to promote the development of language skills in our young learners.

With practice, patience, and continued support, they will certainly make great strides in their verbal skills.

Don’t forget to check out the growth mindset kit