Why questions · 3 levels

Why Questions for Kids: Picture Practice

A why question asks for a reason. Our Why practice starts with causes drawn right there in the picture at level 1 ("Why are the kids wearing party hats?"), links two things in the picture at level 2 ("Why is the boy holding a newspaper over his head?"), and asks for a reason the child has to infer at level 3 ("Why might the cat be licking its paw?"). There are about 335 why questions.

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  • Most why questions are level 3: inferencing
  • The picture always holds the clue
  • A natural follow-up: "How do you know?"
Illustrated scene of a birthday party
Level 1: Why are the kids wearing party hats?
Illustrated scene of a rainy bus stop
Level 2: Why is the boy holding a newspaper over his head?
Illustrated scene of a family decorating a birthday cake
Level 3: Why might the cat be licking its paw?

Where to practise why questions

The Why practice in WH Questions and the worksheets. The ready-made deck covers who, what and where only, so it comes before why.

WH Questions scene: a family shopping at the grocery store

In-app practice

WH Questions practice

An illustrated scene with a question about it. The picture stays on screen while the child answers, so it is a comprehension task, not a memory test.

  • Six practices (who, what, where, when, why, how) plus a mixed set
  • Three levels in each: look and find, look closely, use clues
  • Over 150 illustrated scenes and about 2,100 questions
  • 10 questions a session, at most two from one picture; answers kept by question type
See all activities
WH Questions scene: lunch in the school cafeteria

Printable generator

WH question worksheets

Generate a printable sheet of short scenarios with WH questions for carryover at home or in a classroom.

  • Pick any mix of who, what, where, when, why and how
  • 5, 8 or 10 questions a sheet, reading level Pre-K to 5th grade, answers shown or hidden
See the worksheets
WH-Questions: Who, What, Where deck cover

Ready-made deck · Pre-K–2nd grade

WH-Questions: Who, What, Where

A 16-card Magic Studio deck for the three earliest question words, with picture answers so a non-reader can play.

  • Ten picture multiple-choice questions ("Who helps you when you are sick?")
  • Three typed-answer cards and a who/what/where sort
  • About ten minutes; share it with a student by PIN
See the deck

Real why questions, one from each level

Taken from the practice as they appear: the picture, the question and the choices (level 1 shows two of them in the game). The right answer is marked.

Illustrated scene of a birthday party

Level 1

Why are the kids wearing party hats?

  • It is raining
  • It is bedtime
  • It is a party(the right answer)
Illustrated scene of a rainy bus stop

Level 2

Why is the boy holding a newspaper over his head?

  • To read it
  • To hide from the dog
  • To stay dry(the right answer)
Illustrated scene of a family decorating a birthday cake

Level 3

Why might the cat be licking its paw?

  • It has frosting on it(the right answer)
  • It is waving hello
  • It hurt its tail

Teaching why questions

Why asks the child to connect a cause and an effect, which is why it is usually taught after the concrete question words. Start where the reason is visible (it is raining, so he has an umbrella), and only then move to reasons that have to be inferred.

After a correct answer, ask "how do you know?" and have the child point to the clue. That makes the reasoning explicit and is good practice for the How page's level 3 questions too.

How the three levels work

Every question word has three levels, following the usual clinical progression from literal to inferential questions. Level 1 is literal and obvious, with two choices: point to a big thing in the picture. Level 2 is literal but needs looking: a smaller detail, a spatial word, telling two people apart, with three choices. Level 3 is inferential, with three choices: use clues in the picture plus what you know about the world.

Every question was checked against its picture: the right answer is plainly true in the image and every wrong answer plainly false. A session is 10 questions of one type and level, at most two from the same picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a why question?
A question that asks for a reason or a cause: "Why is he wearing a coat?", "Why is she crying?". It is usually taught after who, what and where.
Is there a why question deck?
Not as a ready-made deck yet; the first-party deck covers who, what and where. The Why practice and the worksheet generator cover why.
How much does it cost?
Every account starts with a 7-day free trial of everything, with no card needed. After that it is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, and you can cancel anytime.

Practise why questions today

WH Questions, the worksheets and every game are in the 7-day free trial. No card needed.

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7 days free • No card needed • Then $9.99/month or $79.99/year