Why Questions for Kids

Why do we brush our teeth?

Then ask: What do you think is left on your teeth after you eat?

Why do we wash our hands before we eat?

Then ask: What have your hands touched today?

Why do we sleep at night?

Then ask: How do you feel when you stay up too late?

Why do cars stop at a red light?

Then ask: What would happen at the corner if nobody stopped?

Why do we use an umbrella?

Then ask: What else could you use if you did not have one?

Why do we put food in the refrigerator?

Then ask: What happens to milk left on the table all day?

Why do we wear shoes outside?

Then ask: Where is it okay to go barefoot, and what makes it okay?

Why do we water plants?

Then ask: What does a plant look like when nobody waters it?

Why do we turn on the light?

Then ask: What can you still do in the dark?

Why do we wear a seat belt?

Then ask: What happens to your body when the car stops fast?

Why do we whisper in a library?

Then ask: Who are we being quiet for?

Why do people say sorry?

Then ask: What does a real sorry need besides the word?

Why do friends sometimes argue?

Then ask: Can an argument make a friendship better? How?

Why is it hard to wait?

Then ask: What makes waiting easier for you?

Why do people laugh when someone else is laughing?

Then ask: Have you ever laughed without knowing what was funny?

Why do we feel nervous before something new?

Then ask: What is your body getting ready for?

Why do people give presents?

Then ask: What is a present you gave that you were proud of?

Why do some people like to be alone sometimes?

Then ask: When do you like it?

Why do people keep promises even when it is hard?

Then ask: What happens to your next promise if you break this one?

Why does it feel good to help someone?

Then ask: Does it still feel good if nobody says thank you?

Why do people get grumpy when they are hungry or tired?

Then ask: How can you tell when that is what is going on with you?

Why do people have different favorite things?

Then ask: Would it be better if everyone liked the same things?

Why do we take turns?

Then ask: When is taking turns not the fairest way?

Why do we raise a hand in class?

Then ask: What would class sound like without it?

Why do kids go to bed earlier than grown-ups?

Then ask: Is that fair? What would change your mind?

Why do we say please and thank you?

Then ask: Do the words matter if you do not mean them?

Why do people stand in line at the store?

Then ask: What would be another fair way to decide who goes first?

Why can't you eat dessert first?

Then ask: What would a good argument for dessert first sound like?

Why do schools have a schedule?

Then ask: What would a day with no schedule be like by the afternoon?

Why do we have to tell the truth?

Then ask: What would happen if nobody could trust what anyone said?

Why do different families have different rules?

Then ask: Which rule from another family would you borrow?

Why do sports have referees?

Then ask: Could the players referee themselves? What would it take?

Why do some rules change as you get older?

Then ask: Which rule are you ready to have changed, and how could you show it?

Why do we have weekends?

Then ask: What would you do with a three-day one, every week?

Why do so many people live in cities?

Then ask: What do you get in a city that you cannot get far from one?

Why do we use money and not just trade things?

Then ask: What would be hard about paying for bread with eggs?

Why do people write things down?

Then ask: What would we lose if everything had to be remembered?

Why do countries have flags?

Then ask: What would you put on a flag for our family?

Why do people tell stories?

Then ask: What story do you know that taught you something?

Why do we have names?

Then ask: What would be hard in a class where nobody had one?

Why do people build bridges when they could go around?

Then ask: What is worth a lot of work once to save a little time every day?

Why do we have birthdays?

Then ask: What is a birthday really celebrating?

Why do old things end up in museums?

Then ask: What from your room should be in a museum in a hundred years?

Why do people keep pets?

Then ask: What does the pet get out of it?

Why do you think babies cannot talk?

Then ask: How do they tell us things anyway?

Why do you think people invented the wheel?

Then ask: What do you carry that would be hard to move without one?

Why do you think we dream?

Then ask: What was your last dream made of?

Why do you think grown-ups drink coffee?

Then ask: What do you do to wake yourself up?

Why do you think some books have pictures and others do not?

Then ask: What can a picture do that words cannot?

Why do you think people clap?

Then ask: What would you invent to take its place?

Why do you think people shake hands or wave?

Then ask: How do you say hello without words?

Why do you think older kids and younger kids play differently?

Then ask: What did you use to love that you do not play anymore?

Why do you think people collect things?

Then ask: What would you collect, and when would the collection be finished?

Why do you think we have to practice to get good at things?

Then ask: What got easier for you this year?

Why do you think kids ask "why" so much?

Then ask: What is the best "why" you ever asked?