Show and Tell Questions to Ask
For preschool, kindergarten and early elementary teachers, and parents practicing at home, who want questions the children on the rug can ask the classmate presenting at show and tell. The first five are the ones to teach first and send home; after them come questions about what the thing is, how it works and the story behind it, then prompts for a teacher with a shy presenter and for an audience still learning to listen and wait for a turn. Many of the notes say which ages a question suits, because a three-year-old and a seven-year-old answer the same one very differently.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Basics
What did you bring to show us today?
Why ask it
The question that opens the turn, and the teacher or the first child called on can ask it. A three-year-old may only hold the thing up, which counts: say "You brought a shell" and let them nod or say it back.
Where did you get it?
Why ask it
Usually the first question an audience thinks of, and "the store" is the usual answer. Teach the follow-up that turns it into a story: who was with you that day?
What do you like to do with it?
Why ask it
Listen for a game with rules or a routine, such as racing it down the stairs or reading to it at night. That detail is what classmates remember, and it gives the next child something to ask about.
Why is it special to you?
Why ask it
"Why" is the hardest word on this list for a child under five. "Because I like it" is a whole answer at that age, and pressing for more teaches them to dread the question. Save the pressing for six- and seven-year-olds, who can usually name a person or a day.
What is your favorite thing about it?
Why ask it
Expect a detail an adult would miss: the smell, a sticker on the bottom, the way one ear flops. Ask the presenter to point to it so the back row can see what they mean.
What it is
Can you give us three clues before you show it?
Why ask it
For the days the object arrives hidden in a bag. Its color, its size and what it is used for make three workable clues, and clues usually need rehearsing at home, so tell families ahead of time. Take three guesses from the rug, then the reveal.
Does it have a name, and who picked the name?
Why ask it
Built for stuffed animals, dolls, toy cars and pet photos. The name is quick, and who picked it usually brings out a short story about a sibling, a book or a mispronounced word that stuck.
What letter does it start with?
Why ask it
Handy when show and tell is tied to a letter of the week, and the whole rug can help by saying the word slowly and listening for the first sound. A bear called Biscuit has two right answers, which is worth pointing out.
What is it made of?
Why ask it
Kindergartners and older can usually name wood, metal, plastic or cloth. A preschooler will say "soft stuff" or "rock", so accept the description and supply the material word yourself.
What colors can we see on it?
Why ask it
Anyone in the circle can answer this by looking, so it is the easiest question for a three-year-old to practice asking. By first grade, nudge children toward questions whose answers they cannot see from the rug.
What does it feel like when you touch it?
Why ask it
Bumpy, smooth, squishy, scratchy and cold are the words to listen for. If the presenter says "good", offer two to choose from, such as "more bumpy or more smooth?"
Is it heavy or light?
Why ask it
The presenter answers, then you can let two or three children hold it and say whether they agree. A good answer compares it to something: lighter than a lunchbox, heavier than a block.
Does it make a sound?
Why ask it
Decide before the session whether noisy toys get one demonstration or none, then hold to it. For a quiet object, tapping it on the floor or shaking it gently is still an answer, and children enjoy finding out.
Is it a real one or a pretend one?
Why ask it
Plastic dinosaurs, toy phones and play food bring this out, and four-year-olds ask it in earnest. Have the presenter explain how they can tell, since "it doesn't bite" is sound reasoning.
Do you have more like it at home?
Why ask it
Collections come out here: the other rocks, the rest of the cards. If the answer turns into a count of everything the child owns, bring it back with "tell us about this one."
How it works
What does it do?
Why ask it
Some things do nothing at all, and "it just sits there" from the owner of a rock is a true answer that gets a laugh. Take it as the cue to ask where it sits, and who put it there.
Can you show us how it works?
Why ask it
Showing is half the name of the activity, and many quiet children would much sooner demonstrate than explain. Agree on one demonstration per turn, or the wind-up frog goes around the rug six times.
What does that part do?
Why ask it
The asker points at a button, a flap or a string. To ask it a child has to have looked closely, so praise the noticing as well as the question.
What makes it go?
Why ask it
The answer might be batteries, a wind-up key, a push or the wind. "I don't know" is just as useful: let the class guess, then check together by looking for a battery door or a spring.
Has it ever broken, and how did it get fixed?
Why ask it
Repair stories are some of the liveliest answers you will get: tape, glue, a grandparent with a needle. If it is still broken, ask what the plan is, and keep classmates from offering to fix it on the spot.
Was it hard to learn how to use it?
Why ask it
Ask it of a yo-yo, a jump rope, a recorder or a card trick. A good answer names who taught them and how long it took, which quietly tells the class that getting good at things takes practice.
How do you take care of it?
Why ask it
A pet in a photo, a plant, a library book and a special toy all have an answer. Ask for the steps in order with "first" and "then", which is sequencing practice the presenter will not notice doing.
Its story
Did someone give it to you, or did you pick it out yourself?
Why ask it
Two choices are easier for a preschool presenter than an open question. A gift leads to a person, and the person is often what the child really wants to talk about.
How long have you had it?
Why ask it
Expect "since I was a baby" or "a hundred years". A young child's sense of time is loose, and both are fine answers. With preschoolers, swap in "did you have it before you came to this class?"
Where were you when you found it?
Why ask it
This one belongs to the rocks, shells, feathers and pine cones. A child who found something tends to remember the place closely, the creek or the parking lot, so give the answer room.
Did you make it yourself, and did anyone help?
Why ask it
Use it for drawings, block models, crafts and baking. Follow with which part took the longest, and do not be surprised if the proudest part is one a grown-up would not notice.
Where do you keep it at home?
Why ask it
Where a thing lives says how much it is treasured. "In my bed" has answered why it matters before anyone asks, and a shoebox under the bed usually holds other treasures worth a follow-up.
Was it new when you got it, or did it belong to someone else first?
Why ask it
Hand-me-downs carry the best stories: the bear that was Dad's, the glove from a cousin. Kindergartners and older can handle it, and a presenter who does not know can be sent home with the question.
Has it changed since you first got it?
Why ask it
First and second graders can describe before and after: the eye that fell off, the paint that faded, the plant now twice the size. It is also a gentle way to let a well-worn favorite be admired and not teased.
What else did you think about bringing?
Why ask it
Suited to six- and seven-year-olds, who can say why this one won. The runner-up is often next time's show and tell, so the answer doubles as a plan.
How do you feel when you hold it?
Why ask it
Happy is the default, so offer more words once it has been said: calm, brave, sleepy, proud. For a comfort object the honest answer is often "safe", and that deserves a nod and no further digging.
Does it remind you of a person or a place?
Why ask it
Sometimes the person has died or the place is a home the family left. Let the child say as much as they want, thank them, and save any follow-up for a quiet moment away from the group.
Would you ever trade it for something else?
Why ask it
A fast "no!" tells the class how much it is worth better than any explanation. A child who says yes and names the price is being honest, so treat it as just as good an answer.
Who else in your family likes it?
Why ask it
You will hear about the little brother who grabs it or the dog who chewed the corner. It widens the story past the object, which helps a presenter who has run out of things to say.
Where is the best place you have ever taken it?
Why ask it
Children who are stuck on "why is it special" can often answer this instead, because it asks for a memory and not a reason. The beach, Grandma's house and the dentist's waiting room all count.
If it could talk, what would it say to us?
Why ask it
A playful closer for toys, stuffed animals and pet photos, and funny with a rock. Some children will do the voice. A literal thinker may answer "it can't talk", which is fair, so move on with a smile.
Shy presenter
Would you like to hold it up while I tell everyone what I see?
Why ask it
You describe, the child holds and nods, and that is a complete turn. Get one thing slightly wrong on purpose, such as the color, since some children who will not speak to a group will still correct a teacher.
Can you point to the part you like best?
Why ask it
The favorite-thing question with the talking taken out. Put the words in yourself, "you like the tail", and watch for a nod or a whispered addition before going on.
Is it from your bedroom, or from somewhere else in your house?
Why ask it
A choice between two lets the child answer by repeating a word you just said. Keep a few either-or questions like this ready, and treat one word as a full answer.
Do you want to whisper it to me so I can tell the class?
Why ask it
Plenty of children who freeze in front of twenty faces will talk into one ear. Use it for a few weeks, then try having them whisper to a friend sitting close, so the relay slowly gets shorter.
Would you like a friend to stand up here with you?
Why ask it
Let the presenter choose the friend. The friend holds nothing and answers nothing; standing beside them is the whole job, and you may need to say so.
Do you want to pass it around, or carry it around the circle yourself?
Why ask it
Walking the circle gives a nervous child something to do with their body, and classmates ask things up close that get answered without the feeling of presenting. It also leaves the decision about who touches it with the owner.
Can you finish my sentence: "This is my..."?
Why ask it
A sentence frame hands over the first three words, which are the hardest ones. If that goes well, try a second: "I like it because..."
What is one thing you want everyone to know about it?
Why ask it
Ask it when a presenter has started and stalled. One thing is a small request, so take whatever comes, even a single word, repeat it to the group and end the turn on that.
Would you like your turn now, or after two more friends?
Why ask it
Choosing when is often enough control to make the turn possible. Keep the promise exactly, and if the answer after two friends is still a head shake, offer tomorrow without making it a big moment.
Listening
Is that a question, or something you want to tell us?
Why ask it
The reply to "any questions?" at this age is usually "I have a dog too." Ask this kindly, and explain the difference this way: a question is something the presenter gets to answer.
What question word could you start with?
Why ask it
Who, what, where, when, why and how can sit on cards beside the presenter's chair, and a child who is stuck picks one. This fits kindergarten and up; for preschoolers, hand over a whole ready-made question.
What did you notice about it that nobody has asked about yet?
Why ask it
Noticing comes before asking. Have the child say "I notice the wheels are different sizes", then help turn it into "why are the wheels different sizes?"
Did someone already ask that one?
Why ask it
The fourth "where did you get it?" means a child was waiting for a turn and not listening to the answers. Skip the scolding: tell them you will come back, and do, once they have a new one.
Who can tell us one thing our presenter just said?
Why ask it
A check on the listening, asked now and then, not after every turn. Praise an exact detail, "her aunt mailed it", over a general "she likes it", and the class learns what listening sounds like.
What could we ask to find out more about that?
Why ask it
For first and second graders, right after an answer with a loose thread, such as "my grandpa made it." Follow-up questions are harder than new ones because the asker has to build on what was said.
Which three friends would you like to call on?
Why ask it
Put to the presenter, it makes them the one in charge of the questions and caps the turn at a length the rug can sit through. If the same best friend is picked each week, add a rule about calling on someone new.
What can we say to thank our presenter?
Why ask it
Past "thank you", teach one compliment with a detail in it: "I liked how your robot's arms move." It closes the turn clearly, which matters to the next child waiting.
What is one new thing you found out about a friend today?
Why ask it
Asked once, when the last presenter has sat down. First graders can name a fact about a classmate's object; preschoolers will name the object they liked, which is enough.
Running show and tell so the audience asks and the presenter talks
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the first turn
Teach the questions before anyone brings anything
Spend one circle time on questions alone. Bring an object of your own, let the class ask about it, and write or draw each kind of question as it comes up: what, where, how, why. The five under Basics are enough for that first session. Children ask better questions of a classmate after they have practiced on a teacher, who cannot be embarrassed.
Three questions a turn
Decide the number and say it every time: the presenter shows, tells, and takes three questions. With a full class even that adds up, so it can be easier to spread presenters across the week than to run them all on one day. A fixed number also ends the turn without anyone feeling cut off.
Put the question words where children can see them
Six cards with who, what, where, when, why and how, each with a small picture, give a stuck child somewhere to start. Preschoolers do better with three or four whole questions on picture cards, such as a house for "where do you keep it?"
Agree on touching and noise first
Before the object comes out, the presenter says whether it can be passed around, looked at up close or only seen from the chair. Settle sounds and moving parts the same way. Ask what your school or program allows before inviting food, live animals or anything valuable, since the rules differ from place to place.
Practicing at home
A parent can rehearse the night before: the child shows the object to a family member or a row of stuffed animals and answers where it came from and why it is special. Two run-throughs are plenty. The aim is that the first question at school is one they have already heard.
Which questions suit which age
Three-year-olds
Stay with Basics and What it is. Questions that can be answered by looking, pointing or one word work best, and a turn of under a minute is a success. The audience at this age mostly wants to tell, so one question modeled by the teacher and repeated by a child is real progress.
Four- and five-year-olds
Add How it works and the first half of Its story, the questions about where the thing came from. Either-or questions still help the presenter, and the audience can now manage "where did you get it?" and "what does it do?" without a prompt. This is the age to start teaching the difference between a question and a comment.
First and second grade
Lean on the second half of Its story, where the questions turn to what the thing means, and on follow-up questions that build on an answer. Children this age can be asked not to repeat a question, to ask something they cannot see the answer to, and to give a compliment with a detail in it. A theme, such as something from nature or something older than you, stretches the questions further.
Mixed ages
In a mixed-age room or a family gathering, let the youngest ask first, while the easy questions are still unasked. Older children then have to think of something new, which is the right amount of difficulty for them.
When the presenter goes quiet
Showing counts
Holding the object up, pointing and nodding make a complete turn. Say so out loud the first time it happens, so nobody in the circle treats it as a failed turn and the child hears that they did it.
Climb down the ladder, then back up
Start with the open question. If nothing comes, offer a choice of two. If that gets nothing, ask something a nod can answer, and last of all describe the object yourself while the child holds it. Next time, start one rung higher than where you ended.
Wait longer than feels comfortable
Count slowly to five in your head before rescuing. A young child often has the answer and needs the time to get it out, and a classmate jumping in teaches them that someone else will always fill the gap.
Tell the family what worked
A note home saying that the whisper worked, or that a friend standing alongside helped, lets a parent practice the same step. If a child who talks freely elsewhere stays silent in the group for many weeks, raise it with the family and ask who at your school is the right person to consult. It is not something to settle at show and tell.
When it drags or goes sideways
Every hand is a story about their own dog
This is ordinary for the age and not rudeness. Give comments a slot of their own, such as one "me too" per turn or a minute of telling a neighbor at the end, and children find it easier to hold them back during questions.
The same question again
Repeats mean children are rehearsing their own question and not hearing the answers. Now and then, have the group recall an answer before you take the next hand, and the listening picks up.
Whose toy is better
Expensive or popular toys can turn the questions into comparing. When someone asks what it cost, have them swap that for a question about where it came from or who was there. A theme takes the heat out for the whole class: something you made, something from outside, something that belonged to someone else first.
A turn that brings up something sad
An object from a grandparent who died or a home left behind can quiet the room. Thank the presenter, say one plain sentence such as "that sounds like someone you love", and move to the next question. A longer conversation belongs in private, and with the family if you are unsure.
The child who forgot
Keep a fallback so nobody sits out: something from the classroom they like, a drawing made that morning, or a telling with no object at all. The questions under Its story work just as well for a thing that is not in the room.