Learn to Keep Conversations Going with Friends

You can learn to keep conversations going with your friends! When someone talks to you, you can ask questions and share your ideas back. This helps you have fun talks that last longer. Following Discussion Rules helps you know when to talk and when to listen.

When your friend tells you something, you can keep talking by asking questions. If your friend says "I have a pet rabbit," you can ask "What color is your rabbit?" This shows you want to know more!

You can also share your own ideas. When someone says something nice about your drawing, you can say "Thank you! I drew it yesterday." This keeps your talk going and helps you become better friends.

Taking Turns and Asking Questions teaches you how to wait for your turn to speak. Remember to listen first, then talk!

Special words help you ask good questions. You can use "What," "Where," "Why," "Which," and "Did" to learn more about what your friends share.

When your friend talks about finding a pretty rock, you can ask "Where did you find it?" or "What does it look like?" These questions help your friend tell you more!

You can use special words to add more to what you say. Words like "and," "also," "plus," and "yesterday" help you share more ideas and keep talking longer.

If you want to tell about your pet, you can say "My cat is orange and she likes to play." The word "and" helps you share two things about your cat!

Taking turns: This means you wait for your friend to finish talking before you start talking. You don't all talk at the same time.

Listening: This means you pay attention to what others say with your ears and your mind.

Responding: This means you answer or say something back when someone talks to you.

Conversation: This is what you call it when people talk back and forth to each other, like playing catch with words.

Question: This is when you ask something like "What's your favorite color?" to learn more about someone.

Comment: This is when you share your thoughts like "I like your drawing!" or tell someone what you think.

Topic: This is the main thing you're talking about, like pets, recess, or your family.

You can practice during circle time by asking your friends questions about what they share. When someone talks about their weekend, ask "What was your favorite part?"

During show and tell, listen to what your classmates bring and ask questions about their special items. This helps everyone learn more and have better conversations!

Learning to continue conversations connects to many other talking skills. Taking Turns in Conversation and Taking Turns in Talks teach you the basics of waiting your turn.

Confirming Understanding Through Questions helps you make sure you understand what others say. Speaking Clearly And Expressing Ideas teaches you how to share your thoughts so others can understand you.

After you learn these skills, you'll be ready for Build on Others Ideas in Discussions and Building On Others Comments. These help you add to what your friends say and have even better talks together!

You don't need to know anything special before learning this topic. You just need to be ready to practice talking and listening with your friends and teacher!