What Are These and Those? WH Questions – Household Items (Free Printable PDF)

Understanding WH questions is an essential part of early language development and communication skills. Learning to differentiate between "What are these?" and "What are those?" helps children recognize objects, develop sentence structure, and use demonstrative pronouns correctly.

This free printable PDF is designed to introduce children to common household items while reinforcing their ability to answer WH questions. Using real-life images, this resource makes learning interactive, engaging, and practical.

The What Are These and Those? WH Questions – Household Items Printable PDF is perfect for:
✔ Parents & Homeschoolers looking for engaging language activities.
✔ Teachers & Educators working with preschoolers and kindergarteners.
✔ Speech & Special Education Therapists supporting children with language delays.
✔ ESL Instructors helping children learn demonstrative pronouns.

By incorporating visual learning and hands-on interaction, this resource helps children grasp language concepts quickly and effectively.

Product Details

• Resource Name: What Are These and Those? WH Questions – Household Items (Free Printable PDF)
• Format: Free Printable PDF
• Total Pages: 8
• Content:
  • Each page contains two WH question activity sets (total of 16 sets).
  • Each set includes a real-life image of household items with a hand pointing to nearby objects (these) or distant objects (those).
  • The answer is provided as a complete sentence (e.g., "These are chairs.")

Examples of Included Sets:

✔ What are these? – Image of spoons close by → These are spoons.
✔ What are those? – Image of curtains far away → Those are curtains.
✔ What are these? – Image of books near a child → These are books.
✔ What are those? – Image of lamps on a distant shelf → Those are lamps.

This fun and engaging format helps children develop WH question comprehension while learning about household objects.

Educational Benefits

The What Are These and Those? WH Questions – Household Items Printable PDF provides multiple educational and cognitive benefits for children.

1. Strengthens WH Question Understanding

• Helps children correctly identify and respond to WH questions.
• Reinforces learning using real-world examples and visual support.

2. Develops Speech & Language Skills

• Encourages full sentence responses (e.g., These are cups.).
• Expands household-related vocabulary and pronunciation.
• Supports ESL learners in demonstrative pronoun usage.

3. Improves Observation & Comprehension

• Helps children distinguish between near and far objects.
• Encourages attention to detail and spatial awareness.

4. Supports Special Education & Speech Therapy

• Great for children with autism, speech delays, and communication disorders.
• Offers structured and predictable learning, making it easier for neurodivergent learners.
• Helps in speech articulation, comprehension, and expressive language development.

5. Encourages Confidence in Communication

• Helps children build confidence in verbal expression.
• Provides an engaging, structured, and non-intimidating learning experience.

Instructions for Use

1. Print & Prepare the Cards

• Download and print the 8-page PDF on standard A4 or Letter-sized paper.
• For long-term use, laminate the pages or store them in a protective folder.

2. Basic Activity – Ask & Answer the WH Question

• Show the child a page and read aloud the WH question ("What are these?" or "What are those?").
• Encourage the child to observe the image and answer using a complete sentence, e.g.:
  • "These are plates."
  • "Those are chairs."
• Repeat the activity with different images to reinforce learning.

3. Sorting Activity – These vs. Those

• Print and cut out the images.
• Ask the child to sort the images into two groups:
  “These” (close-up objects)
  ✅ “Those” (distant objects)
• Once sorted, have them say a sentence for each category (e.g., "These are mugs." / "Those are sofas.").

4. Matching Game – WH Question & Answer

• Print out the WH question cards separately.
• Lay out the household item images and WH question cards face down.
• The child flips over one image card and one question card and tries to match them correctly.
• Once matched, they must answer the question aloud.

5. Real-Life WH Question Hunt

• Take the learning beyond the printable by using real-world examples:
  • Point to spoons in the kitchen drawer and ask, "What are these?" → Answer: "These are spoons."
  • Show lamps on a faraway table and ask, "What are those?" → Answer: "Those are lamps."

This helps children apply their learning to everyday life, improving retention.

Activities Using the Resource

This free printable PDF provides interactive activities that reinforce WH questions ("What are these?" and "What are those?"), demonstrative pronouns, and household item vocabulary. These activities can be used by teachers, speech therapists, parents, and ESL instructors to help children develop language, communication, and comprehension skills through engaging, real-life visuals.

1. Ask & Answer Activity (Basic WH Question Practice)

Objective: Teach children how to identify and respond correctly to WH questions using images of household objects.

How to Play:

• Show the child a page from the printable.
• Read aloud the WH question:

• "What are these?" (pointing to close objects)
• "What are those?" (pointing to far objects)

• Encourage the child to observe the image and respond with a complete sentence, e.g.:

• "These are cups."
• "Those are curtains."

• Reinforce correct responses by repeating the sentences together.

✅ Skills Developed:
✔ WH question comprehension
✔ Sentence-building skills
✔ Vocabulary expansion

2. Sorting Game – These vs. Those

Objective: Strengthen children's understanding of near vs. far objects by sorting images.

How to Play:

• Print and cut out all the images from the PDF.
• Create two labeled sections:
  ✅ "These" (close-up objects)
  ✅ "Those" (distant objects)
• Ask the child to sort the images into the correct category.
• Once sorted, they say a sentence for each card, e.g.:

• "These are books."
• "Those are lamps."

✅ Skills Developed:
✔ Demonstrative pronoun understanding
✔ Visual discrimination
✔ Logical thinking

3. Matching Game – WH Question & Answer

Objective: Reinforce WH question comprehension through a matching activity.

How to Play:

• Print the WH question cards separately.
• Place all the household item images face down on one side.
• Place all the WH question cards face down on another side.
• The child flips over one WH question card and one household item card.
• If they match (e.g., "What are these?" + Picture of plates), the child answers the question aloud.

✅ Skills Developed:
✔ WH question comprehension
✔ Memory recall
✔ Speech & language development

4. Describe the Scene (Expanding Vocabulary)

Objective: Help children expand their vocabulary and descriptive skills.

How to Play:

• Show the child an image (e.g., a set of bowls on the dining table).
• Ask the WH question ("What are these?" or "What are those?").
• The child answers, but also describes more details, e.g.:

• "These are bowls. They are round and made of glass."

• Encourage additional details:

• "What are bowls used for?"
• "Where do you usually find bowls?"

✅ Skills Developed:
✔ Observation skills
✔ Expressive language development
✔ Sentence expansion

5. Real-Life WH Question Hunt

Objective: Help children apply their learning in real-world settings.

How to Play:

• Take the child on a walk around the house.
• Ask spontaneous WH questions based on what they see:

• "What are these?" (pointing to books on a nearby shelf)
• "What are those?" (pointing to a clock on the wall)

• Encourage them to answer in full sentences.

✅ Skills Developed:
✔ Real-world language application
✔ Confidence in communication
✔ Attention to surroundings