Let's say for example, your child went over to a friend's house to play for two hours and after he returns home you would like to know what he played or did over there. When the child does get home, instead of asking a question like "Did you have a good time?" or "Did you ride bikes?", ask a different kind of question to get the information you want to know. Think of those famous "wh- questions" to help you out: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.
Think of how YOU would answer these questions if you were the child returning home after playing at a friend's house. (Let's assume you know Johnny and his family pretty well.)
1) Who did you play with at Johnny's today? or Who was home at Johnny's house? 2) What did you do over there? or What was your favorite activity or what was your favorite toy at Johnny's? 3) When are you two going to get to play again? 4) Where would you two like to play or go to play if you could go anywhere in the world when you two get together next? 5) Why do you like playing with Johnny? Why is he such a good friend? 5) How did you two get up in the fort? or How did you two think of doing that?
Hopefully that helped you understand my point a little bit better and you are "less" confused. The whole idea is to get your children to use more than one word to answer a question. I know children need to practice to master this complex language but we must also keep in mind that a 2 year old will not answer the "when, why and how" questions. So don't ask a question that is too hard for the child to answer. You can always help the child answer the question also if it is too difficult for them to answer without help. That is how the child will learn to answer it correctly hopefully next time.
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