Key Stage 1 English · Spoken language

KS1 explaining, describing and sharing ideas: a parent guide

In Years 1 and 2, children learn to do much more than answer in single words. They are taught to give an opinion and say why, to describe things and tell what happened in an order that makes sense, to talk about how they feel, to wonder and imagine out loud, and to listen to other people’s ideas and build on them. This spoken groundwork feeds directly into the sentences they will write.

Explaining, describing and sharing ideas, explained

The first step is giving a reason. Teachers push children beyond “because I like it” towards a reason a listener can think about, and they use the word “because” constantly: “I think the wolf is cunning because…”. At this age a reason that is true for the child is a good start. “I like the red one because it’s the colour of my bike” is fine. Over Years 1 and 2 the reasons become more specific, and children begin to hear the difference between what they think (an opinion) and something that is simply so (a fact).

“Well-structured” at this age mostly means having a beginning, a middle and an end. Teachers give children sequencing words such as first, next, then and finally to explain how to plant a seed or to retell what happened at the park. Describing means choosing words with care: not “a big dog” but “a huge, shaggy dog with a muddy tail”. Telling a story aloud, often with pictures or a story map, nearly always comes before writing it. Different purposes call for different talk: an explanation says how or why, a description helps someone picture something, and a story or recount tells what happened.

Spoken language is also where children learn to name and explain feelings: “I felt nervous because I didn’t know anyone.” Role play is a common way to explore characters and to try out language they have heard in stories, and some teachers use “hot-seating”, where a child answers questions as a character. Children also speculate and imagine out loud: “What might be inside the box?” or “What would happen if the bear came to school?” Words like maybe, might and perhaps are modelled so that children learn to say what they think is possible, not only what they know for certain.

Children are taught that other people may think differently, and to respond to what has been said before they add their own idea: “I agree with Sam because…” or “I think something different.” Building on someone’s idea, by adding to it rather than just announcing a new one, is the step after that. Teachers give short, constructive feedback on speaking and listening, usually one thing to keep and one thing to try next time: “I liked the detail about the muddy tail. Next time, tell us who the story is about first.”

Talk comes before writing in a very practical way. Saying a sentence aloud, then holding it in the head while writing it, is a routine called oral rehearsal. A child who cannot yet write a sentence with “because” in it can often say one with ease, and the writing follows. There is no national test of these skills at this age, so teachers judge them by listening to children in lessons and play.

Words your child will hear

Opinion: What a person thinks or feels about something. Different people can have different opinions.
Reason: The “because” part of an answer. It tells the listener why you think what you think.
Describe: Use words to help someone see, hear or feel what something is like.
Sequence: Putting things in order, using words like first, next, then and finally.
Role play: Acting as if you are someone else, such as a character in a story, to explore how they feel or speak.
Speculate: Wonder aloud about what might be true or might happen, using words like maybe and might.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 1, pupils should be taught to:

Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: explaining a favourite playtime game

A teacher asks, “What is the best game to play at playtime, and why?” How can a child’s answer grow from one word into a good spoken explanation?

The first answer is one word: “Tag.” The teacher says, “Tell me more. Can you say it as a whole sentence?”
The child gives an opinion in a sentence: “I think tag is the best game.”
They add a reason using because: “I think tag is the best game because everybody can join in.”
They add a detail from real life to back the reason up: “Last week Mia was new, so we asked her to play and she was the chaser first.”
They say how it makes them feel: “It makes me feel happy because I like running fast.”
Another child says hide-and-seek is better. The first child listens, responds and builds on it: “I like hide-and-seek too. But I still think tag is better because you never have to wait for ages.”

“I think tag is the best game because everybody can join in. Last week Mia was new, so we asked her to play and she was the chaser first. It makes me feel happy because I like running fast. I like hide-and-seek too, but I still think tag is better because you never have to wait for ages.”

Common mistakes and how to help

Using “because” but only repeating the opinion

“I like cats because they’re nice” or “It’s good because I like it” sounds like a reason, but it says nothing new. Children copy the shape of an explanation before they have the content.

What helps: Ask a question that needs a detail: “What do cats do that you like?” or “What can you see or hear when you play it?” The answer is usually the real reason.

Telling events in a muddled order

A young child tends to start with whatever was most exciting, then fill in around it. They are not being careless; the order of events takes practice to hold in the head.

What helps: Use three fingers or three drawings for beginning, middle and end before they speak. Then listen for words like first and then.

Believing there is one right answer, so another view must be wrong

Much of early school has right and wrong answers: a letter sound, a number. Children can carry that into talk, where two people may both be sensible.

What helps: Ask, “What do you think? What does your friend think?” and make clear that you are interested in both. Words like maybe and perhaps help.

Answering “good” or “bad” (or “I don’t know”) when asked how they feel

Young children often have few feelings words at their fingertips, so they reach for the two biggest ones.

What helps: Offer a few more to choose from: excited, nervous, proud, cross, disappointed, left out. Share your own feelings with a reason, so they hear how it is done.

How to help at home

Ask “Why do you think that?”. Use it for ordinary choices, not just tricky questions: which story to read, which coat to wear. Listen to the answer, and add a second question if they only repeat their opinion.
Retell the day in order. At bedtime ask for the day in order, using first, next, then and finally. Let your child explain how to do something they know well, such as washing their hands, to a soft toy.
Wonder together. At bedtime or on a journey, try “I wonder what would happen if…”. Use words like might and perhaps in your own answers, and keep it playful. There is no wrong idea.
Talk about feelings after a story. Ask how a character felt and how you can tell. Answers like “her face went red” or “she stamped her foot” are exactly the kind of evidence-based thinking teachers want.
Act out a scene. Use soft toys or puppets to act out a favourite story, then swap roles so your child has to speak as a different character. Notice how the voices and words change.

Leads on to

Years 3 and 4: Listening, questioning and group talk
Years 3 and 4: Explaining and justifying ideas
Years 3 and 4: Presenting, performing and debating