All skills English

Learn Index · Research and Communication Grade K

Speaking in complete thoughts

Kindergarteners speak in complete thoughts, take turns, listen and ask questions.

Read

What is a complete thought?

When we talk, we share ideas. A complete thought is an idea that makes sense all by itself. The listener does not have to guess what you mean.

Listen to these two:

  • The big dog.
  • The big dog barked at the mail carrier.

The first one leaves you wondering: “What about the big dog?” The second one is a complete thought. It tells who (the big dog) and what happened (barked at the mail carrier).

The two parts of a complete thought

Most complete thoughts have two parts:

  1. The who part: Who or what is it about?
  2. The action part: What does it do? What happens?
Who part Action part
My sister likes to swim.
The cat sleeps on my bed.
We went to the farm.
The rain made big puddles.

If one part is missing, the idea is not complete.

  • Went to the store. (Who went? We don’t know.)
  • My grandpa. (What about him? We don’t know.)

Why it matters

Speaking in complete thoughts helps people understand you. If you say, “Want that,” a grown-up has to guess what you want. If you say, “I want the blue cup, please,” they know exactly what to do.

Complete thoughts also help you:

  • Ask for help clearly.
  • Share news about your day.
  • Answer questions in class.
  • Get ready to write. Writing sentences is much easier when you can say them first.

How to speak in complete thoughts

  1. Think before you talk. What do you want to say?
  2. Start with the who part. My puppy …
  3. Add the action part. … chewed my sock.
  4. Add details if you want. … chewed my red sock this morning.
  5. Check: Does it make sense all by itself?

Answer questions with a full sentence

Use the words from the question in your answer.

  • Question: What is your favourite fruit?
  • Short answer: Apples.

  • Complete answer: My favourite fruit is apples.

  • Question: Where did you go on the weekend?

  • Complete answer: I went to the park with my dad.

Being a good speaker and listener

Talking is a team activity. There is a speaker and a listener.

When you are the speaker

  • Use a voice that is loud enough, but not too loud.
  • Speak clearly and not too fast.
  • Make eye contact by looking at your listener.
  • Stay on the topic.

When you are the listener

  • Look at the speaker.
  • Keep your body calm and still.
  • Wait until they are finished.
  • Ask a question or say something about what they said.

Taking turns

In a conversation, we take turns. One person talks, then the other person talks. Try not to interrupt. If you have an idea, hold it in your head until it is your turn.

Let’s try some examples

Example 1: Is this a complete thought? The little bird.
No. It only has a who part. Make it complete: The little bird sang a song.

Example 2: Is this a complete thought? Ate my lunch.
No. Who ate it? Make it complete: I ate my lunch.

Example 3: Answer in a complete sentence. What colour is the sky?
The sky is blue.

Example 4: Add details. I played.
I played tag with my friends at recess.

Common mistakes

  • One-word answers. Try to answer with a whole sentence.
  • Starting with “and” over and over. And then … and then … and then … Stop and start a new sentence.
  • Leaving out the who. Going outside should be We are going outside.
  • Talking while someone else is talking. Wait for your turn.

Practice games

  • Sentence builder. One person says a who part (“The monkey”), the next person adds an action part (“jumped on the bed”).
  • Show and tell. Bring an object and say three complete sentences about it.
  • Picture talk. Look at a picture in a book and say what is happening in one complete sentence.
  • Question ball. Toss a soft ball. Whoever catches it answers a question in a complete sentence.

Try it yourself

Make each one a complete thought.

  1. The happy baby.
  2. Ran to the door.
  3. Answer: What did you eat for breakfast?
  4. Answer: Who is in your family?

Possible answers: 1. The happy baby laughed. 2. My dog ran to the door. 3. I ate toast for breakfast. 4. My mom, my brother and I are in my family.

Grown-up tip

Model full sentences and gently stretch your child’s answers. If they say “Park,” reply, “Oh, you want to go to the park? Can you say, ‘I want to go to the park’?” Ask open questions at dinner, like “What made you laugh today?”, and give plenty of time to answer.

Quick recap

  • A complete thought makes sense by itself.
  • It has a who part and an action part.
  • Answer questions with full sentences using words from the question.
  • Good speakers talk clearly and make eye contact.
  • Good listeners look, wait and take turns.