Linking sentences using ‘because’

Why is this important?
‘Because’ is one of a range of words used to expand sentences by adding information, and in this case, justifying ideas/thoughts/decisions. By using words like ‘because’ (e.g. ‘then’, ‘after’, ‘that’) children are able to expand their grammatical skills too.

What to do

• Gather some things together, show them to the child and then put them in a bag. Ask the child to delve into the bag and guess what he/she can feel. Encourage the child to say why he/she thinks it’s the car/cup, etc.

‘I think it’s a car because it’s got wheels.’
‘I think it’s a cup because it’s got a handle.’

• If the child starts the sentence with ‘because’, prompt him/her to use the first part by starting it for him/her:

Child puts hand in bag and knows it’s a cup.
Child: ‘Cup.’
Adult pauses to wait for further explanation. No response so asks ‘Why do you think it’s a cup?’
Child: ‘Because it’s got a handle.’
Adult models first part of sentence (e.g. ‘I think it’s a cup … [pauses]’).
Child completes sentence ‘… a cup because its got a handle.’

• Set up some simple scenes which will work with ‘why … because’ structures:

‘Why are we running? … Because we want to catch the bus.’
‘Why are we putting on coats? … Because it’s cold.’