Learn Polish: Jakie jest to dziecko? — Małe. - What is this child like?

Jakie means "what kind of" or "what is... like". It changes its ending to match the gender of the noun it asks about. Because dziecko (child) is a neuter noun, we must use the neuter form jakie. For a masculine noun, you would use jaki, and for a feminine noun, jaka.

Both jakie and co can translate to "what". Why can't I ask "Co jest to dziecko?"

In Polish, co asks about identity ("What is this thing?"). Jakie asks for a description or qualities ("What is it like?"). Because we want an adjective in the answer (like small, good, or happy), we have to use jakie.

Why is the word to used before dziecko?

The word to has a few different jobs. Often it means "this is" or "it is" all by itself. But here, it acts as a pointer meaning "this" right before a specific noun (to dziecko = this child). It is the neuter form, which perfectly matches the neuter noun dziecko.

Why does the answer use małe and not just mały?