Do you ever ask your child how their day was and you get the old, “Fine” and nothing more? Here are some tips to hopefully help get your kids talking, and help you to get to know them better!
Ask open-ended questions, or questions that need more than a one-word answer. Try these:
- What made you smile today?
- How would you rate your day from 1-10 and why?
- What did you do well today?
- What could have gone better?
- What did you play at recess today?
- What was the best thing that happened at school today? (What was the worst thing that happened at school today?)
- Tell me something that made you laugh today.
- If you could choose who would you like to sit by in class? (Who would you NOT want to sit by in class? Why?)
- Where is the coolest place at the school?
- Tell me a weird word that you heard today. (Or something weird that someone said.)
- If I called your teacher tonight what would she tell me about you?
- How did you help somebody today?
- How did somebody help you today?
- Tell me one thing that you learned today.
- When were you the happiest today?
- When were you bored today?
- If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed up someone who would you want them to take?
- Who would you like to play with at recess that you’ve never played with before?
- Tell me something good that happened today.
- What word did your teacher say most today?
- What do you think you should do/learn more of at school?
- What do you think you should do/learn less of at school?
- Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?
- Where do you play the most at recess?
- Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is he/she so funny?
- What was your favorite part of lunch?
- If you got to be the teacher tomorrow what would you do?
- Is there anyone in your class that needs a time out?
- If you could switch seats with anyone in the class who would you trade with? Why?
- Tell me about three different times you used your pencil today at school.
Sometimes we just need to figure out the right kinds of questions to ask our children….some questions may work better for some kids than others. Often you will find that this will start a deeper conversation. Hopefully it will end the cycle of:
Parent – “How was your day?”
Kid – “Fine.”
Parent – “What did you learn?”
Kid “Nothing.”
Parent …..
Kid …..
Parent …..