We’ve all been there. Our kids jump into the car or walk into the house after a long day at school. Or we walk into the house after they’ve been home for a while and we are anxious to hear all about the many hours they spent away from us. We quickly hug them, hand them a snack, and ask, “So, how was school today?”
What we’re hoping to hear is a detailed rundown of everything they did and who they interacted with, and what they learned and how they felt about things, and, and, and…
And what do we get instead? A succinct “Fine.” or “Good.” or “Mid.” And that’s the end of that.
Is there some magical secret to getting more words out of your tight-lipped kids?
Well, there certainly is no definitive secret or hard and fast rule about getting your kids to open up and tell you more about their day at school, but I recently read some great questions to ask them on the Simple Simon and Company blog.
Below are a few of my favorites that you might want to try out the next time you’re tempted to ask how your kid’s day at school was. Hopefully, several of them will lead to some funny or sweet conversations or will help you to come up with some other creative questions of your own.
Here are fifteen questions for you to try out.
1 Tell me a weird word you heard today. (Or something weird that someone said).
2 How did you help somebody today? (Or did anyone help you today?)
3 When were you the happiest today?
4 When were you bored today?
5 If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed up someone, who would you want them to take and why?
6 Who would you like to play with at recess that you’ve never played with before?
7 What word did your teacher say the most today?
8 What do you think you should do/learn more at school? (Or, less of at school?)
9 Who is the funniest person in your class? Why are they so funny?
10 If you got to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you do?
11 Tell me about three different times you used your pencil today?
12 Is there anyone in your class that needs a timeout?
13 If I called your teacher tonight, what would they tell me about you this week?
14 Where is the coolest place at your school?
15 Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?
Good luck and keep asking those questions – you never know when you’re going to get an earful!
