How was your day today? Good.
Did you do anything fun? No.
Did you play with anyone at recess? Yup.
Does this sound like a familiar conversation after your kiddo comes home from school? As parents we really want to know what is going on in our children’s lives when we aren’t with them. Sometimes children don’t elaborate on their day as much as we would like. Here are some tips to get your child talking about their day.
- Ask open ended questions while trying to avoid questions with one word answers such as good, yes or no. “What is something funny that happened today?”
- Ask questions about the times your child is socializing with other children. “Which friends did you play with or who was the nicest person in your class today?”
- Ask positive questions like “What was your favorite part of the school day?” or “What was the most interesting thing that you learned today?”
- Ask hypothetical questions such as “If you could pack your own lunch tomorrow, what would you pack?” or “If you could change one thing about today what would you change?”
- Try talking with your child at the end of your bedtime routine to see if they may be more open to sharing. This may be a great opportunity for one on one undivided attention between you and your child.
- Family dinner time is extremely important for communication. Have each family member, including mom and dad, name one good thing about their day and one bad thing about their day.
Check out some great conversation starters from imom to get you on the path to great conversations!
