How do I get my children to tell me about their day at school? I ask them 4 simple questions.
After far too long of asking the children “how was school today?”, and just getting a one-word answer in response, I’ve figured out 4 different questions to ask them instead that tends to get them to open up a little bit more.
1. Can you tell me one thing you learned about today?
I find this question to be much more effective than, “what did you do today?”.
Rather than asking them to recap everything they’ve been learning, it gets them to think about what stood out for them. So not only do I get to know a bit about what they’re learning in school, I also get a bit of insight into what they’re enjoying or what they’re maybe struggling a bit with.
2. Who did you play with at break time?
A big part of life at school is the friendships that the children make. So knowing who they play with at break time is quite useful for staying in the loop with who their friends are.
Asking who they play with each day also gives them a chance to discuss any issues they might be having with that social side of school life.
3. Can you tell me one thing that made you happy at school today?
This open question can be a great way to get my children to tell me about their day at school.
It gets them thinking about what they’ve done during the school day and focuses on what they’ve enjoyed and what’s made them happy.
You also get a nice mix of answers with this question, to get more of an insight into their lives away from home.
Some days the answer will be related to the work they’ve done. Some days it might be about a fun game they played at break. And other days it might be that they had their favourite meal at lunchtime.
4. Did anything make you feel sad today? Do you want to tell me about it?
On the flip side, this question lets them open up about anything that’s bothered them at school.
If they want to.
Adding the second part of the question lets them know that they don’t have to talk about it if they don’t want to.
But asking them about it in the first place shows that you care, and can often prompt them to open up about it later on in the day when they’re ready.
