Parent: “How was school, honey?”
Kid: “Okay.”
Parent: “Did you have a good day?”
Kid: “Yep.”
Parent: …… (not quite sure what else to ask)
Sound familiar????
For many of us in the Pacific Northwest, this week was back-to-school time. It’s back to the daily grind, with the desire to stay connected to our kids in the process. However, sometimes it feels like trying to swim in molasses…
Having four kids, ranging in age from 7 to 21, I’ve had my ups and down as a parent, and I feel like I get better everyday. Part of that is learning how to ask the RIGHT questions that will actually start a conversation. And for those who don’t know my kids, they now don’t ever stop talking 
🙂
QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT THEIR DAY (that will encourage conversation):
💙 What did you learn new today? – this is my favorite one!
💙 Who are three people that you talked to/played with today?
💙 Who did you eat lunch with?
💙 What was your favorite part of lunch today?
💙 Who do you want to play with at recess tomorrow?
💙 What was your High and Low (best and worst) moments of your day?
💙 When were you the happiest today?
💙 When did you feel the most lonely today?
💙 If you got to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you want to teach the class?
💙 If you could switch seats with anyone in class, who would you switch with? Why?
💙 If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed someone up, who would you want them to take?
💙 What word did you teacher say the most today?
The key is to ask questions that can’t be answered with just YES/NO, or other one-word answers. Asking “Why”, “If”, “Who”, and “What” questions are a good start!
P.S. – Yesterday, Keenan (2nd grade), learned the Chicken Dance (for which we practiced at home last night), and Rhys (5th grade) learned that his class room has three mottos (1. It’s okay to make mistakes; 2. Never give up; and 3. Have fun!). It was as good second day of school!
