Have you ever wondered how to get your child(ren) to open up more and share about their day at school? We came across a wonderful article with some great insight on how to better engage children and help them feel more comfortable to share both the good and not so good parts of their day. Below are some highlights from the article (link to full article is at the bottom of this page).
- Make Your Questions Specific
Asking open ended questions for younger children may possibly cause them to draw a blank. Specific questions can help them think back to specific moments in their day.
- Who did you play with at recess?
- What did you do during PE class?
- Who had a hard time in school today?
- What did you need help with today?
- Who helped you?
- What was your favorite thing about your day?
- Ask Open-Ended Questions
For older children, open-ended questions may be exactly what they need to get the conversation rolling.
- What made you laugh/smile?
- What made you sad?
- What was your favorite part of the day?
- Who did you sit with at lunch or talk to?
- Ask Nothing and Connect Instead “Instead of talking and asking all those questions you are aching for answers to, Kwan suggests you take some time at first to connect with your child. Offer them a hug or a high five. Spend some time making jokes and laughing with your child if they feel playful, or consider racing them home from school for fun. Do whatever works for your child to help them feel safe, grounded, and at home.” -Elle Kwan
- Start by Talking About Your Day If we open up to our children, they may be more likely to open up to us. “The more you tell them, the more they will understand how to talk about their day,” Manly says. "Oftentimes, younger kids don't know how to talk about their day. We forget this is also a skill that has to be taught.” - Elizabeth Manly
- Ask a Question Without Eye Contact Start a conversation when you are washing the dishes, driving in the car or sitting at the kitchen table. “My favorite trick for getting kids to talk is to NOT make eye contact,” Epstein says. “Eye contact makes kids feel put on the spot, so they close up and don’t respond to you.” - Varda Meyers Epstein
- Try the "High Low Buffalo" Game “I love the High Low Buffalo game to get kids (or anyone, really) to open up!” says Grace Poole. “Basically, you go around the table and everyone talks about their high of the day, their low of the day, and their buffalo of the day. The buffalo is essentially anything else they thought was interesting or random that they want to mention.”
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