Your child spends most of their day in school, so you’d think that they’d have so much to share when they get home, right? Wrong. No matter how awesome Art class was, you’ll barely get an audible answer when you ask them the parent-child afterschool question: “How was your day?” And if you do hear more than a mumble, you’ll probably get a one-word answer: “Nothing.”
(Don’t even bother trying to explain that seven-ish hours in school is certainly not “nothing” because it still won’t get your kid to have a sharing sesh.)
But it might not be that your child slept through the school day, but rather that you’re not asking the right questions. These 15 questions to ask your child after school that aren’t “How was your day?” just might get your child to tell you about a great moment they had with their teacher, learned how to master a tough mathematical equation — or at the very least, learn if they chose the pizza or popcorn chicken for lunch.
“What was something funny that happened today?”
“What game did you play at recess or gym?”
“What was your favorite activity today?”
“Did you read today? What are you reading now?”
“What happened today that doesn’t usually happen every day?”
“How did you help someone today?”
“Who or what made you smile or happy today?”
“When did you feel proud or good about yourself today?”
“If you could change anything about your day, what would it be?”
“Who did you sit with at lunch?”
“Were you kind to someone today?”
“What did you find challenging today?”
“What nice thing did you say to someone today?”
“If you could choose a new seat in your class, which one would it be?”
“What are you excited to do at school tomorrow?”
It’s hard to not get excited when you see your scholar after school and want to hear all about their day. But asking an uninteresting question like, “How was your day?” isn’t going to elicit an extensive answer from your kid. Be sure to give them time to decompress after class (they do need to wind down, after all), and when everyone has had a snack and time to relax, you can ask them some (not all!) of the questions above, and little by little, you’ll learn all about what your child is learning, thinking, and most importantly, feeling.