“Fine.”
“Good.”
These responses to “How was school today?” are quite typical, however they tell you virtually nothing about what actually happened to your children while in class, at recess, lunch, etc. If you want to extract at least one full sentence from your children about how their school days are going, try the following ideas:
Best And Worst
Ask your children what the best thing that happened to them in school today was, as well as the worst. You may also ask about anything that made them laugh today.
Classmates
Inquire about their classmates by asking who they would ideally like to sit next to. Also ask about who they don’t like sitting next to and why. A more fun way to pose this question is to say that if an alien came to the school to beam someone up, who would they take and why? This is helpful in the event your child is bullied.
Helping Out
Say “Were you able to help anyone at school today? How?” as well as “Did anyone help you with anything today? Who was it and how did they help?”
Coolest Places
Ask where the “cool places” in school are and what makes them fun. You might be surprised by your children’s answers, such as “The classroom before everyone gets back from lunch. I have a few minutes to look at books or draw.”
Happiness…And Boredom
Pose questions about when your children were happiest at school today, and when they were the most bored. This may provide insight about your children’s strengths in the classroom and what they require more help with. For example, they might find reading and writing lessons so easy they become bored!
Teacher Query
Make a “how was school today” question about your children’s teachers. Say something like, “If I called your teacher right now, what would he/she say about you?” You may also ask questions that delve into what your children like about their teachers and what they don’t, or inquire about the words teachers used the most that day.
Recess
Ask where your children like to play the most at recess. On the swings? The slide? Merry-Go-Round? Jungle gym? Such questions will also help you learn what your children like in terms of athletics.
These are just some creative ideas for asking your children about days at school! Have the above ideas inspired you to come up with your own questions?