I’m sure you’ve been on both sides of this conversation:
Parent: How was school?
Child: Fine.
Parent: What did you do today?
Child: Nothing.
Asking better questions can lead to better answers. Today, when you pick your child up from school, try asking open ended questions – questions that don’t lead to yes or no responses or one word, non-specific answers:
What book did your teacher (or you) read today?
What specials (music, art, science, library, gym) did you have? What did you do in the special?
Who did you sit next to during lunch?….What’s he like?
What kind of problems did you do in math?
Sometimes right after school is not the best time to ask your child about his or her day – you know your child best. Try not to bombard him or her with too many questions. Encourage your child to ask you about your day.
At dinner, it could be fun for everyone to share the best and worst thing about their day, or pass a baton / magic stick around where each family member can share something about their day. The magic stick will help younger siblings understand that they can only speak when they hold the stick and they need to listen otherwise.