How to Get Your Kid to Open Up About His or Her Day
After a long day at school, parents naturally want to know how their child’s day was. All those hours apart, and a mom or dad is more than eager to find out about schoolwork, playtime, friends, teachers, and after-school events. But often times, kids are not interested in talking. Perhaps they’re worn out after a full day or didn’t have the most interesting or positive day. Other times, kids would rather head off into their rooms to play or unwind. Whatever their reason may be for not wanting to chat about their day, parents still want some info. Here are some tips to get kids to open up and give you the lowdown about their day at school or daycare.
Ask Specific Questions
Rather than being overly broad and asking “how was your day?” ask pointed questions so your child can focus on a specific item rather than feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of having to rehash the full day at once. For instance, ask what she did or who she played with during recess or if she shared her snack with her best friend. Ask if the teacher picked her to answer any questions in class or what the best ‘show and tell’ item was. Once you ask one question and your child is excited to reply, then you can move on to something else. By the time you’re done chatting, you’ll have covered nearly everything you wanted to hear!
Pick a Single Topic
Like asking a specific question, sticking to one area of interest is also a great way to get your kid talking. Go for the topic you’re most concerned with or curious to hear the latest news about. For instance, if your child’s been struggling with a particular school subject, talk about that area and how she’s progressing. Ask about the teacher and what she likes about her. Find positives to hone in on so the topic isn’t upsetting to your child. If you’re child has been worried about the status of a friendship, talk about recess or after school activities and her friends. School isn’t all about the classroom, so discussing social topics is important as well for a well-rounded discussion.
Tell Them About Your Day
If your child is closed off when it comes to post-school chatting, tell her about your day instead. Talk about what you did at work, while grocery shopping, or around the house. Tell her about something different or special that happened to you rather than what normally occurs and see if she has something similar to share. If you talk about your boss, see if she has similar tales about her teacher. If you open the discussion with your tales, your child will warm up to discussing her day too in order to show you that she had a productive day as well.
How do you get your child to open up and talk about his or her day at school? Any tips you can share with the AMC community? For more information like this, please visit All My Children’s blogs.
By: Melissa A. Kay
