Fun Questions to Ask Your Kid About the School Day

You can remember what it was like to be your kid's age. When the school fun was done, you didn't want to be asked a lot of questions about what happened at school or how certain situations made you feel. Of course, you were a kid, and it wasn't up to you. Now, you've switched sides. As the parent, this is your opportunity to take charge and learn more about your kiddo - in a gentle, guiding sort of way. The key to learning about your child isn't in asking questions; it's about what kind of questions you ask and how you ask them.

The more fun you make your inquires, the more you're likely to get out of the conversation. After all, very few preschoolers have boring days while you're away. You just have to know how to unlock the mystery to get these discussions started.

Here's a quick guide of fun questions you can ask your kid about his or her school day.

 

When it comes to post-preschool questionnaires, there's a bit of art and science involved if you want to truly open the lines of communication.

 

Questions that can be answered with a "yes", "no", or "I dunno" don't leave you much room to work with. This conversation will be even more frustrating as your child begins to grow up and enter adolescence. This is the perfect time to make regular conversations a normal part of life. The earlier you introduce this type of honesty, the easier it will be for you and your child to get on the same page when obstacles come down the path.

With all that said, avoid yes/no questions. Instead, find ways to reframe your inquiries so the answer can lead to a discussion.

 

Your preschooler is just now learning social skills, and he or she may feel a little confused when certain emotions such as anger or sadness arise. Remember, most emotions are completely normal, and if your child is feeling distressed about your discussion, you may need to approach it from a different angle and give that particular conversation a bit of breathing room.

 

This question might as well be a yes or no question because the answer is often "fine" or "okay". Instead of settling for a catch-all question that will likely come with a pretty generic answer, avoid this question in favor of probing questions that facilitate deeper communications between you and your preschooler.

 

Now that you know what works well when you're trying to learn more about your kiddo, you can move on to the questions at hand.

This is certainly not a yes or no question, and it leaves plenty of room for an excited preschooler to go crazy about all the creative learning that ensued in the past few hours.

 

With this question, you can gauge your preschooler's attentiveness, allowing you to probe further if he or she doesn't know what the lesson plan looks like. If your child is filled with excitement about everything going on, he or she is probably paying a lot of attention to things going on in class. Alternatively, this may be an opportunity to explain listening skills if your child doesn't have an answer that fulfills your inquiry.

 

Talk about a great opportunity! Any number of conversations could come up during the day that your child's teacher isn't comfortable addressing. As a parent, this is your time to shine. If something awkward or interesting came up in today's conversations, this is the perfect time to broach the subject in the manner you see fit. You won't know unless you ask!

 

It's important to know who your kid's "best friends" are so you can connect with parents if you ever have questions. This is a great way to learn how your child is developing behaviors when you're not around.

 

Sure, politics aren't usually the topic of lunchroom conversations, but that doesn't mean you can't glean incredible insights from sandwich-and-apple-slice times. By asking your preschooler what he or she talked about at lunch, you'll learn a lot about what your child is interested in, how he or she feels about certain topics, and who he or she relies on for education outside of the house and classroom.

 

Preschoolers often have story time. Most kids will have a favorite part. Investigate the pieces that are enthralling to your little one, and you'll unlock secrets that can lead to better communication. Whether it's a wizard or a person who made the best out of unlikely situations, the way your kiddo responds to stories can help you understand his or her personality better.

 

Ask this question at various times during the school year. Expect the answers to change as your child matures but be aware that each answer can help you understand more about your child's unique personality.

Preschool is an experience that sets the stage for so many choices and experiences in life. If you're looking for a way to start your child on the right path to success, we invite you to open a dialogue with our staff and teachers at All Saints' Episcopal Day School. We are a private school in Phoenix with grades pre-k through 8^th grade. The sooner you talk to us, the sooner you'll be having fun, engaging conversations with your little one who can't wait to tell you how incredible learning has become!