Keeping open communication with your kids is so important!
I’ve been there many times with my son at the end of a school day, when his reply to “What did you do today?” is almost always “Oh, nothing”.
Really? You mean to tell me you spent almost 7 hours at school and did nothing?
We just started homeschooling, so now these conversations come after his enrichment classes and extra circulars, but the idea is still the same.
It can be so frustrating as a parent who genuinely wants to know how their child’s day was.
In an age where bullying, among other things are huge problems in our schools, I want to know what’s going on in my children’s lives. I don’t EVER want to let that line of communication close.
Getting your kids to openly communicate with you grows your bond with them, their confidence, and gives you a better sense of what’s going on in their lives.
I feel that my kids will be more open to telling me if something is going wrong at school if they are already comfortable with talking to me about their daily lives.
One of our family goals year after year is to keep communicating with our kids. This means finding ways to communicate even if they aren’t interested in communicating.
I have questions in mind each day to ask my son when I pick him up from school. If he is hesitant to answer I will elaborate on the question or ask something else.
Sometimes I will take a question and make it relatable to him. So instead of “What did you play today at recess?” I will ask “Did you play with ______ today?” “Did you play on the swings again today?”.
If you know what your kids interests are at home and at school it makes it easier to get them to talk. Of course they will want to talk about the things they love the most.
When you are talking to your kids keep a mental note and remember. This is key to communicating! [su_box title=”Importance of Remembering Conversations” box_color=”#58304d” radius=”7″]It allows you to follow up on your conversations
It shows your child you are truly interested in what they have to say
You can stay alert of changes that happen in your child’s life
Your child will be encouraged to keep you up to date on ongoing stories
Your child will know that you are listening when they speak
You are setting a good example to your child of lending a listening ear[/su_box]
I wanted to help you get after school conversations started with your kids, so I made some free printable questions to ask your kids.
There are questions here for different times during the school year. Things to get conversations started during the first week of school, testing, holidays, and the end of the school year. Plus a sheet of general after school questions.
Remember to elaborate on these questions and make them personal to your own kids. This will help get the conversation flowing if they don’t feel like talking after school.
Download your FREE Questions For After School Printables!
After you ask these questions don’t forget the conversations they start. Make sure to follow up later in the week or month.
Was there a bully at school? Ask 1 week later if that situation improved. Did your child’s class have a holiday party planned? Ask later how the party went.
Good luck starting conversations with your kids after school!
What kinds of questions do you ask your kids after school? How do you open up communication with your kids? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
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Thankfully my son is quite communicative although not always about school work. But I know everything about who says what, plays with who and who was naughty. I find timing is key. Straight after school is nothing, but before bed he asks me about my day at work and then will share his day at school.
I can also prompt because the school send a round what they're going to be doing in maths and literacy by class rag Monday.
That's good that your school keeps you informed about your son. It is great to get to know your child and when they like to talk about things. My son is the same way sometimes. He likes to talk later in the day rather than directly after school. Thanks for stopping by. :)
Those are a great bunch of questions to have handy to ask your kids.
I'm really glad you shared this. Both of my boys are starting Kindergarten in September and I would've went with the whole "How was your day" thing and probably have gotten no where.
Sometimes they are just too busy to tell you about your day. ;) I hope these questions help! Thanks for stopping by Sheila.