20 Questions
If you’re like most parents, you’ve
probably noticed that there seems to be a
standardized answer to the following
question : “How was your day today?”
If you’re tired of getting “good” or
“fine” as an answer, we’ve got some great
questions to help your child open up,
spark some fun conversation, and help
you learn more about your child’s day!
Not only will these questions help you
explore your child’s world creatively-they’ll get you both giggling, sharing, and
bonding.
Children want to share their lives with
you--but it can be difficult to draw out
specific memories and moments from a
day with a broad question that allows for
a one-word answer (e.g., “how was your
day?”).
By getting specific, creative, and helping zero in on specific memories from
throughout the day, you’ll learn a lot
about your child’s life!
1.What was something that made
you giggle today?
2.What made you frown today?
3.What was the best part of your
lunch today?
4.What are some things other
kids eat that you would NEVER
want in your lunch?
5.If you could go back and repeat one part of your day, what
would it be?
6.If you could skip one of part
of your day, what would it be?
7.Did today go by fast, or slow-how come?
8.If you could choose one superpower to use at school, what
would it be?
9.If your day was a color,
what color would it be?
10.If your best friend
at school was an
animal, what
would he or
she be?
11.Where is your favorite place at
your school--how come?
12.Where is your least favorite
place at your school--how come?
13.What was the nicest thing
someone said to you (or did for
you) today?
14.If you got to be the school
principal at school tomorrow,
what would you do?
15.When did you feel bored today?
16.What made you feel proud today?
17.If I came to school with you
tomorrow, what do you think I
would like the most?
18.If I came to school with you
tomorrow, what do you think I
would dislike the most?
19.How would you rate your day
(on a scale between 1 and 10)?
20. What games did you play at recess today?
Don’t feel like you need to run
through a list of questions every single
day--choose one or two, then ask followup questions and let the conversation
roll.
These questions can be a great roundrobin style activity for the whole family
at the dinner table each evening, where
everybody takes a turn answering the
same question and learning about one another’s days.
If you are reading this list of questions and rolling your eyes, there are
some different ways to ask about your
child’s day that may be more in line with
your communication style.
A popular game is “High-Low” or
“Peaks and Valleys.” This game is simple.
Everyone around the table tells the high
point of their day and the low point.
The goal being to have insights into
each other’s lives. It also forces your family to think about the positive aspects of
their life as opposed to just complaining
about the pop quiz in math or the practice that didn’t go well.
The cool thing about games like this is
they give you the opportunity to share insights about your life with your child,
too. As an added bonus, it helps less than
communicative spouses have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around sports.
Trying to make communication fun
might feel a bit clunky at first, but by
folding it into your routine, you will find
ways to make it part of your family.