At this time of year, parents are looking for ways to get meaningful information about how their children are really doing in school – more than “just fine!” Here are a few hints to guide the building of discussions that lead to important details about the school day and the emotional barometer in your child’s world.

1. Pick a time when you an listen, such as: while seated at the dinner table, during an evening walk through the neighborhood or during your “tucking in” time. Model good listening skills.

2. Have questions and sentence starters handy in a jar. Pick one each evening. OR ask if anyone has a question or sentence starter to suggest for the day.

3. Choose questions and sentence starters that encourage engagement from everyone, not just spotlighting the school-aged member(s) of the family. Children need to know that everyone has good and bad events happen each day!

4. After you’ve chosen your conversation starter, begin with an anecdote about your day. Children need your examples to learn more about both you and the world!

Here are some example questions and sentence starters:

• What was something that you heard/learned today that was new to you?
• Was there a new word that you heard someone use or that you read? (Vocabulary is one of the most successful indicators of success in school!)
• How did you help someone today? Or how did someone help you?
• What was the best thing you did at school or work today?
• Today, I wondered why _________.
• Today, I wondered what if ___________.

 

(Tip: If your child is having difficulty deciding on what to share, think about deciding on the day’s question or topic in the morning. This helps everyone be “on the look out” for something to add to the day’s conversation.)

I love doing this with my grandchildren to keep up with what they do at school each day. Does your family have any similar traditions or activities? Please share!