Get a sense of your child's life at school by asking questions that elicit more than a one-word response.
The trick is to ask about things that are specific, but still open-ended. Move beyond "fine" and "nothing" by asking your child to describe his world. It's also great to start the conversation with an anecdote from your own day. Try one of these conversation-starters:
Questions That Encourage Children to Talk about School
1. What was your favorite part about school today?
2. What activity did you like the most today? And the least?
3. What did you think of the first assignment you had to do today?
4. If you could do any moment at school over today, what would it look like?
5. What was the funniest thing that happened in your class today?
6. Which assignment/activity did you feel most confident about today?
7. How is it going with your school activities and assignments?
8. What’s the most interesting thing you heard at school today?
9. If you could change just ONE thing about school, what would that be?
10. What made you laugh/worry/smile in school today?
11. What 3 words would you use to describe your best friend in school?
12. If you were stranded on a deserted island with one person from your school, who do you wish that would be? How come?
13. If you had $1,000 to buy something for your school, what would you buy and where would you put it?
14. What qualities do you like most about your teacher?
15. What is something your teacher said to you today that you are still thinking about?
16. If you could put a spell on your teacher and change tomorrow’s lesson, what would you make it all about?
17. Who did you play with/talk with at school today?
18. What is your best friends favorite part of school? Is that the same for you or different?
19. If a famous person could come to teach a class at your school, who would that be and what should they teach?
20. What parts of school today went by the fastest? Slowest?
21. When I went to school there were some kids I just had a hard time getting along with, is there someone like that in your class?
22. There was a boy/girl in my school when I was in grade x that was a good friend to all, is there someone in class like that?
23. Was there anything you wanted to learn more about today but didn’t have time to ask the teacher about?
24. What is your favorite spot in your school/classroom?
25.What are you looking forward to learning in school tomorrow/this month/this year?
26. Tell me about what you read in class.
27. What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they're fair?
28. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?
29. What did you share at Morning Meeting?
30. What numbers did you talk about today at school? Why?
31. What did you do at Daily 5? Read to self? Work with a teacher? Word Work? Work on Writing? Did you get to pick those or were they chosen for you?
32. How did the class greet each other today at Morning Meeting? Did you like that? What is your favorite way?
The trick is to ask about things that are specific, but still open-ended. Move beyond "fine" and "nothing" by asking your child to describe his world. It's also great to start the conversation with an anecdote from your own day. Try one of these conversation-starters:
Questions That Encourage Children to Talk about School
1. What was your favorite part about school today?
2. What activity did you like the most today? And the least?
3. What did you think of the first assignment you had to do today?
4. If you could do any moment at school over today, what would it look like?
5. What was the funniest thing that happened in your class today?
6. Which assignment/activity did you feel most confident about today?
7. How is it going with your school activities and assignments?
8. What’s the most interesting thing you heard at school today?
9. If you could change just ONE thing about school, what would that be?
10. What made you laugh/worry/smile in school today?
11. What 3 words would you use to describe your best friend in school?
12. If you were stranded on a deserted island with one person from your school, who do you wish that would be? How come?
13. If you had $1,000 to buy something for your school, what would you buy and where would you put it?
14. What qualities do you like most about your teacher?
15. What is something your teacher said to you today that you are still thinking about?
16. If you could put a spell on your teacher and change tomorrow’s lesson, what would you make it all about?
17. Who did you play with/talk with at school today?
18. What is your best friends favorite part of school? Is that the same for you or different?
19. If a famous person could come to teach a class at your school, who would that be and what should they teach?
20. What parts of school today went by the fastest? Slowest?
21. When I went to school there were some kids I just had a hard time getting along with, is there someone like that in your class?
22. There was a boy/girl in my school when I was in grade x that was a good friend to all, is there someone in class like that?
23. Was there anything you wanted to learn more about today but didn’t have time to ask the teacher about?
24. What is your favorite spot in your school/classroom?
25.What are you looking forward to learning in school tomorrow/this month/this year?
26. Tell me about what you read in class.
27. What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they're fair?
28. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?
29. What did you share at Morning Meeting?
30. What numbers did you talk about today at school? Why?
31. What did you do at Daily 5? Read to self? Work with a teacher? Word Work? Work on Writing? Did you get to pick those or were they chosen for you?
32. How did the class greet each other today at Morning Meeting? Did you like that? What is your favorite way?