Why use engaging questions to ask your child about their day? If your kids are anything like mine, they don’t willing talk about their day at school. It’s like they give you information on a need to know basis… and they never think I need to know anything. It wasn’t always this way, early learners 3-5 year olds will spit out more details about their day than you can imagine.

It’s something about them getting older *tears*…they talk to you less and less. For my 9 year old, the dreaded “how was your day?” only gets a one word answer, “Good!” When I think about it I don’t like that question much as an adult. So I’ve learned to guide our conversation with engaging questions. It gets him to open up and it keeps me in the know.

Here are a few engaging questions to ask your child, that should get you more than a one word answer:

1. Did you catch anyone doing something funny?
2. What games did you play at recess?
3. What was the funniest thing that happened today?
4. What was the nicest thing you did for someone else?
5. Or did someone do something nice for you?
6. What did you have for lunch?
7. Who made you smile today?
8. Did you create anything today? What?
9. If there was a zombie apocalypse, who would you want to get eaten? Why?
10. What new fact did you learn today?
11. What challenged you today?
12. How did you help someone today?
13. Were you bored at all today? When?
14. Who do you want to make friends with but haven’t yet? Why not?
15. What rules at school are different from the rules at home? Do you think that’s fair?
16. Any events coming up that you want to attend? Which ones?
17. What is the most popular thing to do at recess?
18. Is there anyone in your class who needs a time-out?
19. If you could switch seats with anyone in the class, who would you trade with? Why?
20. Did anyone get in trouble today?
21. What was the hardest rule to follow today?
22. What was something you saw that surprised you?
23. Teach me something I don’t know.
24. Did you ever feel unsafe or afraid?
25. If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be?

The older they get the harder we will have to work to engage with them. I just hope this helps him to understand that he can always be as open and honest with me as possible. Do you have any conversation strategies or engaging questions that you ask your child? If so, share below or join the conversation over on Instagram.