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.