Keep Them Talking...

After school can be a lovely time to connect with your child, some are so excited to share news of their day however if your child is like mine, you may be stuck with one-word answers. School days are long, tiring and even if your child has been in an early learning setting full time before starting school, it is still a huge adjustment.

I love hearing just a little something about their day, so I have come up with 5 conversation starters that help when chatting with my 7-year-old. They no longer work on my teenagers, but I do firmly believe we have to keep our children talking so that teenage conversations are a little easier.

1. What was your favourite part of the day? It is often lunch but that will allow me to ask about lunch time play and what games he enjoyed.
2. How was your teacher today and what do you think her favourite part of the day was? I like getting to know Sam’s teacher and see how he is feeling about this new person in his life.
3. Who was the kindest person in your class today? A good opportunity to discuss the importance of kindness and how you can make someone’s day by being kind.
4. What was something interesting and new you learnt today? This is often very informative. The things our children enjoy at school are often a surprise to us.
5. Who did you like talking to today and what are you looking forward to tomorrow? This gives me a conversation starter as we are heading to school and helps if you have a child who may not be so eager for school.

And finally, the canteen is often an interesting conversation topic for us and another motivating treat at the end of the week.