School Days: Tips for Getting Your Kids to Talk About Their Day at School

Tips For Starting a Post-School Convo With Kids!

We, as parents, have all gotten the same mundane answers from our kids when we ask them about their day. How was your day? Fine. What did you do? Nothing.  With our children sometimes being so reluctant to reveal information about their day at school, camp, or daycare, how can we know what is going on for all of the hours that they are not with us?

Ask your kids to tell three positive and three negative things about their day. If you ask them yes or no questions all you’ll get is a yes or no answer.  Asking them to tell you about specifics – what special (gym, art, music) they had that day, who they sat with at lunch, was anything difficult or bothersome, will allow you greater insight into the lives they lead at school.  You can do the same to show them that you want them to know about your day as well.

Know your child’s schedule so that you have topics to talk about or look through their school work with them to have topics to learn about from them.  Knowing if the class is studying dinosaurs, if they had a field trip, or what class pet they have can give you some starting topics.

Strike up a conversation while doing an activity.  Choose something non-technology related that your child enjoys. Play cards, shoot hoops, or go for a walk while conversing with your child.  Having the distraction of the activity might make them less inclined to clam up. Since this is an activity that does not include technology, do the same that you expect of them. Leave your phone off, and just focus on the interaction.

Eat with your child. Statistics show that eating dinner with your children makes them less stressed, perform better in school, eat more healthfully, and have fewer high-risk behaviors (such as teen smoking and drinking).  Mealtime should be a time when everyone is relaxed and can feel comfortable sharing what happened during their day.  Take this time to also tell them about your day. Revealing the highlights and low points of your day might encourage your child to tell a little more about her own.
 
Taking the time to connect with your children will reap lifelong benefits.  Navigating the roller coaster of childhood and adolescence will be a little bit easier with better communication between you and your child.  Happy chatting!
 
 
Meet The Bella Behind the Blog: Kristen Farley is a mother of three and a domestic goddess. She is a former teacher who enjoys spending lots of time with her kids, healthy eating, volunteering at school, and mommy blogging for the masses.

Be on the lookout for more of Kristen’s expert advice and brilliant tips!