As adults we work. Some of us work at home, others leave to work elsewhere. Our kids also have work. Their work is school.
It is important that we give their ‘work’ proper respect and help them understand that they have a responsibility to do their best while they are at work. That means we give them time to share their daily experiences, let them share their efforts and give them positive feedback. We need to set aside 5-10 minutes a day dedicated to listening to ‘their day’. Hopefully each day will have been exciting, but if not, we need to frame our questions to them to remember what went well.
The biggest off-target question is “What did you do today?” If you think about it and try to list what you did, often you are hard-pressed to find anything exciting to share. Kids feel the same way.
So, what should we ask? Try these questions:
What did you like about the story you read today?
What math problems were the easiest to understand today?
What did you do during recess, music, PE, at lunch, etc.
What does a good interaction look like?
*Give your child your undivided attention
* Practice active listening
*Ask specific, open-ended questions ( have more than 1 answer and encourage conversation).
Don’t accept “I don’t remember” or “I don’t know”. Wait for a reply then engages your child in a brief discussion. Then engage you child in a brief discussion about your work that day. It’s only fair!