Are you asking your kids the right questions when you pick them up from preschool? “How was your day at school?” is easily the most commonly asked question, but according to the experts there are better questions to ask.
When you do ask your child how their day was you typically get some bland one or two-word response. We can do better than that! As a parent you want to know every last detail about your child’s day at school. Did they make any new friends? Did they learn anything new and exciting? In order to gather these answers you’ve got to ask the right questions.
Here are some of the best questions to ask your kids when they get out of preschool.
If an alien spaceship landed on Earth and beamed up one of your classmates, whom would you want the aliens to take?
It sounds like the craziest question EVER but that’s why kids love it so much. Your child should understand you’re playing around and it’s this playful environment that gets them talking, real talk. Their answer may clue you in to who they do and don’t like in their class. This gives you the chance to ask them why and potentially learn about issues you may otherwise remain in the dark about.
If you could choose to sit by anyone in your class, who would it be?
This gets your kid talking about whom they currently sit next to and whom they would like to sit next to, likely two different people. As a result you get to learn more about their classmates in general. You might even find your child doesn’t want to sit by a best friend because he or she would rather meet and interact with new people.
What word did your teacher use most today?
This question is often answered with what your child learned that day in school. Depending on the answer, it could also clue you into the quality of the teacher and what’s really going on in the classroom.
What was your favorite part of your whole day?
Children (and adults) enjoy reliving their favorite parts of each and every day. You can also prompt your child to share their least favorite part of the day.
Who did you play with today?
This is a good question to ask with some frequency to get a feel for whom your child is hanging out with on a regular basis. It also helps familiarize you with different peers your child associates with. Once you begin to recognize some of these names you can start to ask about these friends by name.
What did you play today?
After asking your child who they played with you could also ask what they played.
Did any of your classmates do something funny today?
Get your child sharing stories about the class clown, or a hilarious moment shared on the playground. You may find your child is a source of jokes and humor if they commonly cite themselves as the funny-maker.
What rules are different at school than at home?
This is an excellent question as it gets your child comparing and contrasting different sets of rules in his or her life. Make sure to ask if your child thinks all of these rules are fair and how they might change them (at school or at home). Little preschoolers can be so much more insightful than we give them credit for.
What was the hardest thing you did all day?
There are countless answers to this question, but whatever the answer may be indicates something your child is struggling with. It could be finding friends to play with at recess or counting 1-10 out loud. Once you know what your child struggles with you can use your super parent powers to make it easier on your child moving forward.
Can you show me something you learned today?
If your child says they did not learn anything ask them to show you something they did today. Both of these questions prompt your child to act out something as opposed to explain it—therefore eliminating any one-word answers.
If you were assigned to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you do?
This is a great open-ended question that could result in all kinds of answers—from insightful to hilariously creative.