Did Somebody Pick Their Nose and Eat it?

 

 

 

 

 

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-Questions to ask your kids when they come home from school.

Charlene Laurece

August 27, 2018

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Instead of asking, “How was your day?” and getting the typical answer, “Fine” here are some questions you can ask to dig deeper into your child’s day, connect  with them, bond a little and have them open up more to  you about things that are happening in their life.

We know something happened during their day at school and it can’t always be fine.

Try some of these questions; some sound be silly but it does break the ice and get your child talking,

 

1. Did someone get in trouble at school by the teacher? This helps your kid notice the students that aren’t as friendly and they might want to stay clear from them. Phrases like “Wow, he should respect the teacher”, or “Maybe the teacher was having a bad day and he just pushed her buttons.”

 

2. Did you notice any bullies… Were you bulling anyone? I usually ask the second question in a comedic way. You almost always get to know the kind of kids your kid is hanging around or noticing to stay away from. Also the second question, “Were you bulling anyone” usually opens the conversation to “Well this kid was being rude to me so I had to tell the teacher…

 

3. Did you make any new friends? This can be taxing if you ask every day. Your kid isn’t going to have 100 new friends a day. You can also ask, “How is your friend Amy doing, did you see her today?” This gives you a heads up if your child is still friends with Amy and if something happened between the two.

 

4. Anybody out there seem like a bully? This allows your child to notice and behaviors about others that they want to stay away from and possibly help others. Ie. This one kid was kicking a girl’s chair and she asked him to stop so I let her sit near me.

 

5. Did you eat all your lunch? This is basic nutrition information, if you child is crabby maybe they didn’t eat lunch. It also opens the conversation to likes and dislikes. Ie I hate it when you pack me apples, can you pack grapes instead. Or you could take the initiative here and ask your child to start making their own lunches (great for growth and responsibility)

 

6. How was your teacher? Were they more upset/happier than usual? This is a good way to get your child to realize you’re human and know that teachers can be a pain sometimes. This is good for bonding and connect on a mature level.

 

7. What kind of homework do you have easy or is it tricky? This helps find of if your kid is struggling or will struggle in school. Gives you a heads up before the report card or parent teacher conference. This allows your child to feel they can ask for help if they need it.

 

8. Did you notice anyone having a hard time? This helps your kid make friends and notice any kids they can help and teaches empathy. It also helps your child realize that they aren’t alone and everyone struggles sometimes.

 

9. How was the bus ride home? This is usually where kids goof off, make inappropriate jokes, or where kids are typically bullied. Questions like who did you sit by and did you hear any funny jokes, are great to find out how your kid is doing socially.

 

10. Who’s the kid who’s always getting yelled at by the teacher? This helps keep tabs on the kids you want your kid to stay away from, or find out if your child is that kid getting in trouble.

 

11. Don’t forget to add some humor to the conversation; Did someone pick their nose and eat it? Did anyone start a food fight? Was your teachers fly down? (Mr. Brenner my 6th grade teacher has his down and it was all I could talk about for weeks) This helps your child laugh a little, school can be stressful. Nothing wrong with a little laughter. This also is a great way to get your child to open up and actually want to talk to you about the funny things that happened in school.

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I’ve worked in many schools and dealt with tons of children at home and in school. Try asking some of these questions to better get to know what your child is doing throughout the day. To better connect with them help them grow into great individuals, guide them through life and help ease those dreaded school days.