We know parents have put a lot of preparation into getting ready for the beginning of the new school year. (En Francais nous disons “Rentrée”, and in English we say “Back to School”.) You’ve purchased backpacks and sneakers, talked with your kids about their new teachers, scheduled pick-ups and drop-offs, and enrolled in aftercare.

So when your kids jump in the car at the end of the school day you will want to ask, “How was school?!”

And when you ask this question, you might hear one of these answers:
Fine. 
Good. 
I don’t know.
It was “school”. 
Can I have a snack?

So, how do you ask your kids about their day in a way that engages their interest, teaches them to use their memory recall, and lets you in on how things are going for them? Here are three things to keep in mind when “interviewing” your kids about their day.

Ask “open ended questions”. This means questions that do not have a yes or no answer, but elicit a description of something. For example, instead of asking, “Did you make any friends?”, ask, “Who did you play with at recess?” 

Be Specific. Ask about a particular class, teacher, friend, or game. For example, instead of “How was French?”, ask “What French words did you learn today?” 

Don’t interview for negative experiences.  It is in a parent’s nature to deeply want your kids to feel accepted and comfortable at school. However, when you “interview for negative experiences” you unintentionally put your kids on the look-out for negative experiences, then those are the stories you may start hearing about at the end of the day. By keeping the end of the day questions positive, you are teaching resilience, and helping kids learn they can do hard things, and they will be okay. 

Check out the below list of what to ask your kids at the end of the day. Download and print it out to put on the fridge or keep in the car for the conversation on the drive home. 

Happy Rentrer and welcome Back to School!  

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