30 Questions to Ask Your Kid Instead of “How Was Your Day?”

Summary

The website provides 30 creative questions parents can ask their children to foster better conversations about their school day, as an alternative to the generic "how was your day?" question.

Abstract

The article highlights the ineffectiveness of the common question "how was your day?" in eliciting meaningful responses from children, as experienced by the author with their own child. Recognizing the need for more engaging prompts, the author has compiled a list of 30 thought-provoking questions. These questions are designed to encourage children to share more about their experiences, ranging from the humorous to the insightful, covering topics like lunchtime, recess activities, classroom dynamics, and personal feelings. The questions aim to spark deeper conversations that go beyond one-word answers, potentially revealing more about the child's daily life, social interactions, and even their aspirations.

Opinions

The author believes that the standard "how was your day?" question is inadequate for stimulating conversation with children.
The article suggests that open-ended questions can lead to more engaging and informative discussions with kids.
The author implies that children may be more willing to share details about their day when prompted with specific and interesting questions.
The list includes questions that can lead to fun and imaginative responses, such as which teacher would survive a zombie apocalypse.
The author values the insight that can be gained into a child's school environment and their personal growth through these alternative questions.
The article encourages parents to use these questions to help children reflect on their day and to possibly learn about their child's first crush or the social dynamics of their class.
The author sees the potential for these questions to reveal a child's thoughts on friendship, kindness, and challenges they face at school.

30 Questions to Ask Your Kid Instead of “How Was Your Day?”

When I picked my son up from his first day of 4th grade, my usual (enthusiastically delivered) question of “how was your day?” was met with his usual (indifferently delivered) “fine.”

Come on! It’s the first day, for crying out loud! Give me something to work with, would you, kid?

The second day, my same question was answered, “well, no one was a jerk.”

That’s good…I guess.

I suppose the problem is my own. That question actually sucks. Far from a conversation starter, it’s uninspired, overwhelmingly open ended, and frankly, completely boring. So as an alternative, I’ve compiled a list of questions that my kid will answer with more than a single word or grunt. In fact, he debated his response to question 8 for at least half an hour over the weekend. The jury’s out until he can organize a foot race.

Questions a kid will answer at the end of a long school day:

What did you eat for lunch?

Did you catch anyone picking their nose?

What games did you play at recess?

What was the funniest thing that happened today?

Did anyone do anything super nice for you?

What was the nicest thing you did for someone else?

Who made you smile today?

Which one of your teachers would survive a zombie apocalypse? Why?

What new fact did you learn today?

Who brought the best food in their lunch today? What was it?

What challenged you today?

If school were a ride at the fair, which ride would it be? Why?

What would you rate your day on a scale of 1 to 10? Why?

If one of your classmates could be the teacher for the day who would you want it to be? Why?

If you had the chance to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?

Did anyone push your buttons today?

Who do you want to make friends with but haven’t yet? Why not?

What is your teacher’s most important rule?

What is the most popular thing to do at recess?

Does your teacher remind you of anyone else you know? How?

Tell me something you learned about a friend today.

If aliens came to school and beamed up 3 kids, who do you wish they would take? Why?

What is one thing you did today that was helpful?

When did you feel most proud of yourself today?

What rule was the hardest to follow today?

What is one thing you hope to learn before the school year is over?

Which person in your class is your exact opposite?

Which area of your school is the most fun?

Which playground skill do you plan to master this year?

Does anyone in your class have a hard time following the rules?

If any of these questions reveal your kid’s first crush, spark conversations about why most jerks are unhappy with themselves, or reveal that your kid thinks coconut oil slicked bald headed teachers have the most chance of surviving a zombie attack, consider clicking that very sweet heart button so others can find answers of their own. Thank you!

Originally published at parent.co on September 1, 2015.