LANKY NEWS

Do you ever feel like your child’s day at school is a total mystery? Do you have trouble getting your child to talk about their day? Many parents often find it challenging to get meaningful responses from their little ones about their day at school. The question “How was your day?” is a huge idea for small children. A different approach is to try engaging your child with more specific questions that encourage them to share their experiences. For instance, you might ask, “What was the most fun thing you did today?” or “Can you tell me about a new friend you made?” These questions not only spark their curiosity but also help them articulate their thoughts and feelings in a more vivid way. Focusing on their feelings can also help children remember their day, ‘’What made you feel happy today?’’, ‘’Did you feel sad today? Do you want to tell me about that?’’, etc. It can be helpful to pick 3 questions to ask consistently in the same way every day, so your child can become accustomed to this routine.

As with many things in Early Childhood, the children often learn how this works best by listening to their trusted adults model this style of communication. Tell your child about your day first, using the same questions you want to ask them. Encourage them to ask the questions so you can answer them. If you want them to tell you about something that made them happy today, first tell them about something that made you happy today! This helps them understand what you are asking of them and hear examples of answers they could also give. Another great way to help your child think this way about their day, is to remind them in the morning, ‘’After school, I want to ask you what made you happy today. So if something makes you feel really happy at school, try to remember it so you can tell me about it!’’. Finally, using photos that your classroom teacher uploads to Toddle can also help spark memories. When your classroom teacher shares student work and photos in Toddle, show them to your child and make factual statements about what you observe. Sometimes looking at photos and hearing someone describe the photo can help trigger memories your child wants to share with you. By creating a consistent routine with the same questions, modeling it for them, reminding them in the morning, and using photos, you can help your child share more with you about their day!