Questions parents can ask their child to talk about school.

“How are you at school?”, “What did you learn today?” etc. are the most common questions parents ask when their child comes home from school. Surely you yourself consider this phrase not engaging enough. But time after time you say it.

Perhaps you ask your child in a slightly different way: “What did you learn at school today?”. But even this phrase is not much better. And that’s why.

First, such phrases show your detachment. You simply do not know what the child learns at school. You leave the whole process of teaching the child to the discretion of the school (after all, this is what the school exists for, right?).

If so, you have a very vague idea of ​​how your child understands the world around him. And you can talk about it with the child only in general terms, based on what he knows from school.

Secondly, such general questions do not give the child the opportunity to talk about his feelings – about what impressed him or touched him. You can find out about this only in rare cases – when the child himself wants to share it.

The question itself is also important. The child does not yet realize how his learning goes – what he learns and how important it is. And if you ask him: “What did you learn at school today?”, he will answer you anything, as long as you do not think that he did not learn anything new.

So what should parents do? Do not focus on learning outcomes – ask the child about his impressions, efforts and feelings. Let’s look at some alternative questions you can ask your child when they return from school.

Questions to ask your child instead of “What did you learn at school today?”

1. What was the most interesting for you today?

2. Was there a moment today when you felt confused? What did you do in this situation?

3. What surprised you the most today?

4. If you were more collected (active, attentive) today, what would be different today?

5. When did you show your creativity the most today?

6. Tell me one funny, one useful and one unusual fact that you learned today.

7. What does it mean to you that a day at school went well? How do you feel about it?

8. Why do your friends go to school? What are they interested in?

9. Who worked more and better at the lesson today – the teacher or the students?

10. How else could you learn what the teacher was telling you in class today?

11. How does the teacher show concern in the classroom?

12. What new did you learn today and from where?

13. What would you like to know more about?

14. What is the most important thing for you that you have learned today? What don’t you consider important?

15. Was there a moment today when you decided on something? How did it end?

16. What did you learn from books today?

17. What did you learn from your friends today?

18. What did you learn from the teacher today?

19. What is still unclear to you?

20. What do you remember most of what you heard today?

21. What do you think you will study tomorrow in mathematics (history, geography)?

22. How do you think you can apply what you learned today in your life?

23. What hinders you the most in your studies?

24. What discovery did you make for yourself today?

25. Why do you think it is necessary to learn what you learned today?