5 Questions Every Parent Should Ask Their Kids The First Week of School

The time has come to bid farewell to summer and get back into the swing of things with a brand new school year. A mix of emotions surrounding the start of the new year are sure to surface, and as a parent, checking in with your child is imperative. 

Here is a list of five questions parents should ask their kids during the first week to get a sense of how it’s going and any issues that might arise.

More: 3 Tips for a Stress-Free School Morning Routine

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What was the best part of your day?

Asking open-ended questions leaves room for your child to give details and share what happened during their day. Starting out by asking them what the best thing was gives them an opportunity to get into a positive mindset and reflect on the good.

If you could change one thing about your day what would it be?

Even on good days, there are things we don’t like. By encouraging conversation around this, you will start to learn if there are problem areas that bother your child each day. You can help them strategize how to make this better, or be the listening ear that lets them know you hear them.  

Who did you play with today?

It’s important to have an idea of who your child’s friends are. You want to know who they surround themselves with and whether they are socializing or feeling left out. It will also give you an idea of what kinds of games they like to play, how they like to interact and it shows them you are interested in their lives.

Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday.

Once the school day ends it’s so easy for children to forget what they did during the day. If you ask them what they learned they are bound to say “nothing”. By shifting the wording of this conversation you are giving them an opportunity to think of something specific that was new information, which will also help with recall and likely help their learning stick.

What did you do to make someone smile today?

When she speaks about raising a compassionate child, Charise Rohm Nulsen says “It isn’t always an easy job to learn about how your child’s day went when you see them after school. Questions like, “How was your day?” typically don’t get you very far. You can kill two birds with one stone when you focus on compassion and kindness.” Kindness is an amazing thing to foster in our youth these days. By finding and recognizing ways to help make someone smile means that they are intentionally spreading joy and kindness and brightening someone’s day.  Teach your children that a simple gesture and small smile can go a long way.

These five questions can help you spark conversation with your children as you learn how the start of their school year is going. Check in often and encourage dialogue so that you are tuned in to any issues that might arise. The car ride from school or to after school activities is the perfect opportunity to check in with your child and stay connected.

Having trouble getting your child to open and talk? Here are 50+ Questions Guaranteed to Get Them Talking.