Questions to ask your child after a school day

Knowing how your kids fared in school is pivotal to understanding them and your parenting journey.

Parents are used to asking the very obvious and general question, ‘How was School today?’ this does not help your child express him/herself in a manner that better explains how the school day went.

According to Abiodun Alabi, a maternal/child well-being advocate and founder of Motherhood NG Initiative, children are often tired coming back from school, and closed questions will certainly put them off to not share the information about their day with you.

“To learn more about your children’s day in school, you have to be intentional and switch up the questions you ask and often avoid asking questions that the response could be  ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Ask a question like: ‘Tell me about something you like that happened today, this will encourage your child to answer in fuller sentences and get talking.

There are 24 questions below that helps you understand how your child’s day at school was, however, while you try out these questions, do not put too much pressure on them if they don’t want to answer. Try asking again later in the day, perhaps at dinner or before bed. 

These questions are specific, conversational and are better positioned to get your children talking. I believe this will be insightful and informative articles for every Nigerian parent, mothers especially.

Who did you play with today?
Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday?
Did you like your lunch?
Rate your day on a scale from 1-10.
Did anyone get in trouble today?
How were you brave today?
What questions did you ask at school today?
What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
What are you reading?
What was the hardest rule to follow today?
Teach me something I don’t know.
If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be?
What was the best thing that happened today?
What made you smile today?
Who did you sit with at lunch?
Was anyone in your class absent today?
What did you do differently today?
If you could switch seats with anyone in your class, who would it be? And why?
Did you help anyone today?
Did anyone get in trouble today?
What made you laugh?
Did you ever feel unsafe?
Did you tell anyone ‘thank you?’
What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Alabi noted that the benefits of having the knowledge about your children’s day are enormous as these conversational questions will help you to identify safety issue, types of friends they have, difficult subject, identify situation that can scare them, know how they relate with classmates, favourite subjects and much more.

She added, “It would enhance the way you bond with your child and your desire to be your child friend will be fulfilled. Try a few of these questions each day and watch your child express themselves the way you will be proud of.”