Ways to talk to your children about their school day

Getting a sense of your child's life at school by asking questions that elicit more than a one-word response may seem to be almost impossible at times.

The trick is to ask about things that are specific, but still open-ended. Move beyond "fine" and "nothing" by asking your kids to describe his or her world. 

Try one of these conversation-starters:

1. What was the peak (best part) or pit (worst part) of your day?
2. What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
3. What did you learn about in English/Maths/Religion today?
4. Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
5. Tell me about what you read in class.
6. Who did you play with today? What did you play?
7. Do you think math [or any subject] is too easy or too hard?
8. What's the biggest difference between this year and last year?
9. What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they're fair?
10. Who did you sit with at lunch?
11. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?
12. What is something you would like to learn about next? 

It's also great to start the conversation with an anecdote from your own day. By opening the conversation up, you may gain a deeper insight into your child's world and their busy school lives.