My mom shared a fantastic idea with me earlier this week. It came from a post on Instagram outlining questions parents should ask their kids instead of “How was school today?”. 

This was something I had already, although accidentally, instituted with Madison. After the first few days of school, I noticed she was having a difficult time remembering everything that happened in a day. Instead of bombarding her with endless clarifying questions, I decided to let her figure out what is important enough to share by asking thoughtful questions. 

I like the idea of asking more specific questions as it will help Madison to view the world somewhat differently and it challenges her to see the bigger picture. 

Here is a list of questions you can try asking your grade-schooler…

1. Did you make any new friends today?
2. Did you learn something useful?
3. How were you helpful today?
4. Was anyone helpful to you?
5. Who did you share with?
6. Did anything happen that made you feel happy or sad?
7. If you could change one thing about today, what would it be?
8. Did you read any good books?
9. What was your favorite subject?
10. What questions did you ask?
11. Did you follow the rules? (Note: Don’t be angry, ask why the rules were difficult to follow. Provide solutions to help them to overcome it.)
12. Did anything make you feel special?

What questions do you ask your children after school? Let us know in the comment section below!!!