“How was your day?” – is one of the most asked questions parents tell their children after a long day at school. Some children would answer and explain the details of their day, while most would just reply with a single word or sentence. With all the stress the students experience on a regular basis, they may be too tired to answer your query.
As a parent, it is definitely concerning to see your children not interested in sharing the details of their day. It is a good thing that some of the best international schools in the Philippines help parents by offering proper guidance to students who are experiencing stress in their day-to-day schedule.
One effective way parents can help their sons and daughters is by giving them a more varied set of questions that may encourage them to share how their day went. Here are some queries parents may use to ask their children instead:
1. “What did you eat for lunch?” or “How was your lunch?”
One question you can start off with is asking your children how their meal was during the day. This could be an effective way of inquiring about your children’s day, especially since they will be encouraged to share one simple detail about their break. As a result, they will be able to explain and describe their experience with their food, their friends, and the events that happened over the course of their lunch period.
2. “What was the funniest thing that happened today?”
Your children can point out something that made them laugh earlier in the day. It can give them an opportunity to recall a funny joke or event, and that, in turn, can encourage them to share more about their day animatedly.
3. “Did you learn something new today?”
This question will definitely make your children share the various things they learned during class. For example, they could share their favorite story from their English class or they could demonstrate a new way to solve a math equation. This could help you know more about the lessons that your children are learning in school.
4. “What tasks challenged you today?”
Asking your children questions like, “was there a problem you couldn’t solve?” or “was there a quiz that you struggled in?” Will help you to be knowledgeable about your children’s academics, which in turn, can be a good opportunity to help them with their dilemmas at school.
5. “Can you tell me something good that happened today?”
This is another good alternative question since your children can instantly point out their most positive experience at school. For instance, you can ask them about their Math quiz or about their playtime with their classmates during lunch period. These queries could aid you to identify whether your children had a positive day at school.
6. “What part of school was the most fun?”
School is indeed your children’s second home, thus, asking them what their favorite part of school is will help you determine what are the interests of your children. Did your children enjoy their PE class? Or did they enjoy using the science lab for their experiments? Being knowledgeable about these factors will ultimately help you hone your children’s hobbies or skills into something they can excel at.
7. “What was the best or worst thing that happened at school today?”
Instead of asking a vague question like “how was your day?”, you can be more direct and inquire about the best and the worst thing that your children experienced at school. Did your children receive awards? Was there something bothering them during class? You could instantly know how their day went and how to act upon it if you ask them this question.
8. “When were you bored today?”
This question is also similar to “what tasks challenged you today?” since both of them are seeking solutions on how your children can be more interested in school. However, the inquiry “when were you bored today?” can specifically tackle what topics your children are not interested in, as well as how to address them properly.
9. “Did you help someone today?”
One of the most memorable things that your children can experience in their day is being able to help someone at school. By asking them this question, you are encouraging them to feel proud of their good deed as well as uplift their desire to help more people.
Key Takeaway
Students sometimes find it difficult to share about their daily experiences in school. But asking them these alternative questions can aid your children feel less pressured when it comes to talking about their day.
