Parents: All parents wish that they knew what is happening during their children’s day at school! However, without a camera in the classroom, they often have no idea what their kids did at school. Not all children are very chatty, so it is very important for parents to ask the right questions so they will know what their children are doing in school.

Here is our list of questions that will help you start a conversation with your children about their school day. They can be especially helpful if your children are tight-lipped. Good times to start these conversations are on a ride home from school, snack time after school, or at the dinner table. Be sure it is a time when you can fully focus on what the children are saying.

• How would you rate your day from one to ten?
• When did you have the most fun at school today?
• What was the best thing that happened at school today?
• Was there anything that bothered you at school day?
• Were you bored today? If so, when?
• What made you feel proud of yourself today?
• Can you tell me something interesting that you learned today?
• Did you do anything different today?
• Were there any moments today that you felt worried or scared?
• Were there any moments today that you felt proud of yourself?
• Is there anything that you would like for me to talk to your teacher about?
• Did you like your lunch?
• What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

First of all, you certainly don’t want to ask all these questions every day. Two or three should be sufficient. After a while, you will learn which questions give you the most information about your children’s school day.

One additional pointer for your conversation time is being sure to listen carefully to your children and not interrupt them. It is also a good idea to ask for more information from time to time or to have them explain an answer more. In addition, you might expand a conversation by asking how they felt about an experience.