By Jillian Johnson
Hot Momma’s advice: Ask your children specific questions after giving them time to lime, and don’t forget to share your day too!
It’s 2.30 in the afternoon, and your child has just walked home from school, opened the gate and practically blasted through the door. He threw his bag on the floor (which you have to tell him to pick up and put away for the millionth time) and kicked off his shoes. Last week, Hot Momma’s advice was to ask your child what s/he learned at school that day. So you ask:
Parent: How was your day?
Child: Fine.
Parent: What did you do in school today?
Child: Nothing.
Ah! One word answers! Now what? How can we get our children to actually think about their day and talk to us?
I thought back to some of the things my hot momma did when I got home to get me talking; obviously they worked because I haven’t stopped talking since!! (That’s a different story, though.)
Ask specific questions.
Asking questions that only require a one-word answer will often times produce one-word answers. You can encourage your child to give something more by asking “situation-specific” questions, such as:
What did you learn in Mathematics?
Who did you play with?
Tell me the best part of the story the teacher read today.
Give them time to ‘lime’.
Think about how you feel when you get home from work. Just like you, children need time to ‘lime’ after a long day at school. Try not to jump in with questions about school the moment your children walk in the door. Give your child time to unwind; to have a snack. You might even want to wait until you are all done eating dinner, that just might be the amount of transition time they need.
Exercise your children’s conversation skills
If you’re not getting the answers you’re looking for from your children, it could be that their conversational skills need a little work. Helping children practice the art of conversation will serve them well in making and keeping relationships. Show them that a good conversation begins with eye contact, appropriate body language, and a warm greeting. Listening is key!
Share some of your day
By sharing how your day went, you’re modelling for your children the kind of information that you’d like to hear from them: “This is what I did today that I felt really good about. …”
“This is what I did today that was a little bit hard, but I did it anyway. …” These statements naturally lead to questions that you can ask your children: “What was one thing that you did today that was hard (or fun) for you?”
Taking time to sit with your child and share your stories of the day is a great way to open up communication. Having these conversations is the beginning to a strong, healthy and encouraging relationship!
Lime, talk and learn with your child today!
Please send specific or general questions about your child’s education or way to teach them to: classroomguyana@gmail.com
