Tired of getting no response or a “fine,” response when you ask your child how their day was?
Here are some factors that may influence their lack of answers:
- Communication limitations (E.g., non-speaking, minimally-speaking, etc.)
- “How was your day?” is an open-ended question. This means that there are so many possible answers. These types of questions may be more challenging if your child has receptive language difficulties.
- You are trying to have this conversation while you are driving, they are in the back of the car and distracted (not an optimal conversational setting).
- At the end of the day, kids are often tired and may not really want to chat about their day.
Here are some strategies to make this topic of conversation more enjoyable for both parties:
- Check in with the teacher. I know this is easier said than done. However, some teachers implement a daily behavior report or use parent communication apps like Class Dojo. If they don’t try to ask about something your child did. This way you already know what your child did and are able to comment on this knowledge versus asking questions.
- You could try, “Wow I saw that you did a fun science experiment today. Tell me more about it!”
- “I heard that you and Sally played together today, can you show me what you played?”
- Visual supports: If your child is non- or minimally-speaking, they may benefit from a visual support. This could be a picture board with lots of pictures of different school-based activities. A visual support could also be an AAC device. Point to the activity you suspect they played with while saying something along the lines of, “Today you painted!”
- Nightly check in: Maybe right after school isn’t the time to recap the day. Maybe your child needs some quiet time. Maybe bath time, or right before bed may be a better time.
- Recap your own day: Model by example. Tell your child about what you ate for lunch, who you saw, etc. You can provide your comment about your day’s event, then ask them a question about their day.
- Keep in mind close ended questions: Open ended questions are “how was your day?” or “who did you play with?” These can be hard to answer! Instead, try close-ended questions. “Did you eat macaroni or pizza for lunch today?” “Did you play with Johnny or Susie today?”
If your child is already communicating what they’re doing a little bit, you could consider using phrases like:
“Tell me more.”
“Oh wow, that sounds fun!”
Have more questions about this topic? Don’t hesitate to reach out at the contact below.
Call or text: (209) 683-3427
Email: mackenzie@communicationblooms.org
Visit our website: communicationblooms.org
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