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6 Questions to Ask Your Kids When They Come Home From School (Printable)

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This post is sponsored by CVS Pharmacy #FindYourHealthy. Thanks for supporting our site partners!

“How was school today?”

“Fine.”

“Did you do anything exciting?”

“No, not really.”

Does this conversation sound familiar to you? If so, you’re not alone! Most kids will answer with one word when asked how school was: good, fine, and if they maybe want to talk about it, they’ll say it was “terrible” or “great” which will probe you to ask for details.

Want to start a real conversation? Ask open-ended questions that can’t really be answered with a yes or a no, or one word. When you give them the option to just say “yes” or “no”, they’ll usually take it. Especially as kids get older, we have to get creative! Here are 6 questions to ask your kids when they come home from school with a printable worksheet you can download. Hello creativity! While you’re at it, grab a snack! After-all, you’ll probably get better answers from a kid well-fed.

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6 Questions to Ask Your Kids When they Come Home From School

Tell me something good that happened today. Okay, so this one isn’t an actual question so we won’t count it but it’s a great way to start an open conversation without the kids feeling like you’re “drilling” them. An alternative would be “What was the best part of your day?”.

What’d you learn in (favorite subject) today? What’s your child’s favorite subject? Asking them to talk about it will get them to open up – hopefully – because it is fun for them! They want to tell you what they learned, what they will be learning, how awesome their teacher is, and more.

What’d you have for lunch? I like to ask this just to make sure Jayden’s eating on days we don’t pack his lunch. Most of the time he forgets what he had! If you have little ones, ask about snack time, too.

What games did you play at recess? I don’t know about your kids but Jayden’s always excited about basketball and the swings.

What’s the weirdest thing someone said today? Best way to get the giggles flowing? Ask about anything weird that happened at school today! Maybe they’re the ones that did something weird. 😉

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Which rule was the hardest to follow today? Man oh man, rules are difficult to follow sometimes! This is a great question to ask about their behavior without them feeling like they’re seconds away from losing Kindle privileges.

What was the toughest part of your day today? How will tomorrow be better? Sometimes even if it was a good day, there were things that happened at school that your kids will want to vent about. Letting them vent in a safe space at home rather than bottling it up and lashing out at school can help prevent problems down the road.

Asking your kids questions when they get home from school is important, and not just for the reasons you might think. Yes, it’s important from a bonding and interaction standpoint but it’s also important to detect things that could be going on. A lot of the time if a child is being bullied or struggling in school they won’t come right out to their parents and say so. Getting a conversation going rather than asking if they’re struggling will get you better results.

And what better way to start an after-school dialogue over snacks? I grabbed these snacks from CVS; some veggie chips, kettle corn, Greek yogurt covered raisins, more of the fruit snack bars from Gold Emblem abound™, and Annie’s cookie bites. You all know Jayden is serious about his snacks, so he’s excited about his new stash.

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CVS Pharmacy is doing a great job at putting healthy, food options front and center! Be sure to check out your local CVS for a wide assortment of healthy foods including their Gold Emblem abound™ line, Annie’s, Sensible Portions, Maranatha Almond Butter, and Honest Tea to name a few. Also look out for an expanded refrigerated section of better-for-you foods and more prominent displays of healthy foods (including the checkout space)  to make healthy snacking a breeze anytime.

I hope these questions and snack picks help you start an after-school dialogue with your kiddos. What do you ask your children when they come home from school? What snacks do they enjoy after school?

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6 Questions to Ask Your Kids When They Come Home From School (Printable)

Jennifer

Thursday 3rd of November 2016

I have always asked my children about her school, but I have failed, I do not share many of her school. I'll try.

ROsey

Wednesday 19th of October 2016

My son likes recess, so questions about that always go over good. Love the treats! The kids are always hungry after school.

Andrea

Monday 17th of October 2016

Great ideas! I will plan on asking my 1st grader these questions after school tomorrow :)

Brittany Meredith

Monday 17th of October 2016

I do wonder if my kids will have problems opening up. I was always very quiet and reserved as a child and refused to talk even with open-ended questions. This is such a great idea though, it gets things started!

Jaymes Graham

Monday 17th of October 2016

Oh goodness, I don't have kids yet but I know that you have more patience than I do. It takes so much attention to raise a child the right way and I just don't have the patience for that yet.

Sheena Tatum

Monday 17th of October 2016

Patience does come with time, lol! You learn as you go!

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