You settle in at the dinner table and as everyone digs in, you ask, “How was school today?” It’s a great question, but sometimes it can feel a little generic, so you might get a generic answer — “It was good.” An answer like this isn’t very informative, and you may want to know more, like what your child is learning, how they’re getting along with classmates, or what they think of their teacher. Switching up the question can help you get there.
Even if your kid is an open book, tackling the question from a new angle can shake things up and help you explore new topics, especially if you want to know if they’re struggling socially or academically. Let’s explore how to ask your kid about school and pave the way for these valuable conversations.
The Importance of Communicating With Your Child
It can be challenging to get kids to open up, but it’s necessary for your relationship and their overall development. You can help them feel safer and more comfortable by letting them know they can share the day’s highs and lows with you. This open and honest communication strengthens your bond and helps you learn more about their thoughts and feelings. A child who feels heard in their family life will likely be thrilled to tell you everything that happened in their day at school.
A key part of good communication is active listening. In active listening, you give your child your full attention. You might stop what you’re doing and get down on their level. You’ll want to hold eye contact and make sure they know you’re listening by reflecting on what they say or repeating it back to them. Be sure to listen and respond sensitively regardless of what they’re telling you. If you brush off their bad days, they might not feel comfortable telling you about the next time they’re struggling.
Good communication can also help with student success through emotional literacy and communication skills. Kids learn to identify, verbalize, and express their feelings as they practice talking about them, which can help them better understand emotions and resolve conflicts. Younger children can also gain valuable verbal skills from these everyday discussions as they use more language and gain experience with conversation.
25 Ways to Ask Your Child “How Was School Today?”
Open-ended questions are great for letting your child take the lead, and many of these questions can jump-start more in-depth conversations, potentially bringing issues like bullying or academic difficulties to light. For example, you might ask a student about who they want to work on a project with and discover they’ve been fighting with a friend — a great opportunity for you to step in and offer support.
Of course, some questions are just plain interesting or fun. You can ask about your child’s day at school to explore their dynamics with their classmates and teacher and see how prepared they feel for their coursework. Fortunately, you have plenty of opportunities to cover different topics.
Below are 25 questions to ask kids about school:
- What was the best — or worst — part of your day?
- What was the coolest thing you learned about today?
- Did anything confuse you during class?
- Did somebody help you today? How?
- Did you help somebody else? How?
- What’s something that challenged you today?
- Who’s your favorite person to work on group projects with?
- If I called your teacher right now, what would they have to say about you?
- Who do you think is the funniest person in your class? Why?
- How were you creative today?
- If you got to teach the class tomorrow, what would you do?
- What is your favorite class and why?
- What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
- What did you do that you were proud of today?
- Do you feel ready for your test, project, quiz, etc.?
- What’s a topic you’re excited to learn about?
- What made your teacher smile and frown today?
- Did you say “thank you” today? Why?
- What is something that happened that surprised you?
- How would you rate the day on a scale from 1-10?
- Did anyone get in trouble today?
- Did you learn any new words today?
- What is your class reading right now?
- Did anyone do something silly that made you laugh?
- How did someone show kindness or unkindness today?
How We Support Students at CCA
Parents often ask these questions to show their children they care. At Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), we make sure children have the support they need to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. We have a wide range of resources in place, from socialization opportunities and peer support to family mentors and career-readiness programs.
Some of our go-to sources for student support are our school counselors, who are there to help when kids need extra time and attention. They’ll work one-on-one with children to talk through problems and build up student success skills, both academically and otherwise. We reinforce the communication that happens at home, helping kids feel heard and providing spaces for them to express themselves and learn to communicate effectively.
CCA’s student support is baked into the school, with attentive and caring teachers, an array of resources for families, and well-rounded coursework that teaches important life skills from the start.
Some common questions about the CCA experience include:
- How does CCA support my child’s social involvement? CCA may be an online school, but families find plenty of socialization opportunities. Between the 700+ field trips we offer, extracurricular activities, clubs, workshops, and other activities, students can pack their day at school with social activities to have fun while building communication skills.
- What kinds of lessons do students typically struggle with? The answer to this question will vary widely between students. Everyone has certain classes and topics they understand better, but CCA emphasizes a personalized learning approach. Our understanding staff will work with struggling students to overcome challenges and create the ideal learning environment for success.
- What are the major benefits of cyber schools over brick-and-mortar schools? Some of the main advantages of cyber school include flexibility and personalization. Each student is unique, and traditional schools rarely celebrate and accommodate their individual needs, goals, and personalities. Cyber school offers versatile learning environments that fit student needs, which is useful for families who travel a lot or deal with medical issues. Kids also experience student-centered learning, allowing them to make their own choices about their education and pursue topics that interest them.
Learn More About Us Today
CCA is proud to be a partner in supporting your young learner, building on the communication skills you teach at home, and setting them up for success. Reach out to us today to learn more about CCA’s programs and services for cyber students.
