Parents need to ask the right questions about kids' day
NEW YORK (AP) -- To hear children tell it, they don't do much in their day.
Their day probably was "fine" or "not exciting." They did "stuff" at school and played with "things."
Parents are getting a lot of short, generic answers to their dinnertime questions, notes an article in the debut issue of Wondertime magazine, but maybe parents aren't making the right queries.
To get more than one-word responses, Wondertime suggests asking open-ended questions that reflect a real interest in your kids' day:
What made you laugh really hard?
How does the song go that you sang at circle time?
What did everyone else bring for show and tell?
What equipment did you use on the playground?
Who has the loosest tooth in the class?
How did you help your friends or teacher today?
The article also explains that it's easier for children to recall and retell specifics about their day if they can group events into specific subjects. First, ask about school, then about gymnastics or soccer practice.
Wondertime is a new magazine from Disney Publishing Worldwide, which also produces FamilyFun.