September
brings the end of lazy days, relaxed routines, and spending countless hours
outdoors! September brings forth set schedules, appointments, and the constant
rush, rush, rush to fit everything into our kids waking hours.
It’s
Back to School season and here is a great article with some tips to help us to
get back into the season and keep the lines of communication open with your
child.
At the
end of a long day, you want to know what your child has been doing! Asking your
child “What did you do today” might be met with “Nothing” or “I don’t know”, no
matter the age of the child. It’s
important to keep communication open so your child feels comfortable talking
about all aspects of their day, whether they have been good or challenging.
Here are some tips to help extract aspects of your child’s day and keeping the
doors of communication open.
·
Ask questions that require more
than a yes or no answer:
Instead of asking, “Did you have a good
day?” try asking a question that requires more than a yes or a no like, “Who
did you play with today?” “What was your favorite activity today?”. Be prepared
to answer the same questions from your child too! After all, they wonder what
it is you do when they aren’t around!
·
Know your child’s schedule: Know what activities are
scheduled for what day. Which days are library days, music, art or gym. Knowing
their schedule makes it easy to ask direct questions, “What book did you choose
at the library?”, “Did you draw or paint in art today?”
When
possible, ask your child’s teacher what activities or topics they will be discussing
with their classroom. This gives you an opportunity to discuss what is going on
in the classroom with your child while in the car or at the table during
mealtime!
·
Use books as conversation
starters:
When reading books together, you can ask your child how they feel about
different situations in the books. One book you could use to start a
conversation is “First Day Jitters” by Julie Danneberg. You can ask your child how they feel about
their first day at school or first experience at an activity, and share how you
felt on your first day of school or starting a new job!
At the
end of the day, your children want to know you are there for them. Listening to stories about their day complete
with all its ups and downs is the first step in the keeping the door of
communication open. When they know you are listening to the little things they
will be comfortable coming to you with more important matters!
