Less questions, more comments.

Did you have a good day?
Yep.
What was the best bit?
Lunch.
Who did you play with?
Dunno. 

If you’re struggling with one word answers from your child, then it’s time to stop asking questions.

At the end of preschool, kindy, school, our kids are tired. They’ve had a full day with their game face on being little angels for their teachers. Non-stop play activities and learning. Possibly a lot of masking to fit in.

When they see you, you’re their safe place. That’s their time to decompress to chill. They need to switch off and they probably need some food. They do not need to be asked questions even though we’re desperate to find out about their day.

When you think they might be in a better space to tell you, the best strategy to use is to tell a story to get a story, instead of asking questions about their day, make comments about your day:

1. What you did in the morning.
2. Who you talk to.
3. What you ate for lunch

That way, you’re taking the pressure off them completely and you’re modelling some example sentence structures that they could  use when they’re ready.

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