Questions to ask a preschooler: 20 Questions to Ask Your Child

Опубликовано: February 25, 2023 в 9:06 am

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Категории: Miscellaneous

After School Questions to Ask Your Preschooler Every Day

After school questions to ask your preschooler every day.

Preschool is such a fun time for kids! So many new friends, games, and learning opportunities. 

It can be bittersweet for moms.  I know when Ben started I was so happy and excited for him, I knew he was going to love it.  But I was also sad because there were whole chunks of his day I was no longer a part of! 

The first few days of preschool I asked Ben a million questions on the drive home, but he was not exactly forthcoming with information.  In fact, he usually gave me nothing.  So I knew I had to get creative.

Fortunately for me, Ben’s preschool teachers would post an outline of their day outside the classroom every morning.  They also set up a Facebook group and posted pictures.  So I had a pretty good idea of what he did all day.  That doesn’t mean I didn’t want to hear what he thought about it all though. 

I found pretty quickly that the more questions I asked, the less information I got.   (Anyone else have that problem?)  So I boiled it down to three big questions.  These three questions helped me gauge how Ben was doing at school, and it helped me emphasize some of our values.

What’s In This Post?

  • 3 After School Questions to Ask Your Preschooler Every Day
    • 1. What was your favorite part of today?
    • 2. What was your least favorite part of today?
    • 3. What did you do that was kind today?
  • Open Up Conversation with your Preschooler
    • Related

3 After School Questions to Ask Your Preschooler Every Day

1. What was your favorite part of today?

I always ask what Ben’s favorite part of the day was first.  This is a fun question, and it is pretty telling about the day.  If something really made an impact, I heard about it right away. 

I love hearing him get excited about what they are working on in school.  It is also a telling question if he isn’t super talkative.   Sometimes his favorite part of the day is just playing.  Yes, this is a short answer that doesn’t really give a ton away.  I usually ask some follow-up questions to this one.  But the answer of playing is a good one too. 

At this stage, play is the most important thing.  Kids learn so much from just getting to be kids, so I like hearing that he had fun playing.

I like to use this question as a chance to remind us to look at the bright side of life.  Every day there is something good that happens.  I don’t want to set up unrealistic expectations for life, but I do want to teach my kids to look for the silver lining. 

Being able to recognize the good helps build a happy heart and an attitude of gratitude, which are essential to just generally not being a spoiled brat.

2. What was your least favorite part of today?

Yes, I want to know the downsides of the day too.  I don’t mean for this question to focus on the negative too much, but it is another good gauge of how the day went.   Ben is really good about admitting when he gets a timeout, so I usually already know about that. 

But this question is another opportunity for Ben to be honest with me about how his day went.  (He’s a good kid, but he is a preschooler.  Timeouts happen.)  Hearing what didn’t work during Ben’s day gives me a chance to work on any issues he is having.  We can discuss positive ways to resolve differences with friends, remember why we need to share, or just practice thinking about how other people feel.

Thinking of what we didn’t like as much is brings an important balance.  While theoretically, I want my children to be happy and have fun all the time, that just isn’t feasible in life.  We all have to do things we don’t like sometimes, and we all have to deal with things that just aren’t fun.  Remembering that we didn’t like something but made it through helps build emotional durability.

3. What did you do that was kind today?

Kindness is something we value highly, and I strongly feel the earlier we start teaching it the better.   Little ones can be so naturally kind, making it easy to encourage them to make good choices. 

So every day I ask Ben how he was kind that day.  Sometimes he needs some help with this one, but I know there was always something.  We talk about how we can help friends or help clean up.  Sharing is kind, so is taking turns.  Usually, when we talk I find many ways he was kind, and it gives me some extra insight into his days.

Kindness is a core value, and one I think needs to be talked about every day.  Whatever happens, if we have a good day or bad, we can find moments of kindness.  Even on days when we make bad choices, we can still make good ones too.  Nothing is a total loss and there is never a bad time to do something kind.

Open Up Conversation with your Preschooler

The goal of these 3 questions is, in part, information gathering.  I want to know what is going on in my child’s life!  These help me get my son talking about what he actually did at school.   (As opposed to getting distracted with all the other important things on his mind.) I learn what he liked and what he didn’t like.  I also get a good feel for how he is doing in general.

More than just getting information, these 3 questions help me reinforce important values and ideas. 

One is that everything we do in life isn’t always going to be fun.  We don’t have to like every moment of our day, but we still have to handle it. 

That being said, the second value is that regardless of what is going on, we can find something to be grateful for.  Maybe it is just a tiny sliver of positivity, but finding hope and looking for the good is important.  These two ideas help build emotional resiliency. 

And finally three, kindness counts.  It’s so simple, but it is important to talk about it often.  You rarely go wrong when you are kind.  3 little questions, 3 big lessons.

Here are more back to school posts to help out!

Chronicles of a Babywise Mom: How To Maintain a Sleep Schedule Amid School Disruptions

Christine Keys: 5 Thought Provoking Reasons to Boycott Preschool

Mama’s Organized Chaos: 7 Practical Benefits of Preschool for the Stay at Home Mom

The Journey of Parenthood: Reasons Why It Benefits Your Child To Ride the School Bus

Twin Mom and More: 5 Reasons to Choose a Play-Based Preschool

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5 Questions to Ask Your Kids Today

Let’s walk through a scene we parents know all too well.  

Your son walks in from school, backpack abandoned by the front door, past your wide-open arms, and into his room where, depending on age, he may: 

Play on the floor with his latest LEGO creation

Try for a three-pointer from the top bunk to the net across the room

Crank up some tunes and shut the door before plopping in bed

You stand in the hallway, offering a gentle but desperate, “How was your day?” His reply? A shrug and a mumble. 

We’ve all been there. And yet, as parents, we can’t give up. We long to live in connection with our kids. And our kids, regardless of the message they’re sending, long to live in connection with us too.

In an effort to strengthen our bonds, let’s take a look at five questions we can ask that might just break through the distracted exterior and help us to get to the heart of the matter: helping our kids to feel seen and loved exactly as they are. 

A quick note: Timing matters. It’s okay to give our kids a breather during transitional periods and to focus our energy on connecting when they’ve had a minute to relax alone and to adjust to the atmosphere of the moment.  

Five Questions You Can Ask to Better Connect with Your Kids

These questions are short and simple. But they don’t have to stay that way. You can use these as a springboard for further conversation and connection by asking follow-up questions and using what you learn to create opportunities for bonding later on. 

1. What are you most excited about right now?

This might just be the best (and easiest) jumping off point for connection. Ask the question and be prepared to listen—for a while. After all, kids are often bursting with excitement about one thing or another. To have an adult’s willing ear is a treat like no other. 

2. What do you and your friends laugh about these days?

We parents are no doubt cooler than our kids give us credit for. Still, you can take advantage of your access to youth—ahem, your children—to learn more about what’s funny to this generation. And then, look for ways to get more laughs in your home.   

3. What are you: going to be for Halloween / wanting for Christmas / planning for your birthday?

These special occasions give kids an opportunity to dream big. And they don’t even have to be right around the corner—kids can tell you their birthday dessert and activity of choice, the item they want most in the world, and who they’d love pretending to be with just a few minutes of consideration. Consider it a window into your child’s imagination. 

4. What’s making you mad lately?

We can tend to expect our kids to be happy-go-lucky creatures—what care do they have in this world? But if we think back to our own childhoods, we know there was plenty enough to be frustrated about. Imagine if you’d had an adult who gave credibility to your concerns and helped you work through your emotions and maybe even find a solution? You can be that adult for your kids. 

5. What’s something cool you heard or learned about recently?

Kids like to feel knowledgeable and—I’m learning from my own little dudes—sometimes know about things I can’t confirm without Googling (I’m looking at you Water Walkers). Give your child’s brain a chance to shine and look for ways to learn more about their interests together.

If it feels right, you might answer a few of these questions yourself occasionally—sharing one of your favorite Halloween costumes growing up, a cool fact you learned the other day, and maybe even something small that made you angry. 

And the next time your kid walks past you as he gets home from school, maybe this time you’ll offer him a snack and say, “Let’s chat soon, okay?

Topics:
Elementary (K-5th), Featured, High School (9th-12th), Middle School (6th-8th)

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Stephanie Thomas


Contributor

Stephanie writes about parenting, health and personal development. She loves to read—novels, memoirs, picture books and cookbooks. Sometimes she even puts those cookbooks to work in the kitchen. Stephanie lives in Nashville with her husband, Eric, and their two boys, Henry and Leo—the best outdoor-adventure crew she could imagine.

More by this author

7 questions to ask yourself if the child does not obey //Psychological newspaper

Often it seems to us that all our pedagogical efforts pass without a trace for our children. Then we roll our eyes and ask: “Well, how much can you repeat ?!”, well, because really – how much? However, most often the problem is not in the number of repetitions and volume of our voice, but in something completely different.

If your educational strategy has led you to a dead end, then you need to change something. But first, ask yourself seven important questions to analyze what might be wrong. nine0003

Do I have realistic expectations?

To begin with, engage in self-education: study the developmental norms of children of different ages (not only physical, but also intellectual and emotional) and compare them with your requirements. For example, tantrums and restlessness in two-year-olds are absolutely normal, just like protest moods in teenagers.

With relevant knowledge about child development, you can not only adjust your expectations, but also better understand your child’s needs. Set rules that are appropriate for your child’s age and don’t demand more from him than he is capable of. nine0003

How consistent are my disciplinary decisions?

Rules only work when they are predictable. If the consequences of “wrong” behavior occur two out of three times, your child has a good chance of breaking the rules and getting away with it, and he will figure it out pretty quickly.

It is also important to remember that in some cases it takes a long time to change a child’s behavior. If you sent your child to your room after a big scandal, don’t expect it to never happen again. Learning new skills takes time and patience. nine0003

Do I do anything to reinforce bad behavior?

Sometimes parents themselves unconsciously push their children towards the wrong decisions. For example, if your child intentionally missed the bus and you drove them to school, you show them that the reward for bad behavior is a free ride.

Children also perceive attention—even negative attention—as a reward. In order not to support bad behavior, sometimes it is better to just ignore it than to pay attention to it. This can lead to your child finding new, more productive ways to get your attention when he finds his methods to be ineffective. nine0003

Do I have ways to reward good behavior?

Many adults do not want to go to work without a paycheck, and many children do not see the point in changing their behavior without a clear understanding of what you can get for it.

Don’t limit yourself to the negative consequences of bad behavior, remember the importance of the positive consequences of good behavior too. For younger children, a table with stickers for each achievement is suitable, for older children – a reward system. Even teenagers need your recognition when they make the right decisions. Praise children more often, regardless of age. nine0003

Do I know how to teach my child new skills?

Some behavioral problems arise because children simply do not know how else to behave in a certain situation. For example, if your child fights when he’s in a bad mood, it’s not enough to just tell him to stop. Talk to him, explain why a fight is not a way to defuse, and, most importantly, suggest “legal” and harmless ways to defuse.

In some cases, you can try role-playing games to practice new behavioral skills. Do not forget to praise the child and rejoice when he independently makes a choice in favor of the correct behavior. nine0003

Is there anyone who contradicts me?

If there are adults around the child who set their own rules that contradict yours, you should intervene in this process. Talk to your partner, relatives, caregivers, or teachers and communicate your rules and values ​​to them. Conflicting signals coming from significant adults in a child’s life lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.

Instead of pulling the blanket over yourself, try to work out a common parenting strategy with other adults and make sure it works effectively together. If an agreement cannot be reached, then it may be necessary to limit the child’s communication with adults who purposefully undermine your authority in the eyes of the child. nine0003

How important are the changes I’m trying to make?

Sometimes parents get so hung up on trying to change their child’s behavior that they even forget why they started all this.

For example, if a child refuses to go to school, then this is a problem that needs to be addressed. If a child refuses to go to a circle or a sports section, then this can hardly be called a problem, it’s just his choice. Yes, perhaps you are convinced that this is very useful, but if for some reason he does not want to go there, then you should leave this right to him. nine0003

Often, when parents do something “in the best interests of the child,” they are not doing what the child wants. As a result, this leads to conflicts and disagreements, which in the long run do not make any sense.

If you are not sure whether to introduce new rules and be strict and persistent in some matter, then take a step back and assess the situation. If it’s about something that won’t harm your child in the future, then it’s probably worth giving in and allowing the child not to do what they don’t want to do. Instead, support the interests of the child and take part in what he chooses. nine0003

Source: chips-journal.ru

rules, sample and original questions –

Interview as a genre can be quite unpredictable. This is especially true for children, who are more spontaneous than adults. The interviewer is required to take into account the maximum number of factors, while not forgetting the vulnerability and inexperience of the child. Careful preparation is required, whether you are interviewing at a kindergarten graduation or at home.

Content:

  • 1 Interesting questions
  • 2 Methodology
  • 3 Example

Interesting questions

Often children can give out truly philosophical thoughts. They can lead to interesting (and even not so) questions. They should be asked only after you have talked to the child, and he begins to trust you.

  • — What will you be when you grow up? Why?
  • – What is your favorite character of fairy tales (cartoons)? Why? nine0064
  • – Who do you want to be like? Why?
  • — What is your favorite thing to do at home/kindergarten/school? Why?
  • — What has made you laugh/frightened lately? Why?
  • – What superpower would you like? Why?
  • – If you could (la) do whatever you want all day long, what would you do?
  • – If you could (la) conjure, what would you conjure (a)? Why?
  • — What should be done to make all people kind? Why? nine0064
  • — What qualities do you like most in people? Why?
  • – What (what) will you be when you grow up?
  • – What would you like (la) to change in the world?

“Why?” – a sacramental question that allows you to get a more detailed answer if the child does not tell himself.

It is worth noting that all these original questions are extremely general for the child, it is worth focusing on your goals and objectives, gently leading the child to topics of interest. nine0003

Methodology

The main rule of interviewing children is to try to win the child’s trust. To do this, you first need to just talk to him and only then ask questions of interest. First, you can play, draw with the children so that they get used to it and stop being embarrassed. In the shooting, you can also use toys, books, paints. The interaction of the child with the objects of his daily games looks lively and interesting. It is worth noting that the trust that has arisen cannot be abused and find out information that the child would not like or even dangerous to tell. nine0003

  1. Children should be listened to, carefully monitored their state of mind, not interrupted or interrupted so as not to cause psychological trauma. It is worth remembering that after the interview, the life of the child continues, the consequences of the conversation should not be allowed to be deplorable. This is especially true in crisis situations – conversations with victims of violence, disasters.
  2. If ​​the interview is not about a specific person, but about an event or phenomenon, you can interview a group of children. Together, children adapt faster and stop being shy. The group should consist of four to six people, in which case the journalist also acts as a moderator: he does not allow one of the children to speak for everyone, interrupt and interfere with speech. nine0064
  3. We should not forget about the legal subtleties: not only for interviews, but also for simple shooting, parents’ permission in writing is required. Each interviewer should have a sample of such permission at hand.

Example

  • Kindergarten Graduation Interview Example – Video
  • Example of an interview in a newspaper

The main thing in interviews with kids is naturalness. Children feel false and do not tolerate it. In order to take a good interview, you need to make it clear to the child that you are similar to him.