And on the 9th month, there was school. Now, that children all over North America have started school–or even if they are still in daycare or going to a preschool program–their parents can ask them, “What did you do in school today?” And, quite often, the answer will be, “Nothing.” As the teacher who has planned and prepared a song, story, activity in the gym. library, computer lab, a science experiment or craft project and kept everyone busy playing and working for a morning, afternoon, or whole day, I know how much we’ve done and it hasn’t been nothing!! Or, sometimes, one small incident at kindergarten is all a child seems able to share, despite the rest of the day being positive and productive. Children are very present-oriented and, by home-time, many of the things done at school are already far back in the past. Given that, how can parents and caregivers find out about a child’s day?
Asking specific questions is a good strategy. Here are some examples: What was the best thing that happened today? Was the story today a funny story or a serious one? Did you do something that you never tried before? What kinds of exercises did you do? Did you play with a friend? These target questions do just that–help your child hit a target stored in the memory. Questions give your child a framework and it’s much easier to build on the framework than to try and relive the whole day. (The teacher remembers because…it’s written down!) What did your child do at school, today?