“What did you do in School Today?” - for Parents with Preschoolers

The way that you connect with your children on a daily basis is so important for their social and cognitive development. What do you do when you ask your children a question about their day and they say nothing or cannot tell you anything new?

First and foremost, understand that very few preschoolers are able to answer such open-ended questions. Preschoolers are concrete thinkers, unable to verbalize past events unless there is something available (such as a picture or toy) to help them remember, or the activity or event was so fun/exciting/memorable to them that they prioritize it in their thoughts.

Here are a few “conversation starters” for helping your child:

1. Look around the classroom, hallways and/or in book bags for pictures, art activities or classwork. Then comment on what you see (e.g., “Look at all of these dots. You made the letter _____.”). Let your child fill in the answer. Don’t forget to use the information from your child’s classroom plans as a way to stimulate conversation about the day.
2. Be specific about an activity and give choices (e.g., “Did you have apple juice or water at snack?” or “It’s a sunny day today. Did you go outside? What was your favorite thing to do outside?”).
3. Ask “who” questions to stimulate naming a specific friend or teacher (e.g., “Who did you sit next to at Circle today?”).
4. Affirm all of your child’s answers and comments.

Don't shy away from asking your child about their day, but instead just change the way you ask! Good luck! 

-Nicole Reynolds, M.S. CCC-SLP

**If you have any concerns with your child’s speech, language, and/or feeding development, please contact Sidekick Therapy Partners at (865) 693-5622. We have a team of experienced speech-language pathologists that would love to meet with you and discuss options for your child. **