50 ways to ask your child “how was your day?” (and receive a response)

When asking your child about his day at school or kinder, how many parents out there are left with a “fine,” “okay” or a simple nod, grunt or shrug of the shoulders?  Turns out, it could be because we are not asking the right question.

So here are 50 other questions to swap “How was your day?” with that are sure to engage some conversation with your child, whether attending pre-school, kindergarten, grade school or high school.

1. Who was your favourite friend today?
2. Who was the first person you talked to today? What about the last?
3. What was your favourite thing about school today? How about your least favourite?
4. Did anyone leave school early today?
5. What did you eat first for lunch?
6. What did you eat last for lunch today?
7. Who finished lunch first today?
8. Who did you sit beside at lunch today?
9. Who had the best lunch today? What was it?
10. What game did you play at lunch?
11. What was your favourite inside activity today?
12. Did anyone have a birthday today?
13. How would you rate your day, on a scale of one to ten?
14. Describe your day in three words.
15. If you could bring one item from home to school with you, what would you bring?
16. If you had to have one of your teachers over for dinner tonight, who would you choose?
17. What was your teacher wearing today?
18. Which superhero or Disney Princess would your teacher be?
19. Did anyone do show-and-tell today? What was it?
20. If you had to choose two students and two teachers to live on a deserted island with, who would you choose?
21. Who would be the best person in your class to go camping with?
22. Who made you laugh today?
23. What was the silliest thing you heard today?
24. Did anyone make you smile today?
25. Who made you angry or upset today?
26. Did anyone make you sad today?
27. Which area in your school is the most fun?
28. What new fact did you learn today?
29. What was the most boring thing about today?
30. Did you help anyone today?
31. Did anyone have to go to the office or need a time out today?
32. What book do you want to bring home from the library this week?
33. Did you play any new games on the iPad?
34. If you were the teacher, what would you teach?
35. What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?
36. If you had to only learn one subject tomorrow, what would you choose?
37. What would you like me to teach your class if I was your teacher tomorrow?
38. What sport did you do in PE today?
39. What book did you read at quiet time today?
40. Did anyone lose a tooth over the weekend?
41. Did anyone get a hair cut over the weekend?
42. What is something that one of your friends did this weekend that you would like to do?
43. What did you write about in your journal today?
44. Did anyone receive a gold star or award today?
45. How many times did the teacher say your name today?
46. Did anyone forget their hat today?
47. What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?
48. What subject was your favourite today?
49. Was anyone away from school today?
50. What word did your teacher say the most today?

Hopefully some of these questions will get a response from your little one. Give them a try and let us know which ones worked the best for you.

What other questions would you include on the list of ways to ask, “How was school today?” without actually asking?