Questions to ask at the end of a school day...
Positive School Pick Up Tips!
Do you ever feel as though you’ve picked up a totally different child from school when you greet them at the school gate at the end of the day? They bound in full of energy that morning looking rrelatively smart and then you pick them up a messy looking, slightly feral child who is monosyllabic at best (& that monosyllable is usually food related)!
If that’s the same for you then we have put together some of our top tips to help you have positive pick-ups and find out more information about what they got to up to that day!
- Be on time! Set an alarm to remind you that it’s time to leave. The day can fly by so easily that it can be easy to get lost in work or the free time you may now have.
- Be present when they come out of class. Make eye contact and greet them with a big smile.
- Bring snacks! Or be prepared to face the wrath of a hungry child!
- As hard as it can be, try & hold fire on asking them about their day at school. Many children need time to decompress & process their day themselves before the parental inquisition commences!
- Instead try telling them about your day e.g. what you had for lunch, what you did, who you saw etc. as this helps to model the conversation & they might chip in and tell you about their day.
- Once they’ve had a snack and relaxed at home for a bit, avoid asking them closed questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no, e.g. Did you have a good day?
Instead get creative and try things like:
Tell me about something that you made you smile today.
What made you go WOW today?
What did [insert best friend’s name] do today? Talking about someone else takes the pressure off children and can therefore seem easier for them to answer on behalf of someone else.
What do you think your teacher enjoyed doing most today?
- Let them choose from a variety of ways to unwind at the end of the day e.g. playing outside, sharing a book, dancing, baking, yoga, blowing bubbles or simply crashing on the sofa in front of the TV.
- If they haven’t shared their day with you yet, do not fret- they will definitely choose to tell you everything in extreme detail as soon as you tell them it’s bedtime!
