How To Get Kids To Talk About Their School Day

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of popchips.

One of my favorite times of the day is when my son gets home from school and we can talk about his day.  After being gone all day, I love sitting down with a snack after school and having him tell me all the details about his school day. Since he’s always hungry after school and needs a little decompress time, taking a few moments to sit down, eat a healthy snack and reconnect has become a bit of a tradition. I’ve found over time some really great conversation starters that have been super helpful in encouraging my kiddos to talk more openly about their school day.

Some days, he’s more talkative than others and some days he needs a bit of encouragement to get the conversation going, especially if there is something that may be bothering him or making him upset. I’m sure we’ve all been there when you’ve asked your child, “How was school?” and they respond with a one word answer: “Good”. While I don’t want to be overly prying, I do what to have more of an insight into their day. I’ve found some prompts and questions that have been helpful in opening up the conversation and dialogue with more than just “yes” and “no” answers. Sometimes the way you ask a question can be a huge factor in how comfortable your children can be in opening up to you.

Real ingredients: dried potato, sunflower and/or safflower oil, rice flour, potato starch, sea salt, salt.

Most days, he’ll get home and change into something comfy, settle in on the couch and grab some snacks for us. Usually we munch on popchips for a healthier and lighter snack option. popchips are gluten free, under 130 calories a bag and the best part – – they’re popped instead of fried! Basically, are a healthier potato chip that is packed with flavor and half the fat (and made with real ingredients…no unpronounceable or questionable ingredients)!

They have lots of yummy flavors too (I buy the 6 bag variety pack) to make it a guilt-free simple snack or lunch box treat for the whole family. I find that they are a great kids snack to tide over my littles after school-hunger so I don’t have to worry about ruining his appetite for dinner. I’m all about the smoky barbecue (and yay, for no orange stained fingers afterwards)  and my kids love sea salt (especially for dipping). You can search here to see where you can buy them!

Below are a few tips, conversations starters and thought ideas to help encourage your kiddos to be more open and talkative about their days.

How To Get Kids To Talk About Their School Day

Ask Open Ended Questions

Whenever possible, I try to avoid yes/no questions. By asking more open-ended questions, you can often get a bigger-picture look into their days. A few example questions:

What was the funniest thing that happened today?
Who did you sit with at lunch/bus?
What was your favorite activity that you did at school? 
Would you rather spend more time reading or drawing?
Did you help anyone today?
Was anyone kind or helpful to you?
Did anything make your teacher happy or mad today?
What was the favorite activity that you did today?
Who do you talk to the most at school?
What was the best thing that happened today?
What are you excited to do at school tomorrow?

What did you do during recess? Who did you play with?
If you could only study one class what would it be?
What is something new that you learned today?

Choose One or Would You Rather?

When chatting with your kiddos, asking them to choose one choice out of a few choices can easily open up the conversation. A few examples:

Would you rather go math or science class?
Which class do you prefer: music or art?
If you could change one thing about school what would it be?

Share Something About Yourself

I’ve found that sharing about things I did as a child has been such a great way to foster communication. Not only do our kids love to hear about our experiences as children, but it can also make it easier for them to relate and open up to you. I love to tell my son about the games we played in school when I was younger, what my favorite subjects were, field trips we went on, etc.

Do Your Research

Stay updated with school events and themes of what your kiddos are learning in school. When you’re aware of their daily schedule, events and what your kids are studying in school, it makes it easier to ask the appropriate questions and connect.


Are your kids chatterboxes when they get home or do you have to encourage them to talk about their day?

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By |2019-09-11T09:48:43-04:00August 26th, 2019|family|6 Comments

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6 Comments

  1. Emily Fata August 26, 2019 at 10:48 am - Reply

    These are such great prompts to get your little one to talk about their day! It’s important to keep the bond with your children both before and after their school day.

  2. Heather August 26, 2019 at 11:48 am - Reply

    I actually have no problem getting mine to talk. That’s all they want to do when they get home lol.

  3. Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome August 26, 2019 at 5:07 pm - Reply

    That sounds like the perfect snack to share with kids

  4. Shayla Marie August 27, 2019 at 11:05 am - Reply

    Us homeschoolers have the same problem when we try to get the kids to tell daddy about their school day. I think these look like they would work for us too!

  5. Marissa August 28, 2019 at 3:09 am - Reply

    These are some really great questions! I am going to bookmark this post.

  6. Ashley August 28, 2019 at 2:17 pm - Reply

    These are great tips! I have three step-daughters in school right now that have a hard time with this. Thanks!

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