Hello!

My daughter has started kindy at school this year and everyday I ask her what she did and what her favourite thing was about the day and every time I ask, I get “I can’t remember” as an answer. What do you do to get your kids talking about their days?


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  • I actually think this is quite normal, I get very similiar from my kids. I’ll ask them what they did and they didn’t do anything or didn’t play with anyone.
    With kinder they update on the app what they’ve done, so I can then directly say ‘DId you have fun playing in the sandpit with Jack today’ and my son will say ‘how did you know?’


  • Does you centre use Storypark to keep you updated (some kindy’s do and don’t), you can prompt using what you seen on story park to jog her memory or alternatively ask the educator at pick up if they are around what they got up to. Sometimes there is just so much going on littles can’t remember.


  • I usually ask only a few questions…what made you happy today? Anything make you sad? What was your favorite part of the day? Often they will them open up about the rest of there day.


  • Tell me 1 thing you leant today! Keep it short and simple, hopefully that 1 questions or a similiar question evolves to a bigger answer/conversation.


  • Maybe stop asking “how was your day” and ask direct questions like
    “What was your favourite thing that happened at school today”
    “Did you learn anything new today”
    “What was the funniest thing that happened today”
    “Who did you play with at recess/lunch what did you play”

    At the end of a school day it can be a bit blurry, but asking direct questions might be easier to answer


  • Some of my kids speak freely about their day others don’t and the others need time when they get home to process and then later on open up about their day.


  • Don’t use “closed” questions, where they can answer with a single word “How was your day? Did you have a good day?”. Ask things like “Tell me about the most interesting thing that happened today?” it gets them talking more and then keep asking more questions from what they tell you. And be focused on them, don’t ask while driving in the car etc.


  • I agree with asking open questions like what was the best part of the day, what new things did you learn and with which friends did you hang out with. Sometimes photos get uploaded via seesaw and I use that as well to start a conversation..
    My youngest has Down syndrome, a short working memory and speech delay. She can’t really answer questions about her day and in her case I start a conversation with her and her teacher aide at pick up time


  • I dont usually get an answer to that from my son whether it was daycare, kindy or now school. But asking close ended questions like did you play ball witb your friends today? How did you spend time with xyz today? Did your teach asked you to read today? This usually opens ul a conversation


  • Maybe try talking about it at a different time eg dinner time. I know myself after I’ve finished work I mentally need time to calm down and relax before my brain has a melt down.


  • My bubs is only in daycare and not talking yet but I always ask if he had a fun day – usually met with babbling and a huge grin, and then I tell him about my day (work sounds much better when explaining to a 1 yr old LOL), hoping that by the time he is at school this is a regular afternoon chat over some smoko or while making dinner.


  • Maybe try telling her about your day and then insert questions about hers, like did you make any new friends? What games did you play at lunch or recess? Tell her something you enjoyed about your day and ask her what she liked about hers. If you go into the classroom with her you could ask her about what she has been doing.


  • I found my children opened up with me when they wanted to. When they first got home from school all they wanted to do was go and play for a while. Try to have a round table discussion with all of them at the tea table.


  • I get this too. I either ask specific questions like who did you play with today or I ask her to tell me about what the best part of her day was (doesn’t have to be at school) I usually find she tells me in her own time quiet randomly and usually at bed time when I’m trying to get her to stop talking haha


  • Ask opened end questions.
    What was your favourite part of the day? Who did you play with? What did you do first? Was anyone away today? Who did you sit next to for lunch?


  • Yeah kids are like that. My son also says that I don’t remember. But always make some questions up related to things you have seen in their class. For example did you play in toy kitchen area or made tea to someone, who was that girl you are playing with, who did you lunch with, what did other kids bring in their lunch, what did you draw/colour, I like jungle area or playdough or storytelling in your kinder what about you, if I come to your kinder where would you play with me or would you make me tea or would you introduce me to your friends etc. These are just ideas to start conversation with kids and behave as a kids when you are talking to them, laugh with them on silly things and you will see they will open up gradually. This is their learning stage so it will take little time but results will be assured.


  • When my kids first get home from school they like to wind down before talking about their day. If they bring something up, I encourage that line of conversation. Sometimes they just need a little space.


  • Make the questions more specific like “who did you play with today?” “Did you do some counting today?” Etc…


  • My son does this to me as well… he’s just started Kindy too. I’ve just started doing this thing where he has to tell me a story about his day before he goes to bed. That’s the only way I get anything out of him. I lay down on his bed and tell him to tell me a story about his day. I ask him if he can tell me what was the funnest part of the day… I really don’t have anything else. He will probably get over it soon enough but it’s working for me at the moment.
    Good luck!! I know how you feel though :-)


  • I have a very quiet daughter who doesn’t like to talk much either I used to ask her questions that were easy to answer but we’re not Yes or No questions so she had to answer something. ‘What was your favourite thing that happened today?’, ‘What did you play at recess?’, ‘tell me one thing you learned today?’ Stuff like that, our daughter just turned 18 on Friday she’s still an introvert but she talks to me about things she does even if it’s just one detail. Good luck mum x


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