Ask Your Kids After School “How was school today?” “Good.” “What did you do?” “Ummm… I don’t remember.” If that conversation is sounding a little too familiar, then you are going to love today’s post. We teamed up with our talented Diva Designer, Crystal from A Well Feathered Nest to bring you a fun and easy way to open up the communication with your kids! Introducing our… Printable After School Question Cards
I’ll be honest, I was a nervous wreck sending my little girl to Kindergarten this year. I thought it would be easier since she’s my second, but it really wasn’t. Worrying just seems to come with this whole mom gig. Before she left for school, she was with me 24/7. I always knew what she was doing, who she was playing with, and how she was feeling. And then suddenly, she was gone all day and I felt a little disconnected and in the dark. I’m sure most moms can relate to all the worries running through my mind. Was she making friends and fitting in? Did she have a good teacher? Was she understanding what she was being taught? Did she feel loved? Was she happy? I think we all know that communication with your children is so important! But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes getting information out of them can be like pulling teeth. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. All it takes is a little intentional effort and a couple minutes of your time. Start a New After School Tradition My girls and I started our own little after school tradition this year – the “After School Questions Jar.” And I have seriously loved how it’s opened up the communication. It’s super easy too! Just take a look at the pretty pictures Diva Chrissy (the talented photographer behind Christine Naomi Photography) took to show… How It Works: After school, each of my girls takes a turn picking three questions out of our “After School Questions Jar” to answer.
Instead of the general “What did you do today?” our jar is full of specific questions. For example… What did you do to help someone today? Who is someone at school who needs a friend? Who did you play with at recess today? Who did you eat lunch with today? Tell me something that made you laugh today. When were you happiest today? When were you frustrated today? When were you bored today?
Now, not every question leads to a long conversation. Sometimes they just give a simple one sentence answer. And that’s okay! However, sometimes it leads to them sharing a worry or concern that we can talk about or even a happy success that we can celebrate together. There are often little teaching moments in our after-school time together that I wouldn’t have found if I wasn’t asking questions and listening.
My girls think it’s just a fun game we play, but for me it’s a lot more than that. It’s all about creating a close relationship where they know they can ask and tell me anything. I figure if I start now, they’ll be a lot more likely to keep talking to me later. One of my very favorite quotes is…
It’s so true! The little things in life really are the big things! Luckily, little efforts and changes can bring big results and rewards. See for yourself… Make your own “After School Questions Jar!” All you have to do is download, print, cut out the FREE printables, and toss it all in an adorable jar like this! We’ve included the jar labels and 25 questions cards already done for you. {Because we love you!}
We’ve even included some blank cards for you to write your own questions, too.
Pssstt… before you download these fun printables – make sure to stop by A Well Feathered Nest and see the other darling designs Crystal has for you! For even MORE great questions for after school, check out the FAMILY CONVERSATION CARDS! Chatting with your kids about their fears, hopes, dreams, ideas, & memories is the best way to get into that little head of theirs, and get closer to them! We’ve created 300 conversation topics of fun family questions & prompts to get you talking together.
