It's been a while since I have written a blog post. I don't have a fantastic excuse like I had a baby or took an extended trip around the world. I've just been spending more time sharing tips and information via my social media platforms and less time here. Hopefully you have been following me, but if not please follow my facebook and instagram accounts for tips, educational information, inspiration, and more.
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And now here we are- at the beginning of a new month and welcoming fall. The 2019 school year is under way I wanted to hop on over and offer a few tips to help you improve communication with your child at home. A common concern shared by parents is that kids don't tell them about their school day. How often have you asked, "How was your day?" only to get back "Fine." or "Good." in response.
Kids are often brief when talking about school, but the trick is to change the way questions you ask. Children with speech and language delays have even more difficulty recalling and retelling about their school day and benefit from . Instead of asking, "How was school?" here are a few alternatives to make it easier for you and your child to discuss the school day:
Ask for a class list. This will help give context if/ when your child begins to name classmates. This is particularly helpful if he/ she has speech sound errors that affect his/ her ability to be understood. You can also use the list to ask detailed questions like, "Was John in school today?" "Did you eat lunch with Ann?" "Did you play with Rob at recess?"
Ask for a daily or weekly schedule. Your child's teacher may already provide you with a schedule, but if not ask for one. You can use the schedule to ask questions about the events of the day. For example, if Wednesday is PE day you can inquire about the sports that were played. Is Friday music day? Ask what songs were sung or maybe they played with instruments. Some teachers provide a daily note (especially in early education.) You can use the daily teacher report to guide your questions as well.
Ask "What made you smile today?" I learned this tip from a Mom's group and it is probably one of my favorites. When parents ask, "How was your day?" we are really trying to do an emotional check in. We all want to know that our children feel happy, safe, and successful while away from us. Hopefully your children will be able to list at least one thing that made them smile- even if it was snack time! But remember that little people have bad days too- so if you're child says nothing made him/ her smile, ask what made them sad or angry. The goal here is to communicate!
I hope these tips are helpful and I wish you and your children a successful year. Thanks for being here with me. Knowing that you are here is what made me smile today!