From Mrs Hopkins' office....

Picture it, you are in the car or around the dinner table. Maybe you are snuggled in bed after a bedtime story or maybe it's whilst you are waiting in the cold for soccer or dancing to start. As a busy parent, you snatch this moment to celebrate your child's day and if you are lucky....get a little insight into their day.

You: "So, how was your day???"

Them: "Good".

You: "Great!! What did you do?"

Them: "...Nothing".

You: ....

Them: .........

You: .....................

Does this sound familiar? Perhaps "Nothing" is replaced by a shrug or "I don't know" but either way very often our children find it really hard to sum up their day. The school day is 6.5 hours of constant movement, stimulation, questions, challenges, fun and play. By the end of all this it is hard for our children to choose one thing to focus on long enough to explain to you!

These conversations are incredibly powerful though, and continually strengthen the relationship between home and school by demonstrating that you value education and most importantly, your child's day. Don't shy away from these opportunities, steal them where you can. By varying the questions that you ask you can gain not only a good understanding of what they are learning, but also works as a 'check in' on their emotional wellbeing and social life as well. Try some of the following (not all at once! This isn't Hot Seat!) and see how you go!

What score out of 10 would you give your day? Why?

What was something you did today that you've never done before?

What or who made you smile today? How?

Did you make someone smile today? How did you do that?

Did you have a moment today where you thought "I can't!"? What happened next?

What mindfulness practise did your class do today?

Which Play is the Way concept did you demonstrate today? How?

What was challenging about Maths today?

What is your learning goal in Writing at the moment? How are you going?

Which reading strategy are you working on?

Where did you play in the yard today?

For bonus points - try taking turns and sharing your own answer to these questions too! Helping your child see that grown ups have ups and downs, smiles and frowns, challenges and celebrations ...(and yes even 'boring' moments or days!) is pretty powerful as well!

Happy Days Kalinda!

Lauren Hopkins

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.

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