Children ask questions—lots of questions. But you can turn the tables! Here are 50 fun suggestions to get a conversation started.
Kids ask a lot of questions. Sometimes the questions repeat themselves. Most of the time we've answered them over and over. And let's be honest, we've been known to ignore one or two here and there or do an internal eye-roll over the constant barrage of why's and how's. To be fair, studies have shown that young children ask over 300 questions each day—and so we can't really be expected to answer all of them. (Right?)
But here's the thing, kids should actually be encouraged to ask more questions—not fewer! (I know, you want to stop reading right now, because, why?! How?!) Turns out there's a very good reason: When you answer your child's questions, you help keep your child's mind open, says author and parenting expert Michele Borba, Ed.D., Plus, she adds, "You're modeling what a good question looks and sounds like."
t's important we let kids know their imagination—and desire to know more—is a wonderful thing, and it turns out we can help achieve this not just by answering our kids' many questions, but by making a point to ask them just as many questions in return. After all, it's proven that kids mimic the words, patterns, routines, and behavior of their parents.
So move beyond the basic "How was your day?" and consider this list of 50 questions to help get your kids talking:
1. What do you like daydreaming about?
2. What makes you happy?
3. What have your friends been up to?
4. If you could do anything right now, what would you do?
5. What do you look forward to when you wake up?
6. Do you ever think about renaming the colors of your crayons?
7. What character makes you laugh the most?