“Every time I ask my child how was school or what did he do, he has a hard time answering the question. He would give one-word answers, say he doesn’t know, or struggle to report things accurately/ descriptively. “
This is a very common presenting problem that parents often bring up to me. Does your child struggle with weak communication or verbal expressive skills, too? If so, here are some simple and complex questions for you to ask your child about school. The specificity and creativity of these questions can:
Enhance your child’s narrative ability
Help you understand their thoughts and thinking patterns
Help you learn if your child is encountering difficulties in school
Enhance the relationship between parent and child
Of course, these are just basic questions. To further elicit meaningful responses, you can ask follow-up questions according to your child’s language ability. The simplest questions are Why”, or “Would [insert best friend’s name here] think the same too?”
Originally Published on Dr. Teh’s Facebook page on 14/9/2022.
Dr Teh Shin Er 