Imagine this: Your child returns home from school and heads into their room immediately. You knock at their door and ask them how their day was, but they’re already on their phones. You ask again, and they barely look up before feebly mumbling a weak “yes”, and this routine continues for days.
As one of the Best Boarding Schools in India, we’ve seen our fair share of kids who have difficulty opening up to their families, and we understand the frustration. So, while there is no cheat code for getting them to talk, with time and hopefully these easy tips, you too can experience the beautiful bond of mutual laughter and endless conversation with your children.
Ask Open-ended questions
Remember how we mentioned many conversations with children might end with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’? It’s time to let go of that habit by asking them more fulfilling and engaging questions. Here are some simple yet fun questions we suggest you ask:
- What fun have you and your friends have today at school?
- What was your favorite part of your day today?
- Have you met anyone new at school today?
Not only do well-thought-out questions encourage children to get out of their shells, but they also actively engage them and create a bond with a strong foundation of inquisitiveness and curiosity.
Tell them about your day
Here’s some food for thought, but how would you feel if someone tried to get you to open up about your life without giving much insight into theirs? As one of the top boarding schools in Dehradun, we’ve spent enough time with children to know that they’re innately intuitive beings and catch on to imbalanced efforts. So, if they are taking longer to open up to you, why don’t you open the dialogue by telling them about your day and your life?
You could try these conversation points:
- Talk about your life at a Boarding School
- Talk about your day
- Give them an insight into what your life looks like outside their gazes
Pro tip: We recommend you give your kids a fair shot and let them slowly open up to you. Do not lose patience; do not overstep and trample their spirits while discussing your life!
Start making conversations fun
Lead the way into better conversations by creating a fun and relaxed environment. While questions about their day can be fun, you could try the innovative approach for a better back-and-forth! So instead of asking, “What’s your favorite subject at school?” try rephrasing it to “What makes History so fascinating to you?”
Here are some conversation starters we recommend:
- How would you react if you saw your friends from school outside while you were out?
- If there was one rule you could implement at school, what would it be?
- What would your dream school excursion be?
As one of the Leading Boarding Schools in Dehradun, we try to take learning further beyond the confines of textbooks. One of our favorite ways to teach students is by building their curiosity so they seek the mysteries of the world by themselves. So why not start this practice at home, too?
Get better at Listening
“When people talk, listen completely.”- Ernest Hemingway.
Often, we see parents make the same mistake. In the desire to get their children to open up, they get overeager and accidentally end up interrogating their kids. While asking the right questions is great, asking too many is a problem. So, work on the frequency of your questions, build an environment of understanding by being a good listener, and watch the magic unfold!
We at The TonsBridge School have been in the business of being one of the Best Boarding Schools in India for a long time, and we’ve always noticed that students who have an open and honest relationship with their parents thrive! So, it’s time to put on your listening hat and go the extra mile because building a friendship with your children is one of the most fulfilling parts of being a parent.
