By: Cecilia Soto
You just pick up your grandchild from school. They buckle themselves in the car, and you ask them how their day was. They only respond with “Good.” Or you asked them, “Did you learn anything new today?” and responded with “No.” Are you tired of feeling you’re the only one talking in the conservation? You love them so much and want to hear about their day, but you only get one-word answers. Here is a quick lesson to get your grandbabies to have real conversations with you.
Start with open-ended questions that lead to detailed answers and often begin with how, what, where, or who. Here are a few example questions: What did you eat for lunch today? What was the most exciting thing of your day? What do you love to do on the playground? How do you think animals communicate?
After asking your question, give them time to respond. Listen and acknowledge their answer. By asking open-ended questions, your grandchild must think and react with a colorful answer. The goal is not to ask a question with a yes or no answer.
When communicating with your grandchild, they are building social-emotional skills. A key skill in their development. Social-emotional skills involve managing emotions, setting and achieving goals, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and showing empathy for others.
Using open-ended questions will get your grandchild talking with you, turning those one-way conservations into two-way conservations. Once you get into a rhythm of talking with your grandchild, they will open up and give you meaningful details of their day.
