Instead of asking your child, "How was your day?", ask this.

Ever ask your kid "how was your day?", only to receive a half-hearted "fine." or "good." answer? If that is you, read on.

Here are three connecting questions I asked my kids every night during bedtime. (and some days, they ask me!)

1️⃣ What is the flower part of their day?

2️⃣ What is the thorn part of their day?

3️⃣ What is the bud part of their day?

The flower represents a highlight, a win, a positive event that happened in their day.

The thorn represents a challenge, something that happened that they can use more support with, an unpleasant event that happened in their day.

The bud represents a new idea, something that they are excited to learn or know more about, something that they look forward to for the next day.

These questions encourage your child to:

1️⃣ Reflect on the highs and lows of their day

2️⃣ Identify for themselves areas of success, pain points and growth opportunities

3️⃣ Develop gratitude, self-awareness and mindfulness

4️⃣ Share more meaningfully with you which grows your parent-child relationship

You can also use these prompts when asking your child about their school day.

The next time you feel the urge to ask your child, “how was your day?”, try these connecting questions instead.

I bet you’ll get more than just a “fine.” reply. 😊

With you in parenting,

Lina