Beyond 'How Was School'

"How was your day?" gets "fine" because it asks a child to do something hard: shrink eight messy hours into one neat answer, on the spot. Most kids can't. They aren't hiding anything — they simply have no summary ready. The question is too big for the moment.

Trade the big question for a small, specific one. Instead of the whole day, ask for one moment:

• "What made you laugh today?"
• "Did anything surprise you?"
• "What was the hardest part?"