With the new school year well underway, parents are again challenged with getting their children back in learning-mode after another summer of just having fun.
The Strand family is the exception rather than the rule. Their children are actually excited about going back to school, but not for the reason you're probably thinking.
"We kept our kids busy all summer with chores and they were pretty happy to go back to school again and get away from all the chores," said Mary Strand, mother of five.
The more common response parents receive is consistent with what experts call, "back-to-school blues."
"The fun is over.. you have to do homework and not just play all summer," said storyteller and author John Livesay.
Livesay is touting the idea that getting your child back engaged with education can start with daily questions that require more than one-word answers.
"Tell me a story about the best part of your day, today," he said.
Or, "What made you smile today?"
"Who did you sit with at lunch?"
"What was the hardest thing you had to do today?"
Or, "Can you show me something you learned today?"
"The good thing there is they start to learn how to tell good stories and that skill set will help them in life no matter what they are doing," said Livesay.
There are dozens of websites with suggested questions to ask your child. Here are a few:
30 questions to ask your kid instead of “How was your day?”
50 Questions To Ask Your Kids Instead Of Asking “How Was Your Day”
25 Ways to Ask Your Kids 'So How Was School Today?' Without Asking Them 'So How Was School Today?'
10 Questions to Ask Kids About Their Day at School
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