25 questions to ask your son

While young girls are generally very chatty and forthcoming when you speak with them, young boys mostly answer with mono-syllabic words: yes, no, uh-huh etc. Parents sometimes have a difficult time starting conversations with their sons. Here are 25 questions to help you start the conversation.

These questions are aimed to provide support and empowerment to the child, and to help the parent better understand the child’s perspective of his/her feelings, surroundings and relationships. You can also share these questions with grandparents, aunts/uncles or adults who have no children to help them start a dialogue with the child. Just remember to be open (some children may surprise with answers wise beyond their years) and give the child some latitude to express his or her views.

Questions for kids below 12 years old:

1. Have you ever seen someone bullying someone else? Did you step in or not?
2. Name something you have always wished you could do. How could you or (parent) make it happen?
3. Who would you talk to if you were feeling pressured to do something you didn’t want to do? Why would you choose this person?
4. What was your first memory as a little child / baby?
5. What is your favorite family tradition?
6. What was the nicest compliment / thing you received from an adult?
7. How much work or chores should each person in your family do to make the household run smoothly? How would you assign the work?
8. Name 4 things you like best about yourself.
9. What are you most fearful / afraid of?
10. Who is your best friend? What are her or his 3 best qualities?
11. If you could be any superhero, which one would you be and why? What would you do with your powers?
12. Name the talents of each person in your family.
13. What would you like other family members to teach you?
14. What would you do if you saw 2 students cheating on a test? Is there a “right” thing to do?
15. Which friend makes you feel best about yourself? How does he or she do that?
16. Talk about the last time you have to tell someone you are sorry, was it easy or hard, Why?
17. Is it easier to be a girl or a boy?
18. What is your favorite family time together.
19. If you could take lessons in anything, what would you learn?
20. What was your favorite childhood song? Can you still sing it?
21. If you could be any animal, what would you be? Why?
22. What is the hardest part of school this year? Is it homework? getting assignments in on time? tests? class participation? getting along with classmates? What makes this hard?
23. Can you recite a favorite poem, song verse or nursery rhyme?
24. What is your favorite book / movie / cartoon? What do you like about it?
25. Which family rules do you most wish you could change? What are your reasons?

This post first appeared in theAsianparent.com.  Also appeared in Tadika Akrab Bestari