1.
Allow the child some time to wind down from his/her day. You
may be tempted to ask your host child about their day as soon
as you see them. Children may need some time to pass before
they want to open up about their day. They may be more willing
to share stories if you give them some time to get out of school
mode.
2.
Ask your host child specific questions. If you ask “how was your
day” you may find you get the same response every day. Here are
some examples of questions to stimulate conversation:
“Who did you eat lunch with?”
“What did you play at recess?”
“Tell me one new thing your teacher taught you today?”
“What was the best thing that happened at school today?”
3.
Tell your host child about your day. Talking about what you did
may start conversation and encourage your host child to share.
4.
Be silly. If you have young host children do not be afraid to act a
little silly. You can start a conversation by telling them how you
think their day went and mentioning silly things. For example,
“Let me guess something fun that happened today. Did a hot air
balloon land at recess and everyone took a hot air balloon ride?”
5.
Be patient. All children are different and some are more willing to
share stories. If you are consistent with your communication, your
host child will follow your cues and open up