What Do You Do When

Conversations with your child should occur naturally. In my family, an ideal time for a conversation is during mealtime or during transit times inside the car, because our time would be uninterrupted. But any time should be a good time for a conversation with a family member you’re very comfortable with.

I love asking my children questions that begin with “What do you do when…” These questions are developmentally appropriate to kids. They allow them to think imaginatively and critically at the same time.

Some examples these questions are, “What do you do when you feel cold?” “What do you do when you are hungry?” or “What do you do when you are sleepy?”

These questions call for answers that are simple in nature and yet entail a deeper sense of cognition in kids. I can tell if my child understands a word I used in the sentence and if he or she could relate it to a life event. Whenever I ask my daughter the above questions, she would reply with these answers: “put a jacket on” (cold), “eat apples” (hungry), and “get my blankie” (sleepy). For a three-year-old, these answers make perfect sense.

Try asking your child similar questions and see if his or her answer relates to things he or she has experienced in life. You can even throw in a few silly questions to keep your kids on their toes. “What would you do when a bear comes over for lunch?” Children would love the challenge of these silly questions since these allow their imagination to work double time.

Through these conversations, you would learn so much about your child’s cognition and what he or she understands about the world around. These conversations are also a great way to recall events and practice sequencing as your kids go through their routines mentally before answering your questions. Most importantly, these exercises let you enjoy each other’s company, have fun, and learn more about one another.