Nine To Noon Parenting: What did you do at school today?
Mar 18, 2026
Christian Wright, a speech and language therapist and parenting commentator, explains why broad questions like "What did you do at school?" often get "nothing." He highlights back-and-forth conversation, modeling your own stories, asking specific narrow questions, timing chats around hunger and tiredness, and gentle tactics for teens like connecting first and talking side-by-side.
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Why 'What Did You Do Today' Fails
- The question "What did you do at school today?" is too broad and creates a heavy memory and language load for children.
- Christian Wright explains children must review hours of events, sequence them and pick what to tell, so many default to "fine" or "nothing".
Dad's Tired Moment Shows The Problem
- Christian Wright recounts being asked by his three-year-old "What you do at work today, Dad" when he was exhausted.
- The example illustrates how the broad question can feel draining and provoke a terse response.
Start With A Serve Not A Question
- Build a back-and-forth conversation (serve and return) rather than firing questions at a child.
- Christian Wright recommends serving a comment or story first so the child returns and conversational turns drive language growth.