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Five Questions You Need To Ask Your Child During Snack Time

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Snack time is a great time to have a quick but meaningful conversation with your kids. The girls and I had a fun snack with Smart Candy who is sponsoring this conversation.

snack time with kids questions

I’ve been doing this for years.

I do my rounds and pick up the girls all from their (different) schools and I always ask “so what did you do today”? The answer is always “nothing”. And then we listen to music. When my oldest started school the head of her school asked me if I had asked her about her day when I picked her up. I said I had and then she started to laugh… she could tell by my expression that I wasn’t happy with the answer. She asked if my daughter told her she did nothing all day. We had a quick conversation about how that was a good thing… and that if she was unhappy she would certainly tell me and that “nothing” was actually “I had a great day”.

smart candy reviewsnacks for kids

For years I let that go… but I couldn’t get over the fact that they had this other life and I didn’t get to be a part of it or even hear the details.

So I started to offer a special snack at home for after school and I always ask them the same five questions and my world shifted. Gone are the “nothing” responses. I’m now really hearing about their day and we are both benefiting. Sometimes they are processing things that happened and before they just went over it in their heads and now I can help them with whatever they are trying to understand. I can see where they are struggling and excelling. I can be a better mom.

smart candy gummies

These are the five questions you need to ask your kids during after school snack time:

  1. Did you have a horrible day? This one needs an explanation of course, I mean why would you ask your kid this right? Well, for me it started as a joke. At drop off I’d tell them I loved them and then wish them a horrible day. We love to joke around and it would make them smile. I’d always get a “No Mom! I’m going to have an awesome day!”. So then I’d ask if they had a horrible day at snack time and I’d get the same response. “No Mom! I had a great day”. Which leads us to question #2.
  2. You had a great day… Why? Now that they are in a silly mood the sharing starts… I normally get to hear at least one good thing about their day.
  3. Who did you sit with at lunch? Now we get into friendships. You can tell a lot by who they are sitting with and why. If they say the usual people all is good… and if they say something different it’s a good lead in to find out why and if there is a problem.
  4. Do you have a lot of homework? Innocent enough right? But again it’s a great way to find out how school is going. If there is a lot of homework, more than usual it can mean they are having to repeat work… or that the class is challenging. Which is a good thing or bad thing depending on the child. This can also help you plan how the evening should go. Maybe you need to skip that family fun time and spend it working together on school work.
  5. Excitement question- This one changes daily. I like to end our chats with something for them to look forward to. We talk about upcoming trips, school events, or family get togethers. I normally start the question with “So, are you excited for XYZ?” This ends it all on a happy note no matter what we discussed earlier.

smart candy yogurt covered

One thing that really makes our after school talks something they look forward to is having the right snack.

It has to be something delicious… and good for them. For the past couple days we have been having SMARTCANDY. And by we, I mean all of us. (I’m in LOVE with the Lemon Gummy).

SMARTCANDY A naturally delicious snack filled with good things so you can do smart stuff. Each pack is an excellent source of vitamins A+B+C. No high fructose corn syrup or trans fats.

SMARTCANDY can be found at Target and Walmart… so you can grab some when you are doing your regular shopping. Each pouch has just enough snacks in them for the perfect afternoon pick me up. The girls all loved it! The Little One’s favorite was the yogurt covered… and Middle Daughter loved the mixed berry gummy!

We enjoyed them during our after school chat, and also on the go.

We had a jam packed weekend and I just grabbed a couple bags for later when we went for a hike in the hills. They are the perfect size to stick in your purse for the kids or even your back pocket. The girls are always asking for gummies as a snack and I’m so happy we discovered SMARTCANDY. They are definitely something we will be buying more of in the future.

citrus smart candy

I even have a coupon for you! Just right click on the coupon below and choose print! 

 

What is your favorite after school snack?

 

Heather Reese
the authorHeather Reese
Heather Delaney Reese is the storyteller and photographer behind the lifestyle and family travel blog, It's a Lovely Life®! For the past decade, she has vacationed over 150 days a year with her family. She is a vegan, and loves being by the water, spending time with her children, husband, 2 Shih Tzus and Cat.

76 Comments

  • Well – I went thru the same thing with my son when I would ask “so what did you do today”? The answer was always “nothing” also – even coming back from summer camp – I so wish I had thought of this! He talks a lot more to me now, thank goodness –

  • Those look yummy! I love using snack time as a time to connect with my kids~

  • I know my kids would love these snacks too! We have a q&A everyday when they get home from school too.

  • I love your snack time questions! Whenever I asked kiddo about what he did at school that day he always answered “Math, and I didn’t like it!”. Lol. So I always had to dig further and get him to tell me about the rest of his day. Also, we got him a math tutor.

  • Smartcandy are favorites for many kids & it has been the best of the choices for both my daughters as well. The questions are great & I always used to make snack time for some questioning so I know what they love.

  • I do this with kiddo every time we sit down at the dinner table to eat. I’ve learned how to ask questions that get answers. Her dad is always so amazed at how I can get information out of her. lol

  • I usually ask my son some of those questions too – either while we are having our snack or while he’s playing with his iPod. His fave snack is moon pie. 🙂

  • This is reminding me that it’s time for my own afternoon snack, lol! I wish I had some of that candy, now I’m hungry!

    Anyway, I think it’s so smart how you’re asking specific questions to get the conversation rolling with your kids. I think for a lot of people (Kids AND adults) it can be hard to know what to say when someone asks a general question (The old, “How are you?” “Fine, how are you?” thing that adults do), so this is a great way to narrow it down and also teach your kids great conversational skills by example!

  • I’m a huge fan of cookies and milk after school, and it has become a favorite of my boys now as well. I like the questions you ask. Most of the time I just have to wait for my boys to tell me on their own time about school and their day. It’s a struggle sometimes.

  • This is a great check list to get them talking. My son is only 5 and it took me a minute to figure out how to get more than a “nothing” out of him.

  • I love this. It think it’s so important to make sure you connect with your child simply by asking them about their day and their lives!

  • I need to find these. My son would love them. I try to ask open ended questions when we’re snacking/eating together. I hate the “fine” answers I get sometimes!

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