Week Two Activity Continued
2. Asking open ended questions
If you are talking to a new friend, and they only asked you yes or no questions for an entire conversation, do you feel like they would walk away knowing the real you? Although you may have given many answers, your friend most likely did not learn much about your thoughts, experiences, or personality.
It's hard to share much when you're limited to one word answers. This is why asking open-ended questions is important to helping our relationships grow, including our relationships with our children.
When we focus on asking questions openly in conversations with our children about their media and technology use, we are less likely to make wrong assumptions. Asking open-ended questions also gives our kids the opportunity to teach us about how media and technology impacts their everyday lives. And who knows? Maybe they'll share something with you that you didn't even think to ask about.
Asking open ended questions allows your child to openly share their experiences with you. When we use open ended questions, we tend to get MORE information than we would if we had used a closed (yes/no) question. Read the comics down below to see how use of open ended questions can impact the conversation and offer a parent more information about their child’s experiences!
Positive Interaction
Negative Interaction
Here we would like you to practice recognizing an open-ended question versus a closed-ended question. Sort each question into the correct category. Remember, open-ended questions will help your child share MORE information with you!
- What has your experience been with alcohol ads online or in shows/movies?
- You don't watch shows that are rated above your age, right?
- Tell me about your favorite social media app!
- What things do you like about this show?
- Do your friends play these games too?
- How do you tell if something is an ad versus real life on social media?
- What negative consequences have you seen related to substance use online?
- Is this your favorite show?
- What time do you plug your phone in at night?
- Why is it important for you to use this particular app? What do you get out of it?
Closed Questions (yes/no response)
Open Ended Questions (fosters more conversation)
Here is a file that contains multiple examples of ways to ask your child about their media and technology use in an open-ended and non-judgemental way: