Use Open Ended Questions With Teenagers After a Date

Using open ended questions with teenagers is a great way to get information from them after a date. Instead of getting the standard yes or no answers after a date, you can get a lot more information from your teenagers by using open ended questions. Examples can be found online or with prepackaged sets of questions such as Table Topics, found at specialty boutique stores or online. Having a good supply of open ended questions to ask children can go a long way toward opening up long term, meaningful communication between adults and children. 

Click here for a list of open ended questions.

Open Ended Questions Open Up Dialogue

There’s no better time than after a date to get your teenager to interact with you. While there are time you need to simply get an answer from your child, far more often you can use common open ended questions to really understand the way your child thinks about sex and dating. If you can get your kids talking while doing something where they don’t have to look you in the eye—eating or watching TV—even better. They will often give you more information than they intend!

Here are a few get to know you questions for kids to get you started:

· What was the best thing about your date tonight?

· Describe your perfect date?

· If you could go out with anyone at your school, who would it be and why?

Tips for Getting Kids Talking About Sexuality

Using open ended questions is not the only way to get kids talking. However, if you want your children to talk to you at crucial times such as after a date, you will want to lay the groundwork early. It’s never too early to answer your children’s quesitons about sex and sexuality and even to initiate those conversations. Parents who create an open environment about sex will most likely benefit from greater communication with their children. Communicate your own values, but also listen to your child. Be as honest and as open and you can, using any opportunity to talk. The “Sex Talk” is actually a process you will need to revisit again and again.

Examples of Open Ended Questions for Children

Use the following to get you started with open-ended questions. Examples here are just a suggestion. They give you an idea of how to structure any kind of question to illicit a substantive response.

Examples of open ended questions children will actually want to answer:

· What do you think are the characteristics that make a good friend?

· Tell me about something I don’t know about one of your teachers.

For more samples of open ended questions see the article, Top 50 Open Ended Questions For Sparking Conversation With Kids.

Image Credit: reeb*, Flickr