Parent Coaching
One thing for each moment. Hands-on tips for leading the conversation.
🍃 No need to get it “right.” This isn’t a test — it’s playtime with your child.
Plant the question — never the answer
The hardest part isn’t asking — it’s what leaks in while you ask: your opinion, the answer you’re hoping for, the lesson you want them to reach. Children can hear where you want them to land, and they’ll go there instead of thinking.
If you can hear the answer inside your question — start over. Ask it plain, then wait.
…and for specific moments:
When your child says “I don’t know”
It’s the start, not the end — lower the pressure.
When your child says “I don’t know”
It’s the start, not the end — lower the pressure.“I don’t know” isn’t the end — it’s the start. Try “There’s no right answer, let’s just imagine” or “If you HAD to guess, what would you say?” Lower the pressure and they’ll open up again.
When you want to give the answer
Wonder together instead.
When you want to give the answer
Wonder together instead.The hardest moment. But the instant you give the answer, thinking stops. Swap it for “I’m curious too — shall we find out together?” Wondering alongside them is the best model you can offer.
When the talk goes silent
Their last answer holds your next question.
When the talk goes silent
Their last answer holds your next question.Reflect their answer back. If they say “the boat is heavy,” ask “heavy — so why didn’t it sink?” Pull the next question out of their own words and the conversation flows again.
When your child needs time to think
Count to ten — don’t fill the silence.
When your child needs time to think
Count to ten — don’t fill the silence.After you ask, wait quietly. Count to ten in your head if you must. Even if the silence feels awkward, don’t fill it first — your child is thinking in that pause.
Every lesson's Prepare step hands you one of these tips at the right moment. Curious why it works? See About QuestionSeed below.