Questions To Ask Your Kids

This week I speak to Mahika (8 years old). I pose a seemingly crazy idea - that we should all sleep in trees - and ask her to think critically about all the arguments that could support this, to get her thinking deeply. I am caught off guard as she wants to swap roles and so suddenly I find myself having to argue this position, with Mahika coming up with counter arguments instead! If you want to h...

This week I speak to Aziza (9 years old). We talk about what an "algorithim" is. She doesn't know but that's no problem - we define it simply as a series of steps to get something done, and we go through some examples like going to the park, or making a sandwich. We talk about how robots needs humans to programme algorithms and how important this will become in the future as ro...

This week I speak to Mahika (8 years old). We do the classic interview question "What is your favourite subject?" Mahika tells me all about her love of art, and I challenge her to consider how her favourites might change in the future by thinking about how the very nature of schools have changed in the past 100 years. For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking,...

This week I speak to Aziza (9 years old). I ask her "what feelings do you have" and we discuss the wide range of emotions that we all go through. The conversation then turns to control feelings (using a helpful robot example) and the value of doing his! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from your usual app store! 👉 http://one...

This week I speak to Bobby (9 years old). We debate together whether humans should eat meat. He argues for and I argue against, and I try to get him to come back on my arguments each time. We also consider what the debate would have sounded like 500 years ago, when eating meat was far more common! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from...

This week I speak to Aziza (9 years old). We talk about having self-confidence and whether we should compare ourselves to others. Aziza is naturally very inwards looking and knows to appreciate what she already has, which is great! I introduce her to the concept of swimming vs boxing, and how the first is a better way of thinking about competition! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids...

This week I speak to Bobby (9 years old). We talk philosophically about what it would be like to always be happy. It's really appealing and Bobby really wants it, but I get him examining how the sweet wouldn't taste as sweet without the bitter. We then go on to rank happiness, confidence and success in order of which Bobby wants! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking a...

This week I speak to Mahika (8 years old). We talk about setting objectives, and how the thing you want to do 1 year from now (e.g. go on holidays to complete your global coin collection) can have a 1 day target to also get you going (e.g. review what you need to complete it).  For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from your usual app store...

A one-off episode featuring my talk at the Oracy October online conference, hosted by Voice21.  While the conference was aimed at teachers, I summarised some "talking tips" for parents and suggested they pass on to their families. Since it features some excerpts and learnings from this podcast "KidCoach Conversations" - I thought my listeners might appreciate hearing it here! (...

This week I speak to Emily (11 years old). We talk about how we would sell a new product like an iPhone, and discuss the importance of communicating "benefits" (like get more done) rather than "features" (like longer battery life). I also help her make a long sentence more punchy and compelling, with some prudent Googling! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talkin...

This week I speak to Bobby (9 years old). We talk about two of the greatest footballers of all time - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - and I ask him "how long do they train for?". We talk about how resilient they are, overcoming obstacles on the way and having to sacrifice things they care about, in order to achieve the success they have had. For more fast and fun questions to get yo...

This week I speak to Lucia (9 years old). We get to know each other with this "tell me about yourself?" question. Useful for interview situations and also for general life when meeting new people. I encourage Lucia to give people she meets a broad base view of herself, and I also challenge her to consider how her mum would introduce herself at a party! For more fast and fun questions to...

We have had a few episodes featuring 9 year old Aziza.  Here is her Mum talking about the impact it has had on Aziza's confidence and ability to think creatively. She also notes the important of giving your child time and space to think. To get this happening with your child make sure you download the KidCoachApp from your usual app store! 👉 http://onelink.to/4jbmqh

This week I speak to Emily (11 years old). I pose a seemingly crazy idea - that we don't need to meet other people - and ask her to think critically about all the arguments that could support this, to get her thinking deeply.  By getting her to think about those who might actually support this position, we find some additional reasons that we wouldn't have though of otherwise! For more f...

This week I speak to Mahika (8 years old). We start with the saying "we have 2 ears and 1 mouth" to discuss the value of listening. She understands this well and even talks about motivation as another leadership trait. But then we put the two of these together and discuss how by listening carefully to someone you can realise what motivates them. For more fast and fun questions to get you...

This week I speak to Millie (7 years old). I ask her how she would help a nervous friend and she displays tremendous empathy, talking about how she would include the friend in party games and invite them for cake etc. We talk about the importance of feeling "settled" also! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from your usual app...

Bobby is 9 years old and has been asked several questions from the KidCoachApp recently.  He tells us how much he has enjoyed the experience and how it has got him thinking in new ways! Remember to download the app from http://onelink.to/4jbmqh to be able to achieve the same results with your kids at home.

This week I speak to Bobby (9 years old). We talk about how we should always consider a glass half "full" rather than "empty", to build resilience and positivity. We use several examples to bring it to life, like how you would feel if your favourite sports team lost a match! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from you...

This week I speak to Aziza (9 years old). We get creative thinking about "10 different uses for a cup"? It's a great exercise in "divergent thinking" and is also used as an initiative test by the economist and author Malcolm Gladwell. For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from your usual app store! 👉 http://onelink...

This week I speak to Aziza (9 years old). We discuss "what's going on in the world right now?", which any of us might get asked in an interview setting. Covid-19 of course gets talked about, and I encourage her to form her own opinion of what's going on, asking her what she would do if she were Prime Minister. For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinkin...

This week I speak to Emily (11 years old). We talk about how your feelings can be changed using music, friends, food and much more. I also introduce her to the concept of positive affirmations and we talk about how useful they are too! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from your usual app store! 👉 http://onelink.to/4jbmqh

This week I speak to Mahika (8 years old). We tackle an analytical puzzle of trying to get 4 gallons of water using only a 3 and 5 gallon jug. She finds it hard but we persevere and she gets there in the end - the trick was to figure out how to get 1 gallon by itself! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and thinking, download the KidCoachApp from your usual app store! 👉 http:...

This week I speak to Mahika (8 years old). We have a back and forth debate on whether children should set their own bedtimes. She of course thinks that they should, so I make it hard for her halfway through by making her swap the side she is arguing for! This is a great way to stretch the brain, and I also give her several mechanisms to come back on somebody else's argument! For more fast and...

This week I speak to Bobby (9 years old). We spend a few minutes discussing "What do you find easy that was once hard?". He talks about maths and running, and how he has got better at each by getting some help and by pushing himself. We use these examples as way of giving him more confidence on things he finds hard today! For more fast and fun questions to get your kids talking and think...

This week I speak to Lucia (9 years old). We spend a few minutes discussing the philosophical question "If you could live forever would you want to?". There is a gut response of "No!" and then later "Yes!"....but we explore both sides of this, and all the advantages and disadvantages. Lucia comes up with a couple of "conditions" which also make a big differe...