Ever been met with silence when you ask, “How was your day?” Your communication efforts with your children, especially school-age children, may need some tweaking. Try asking concrete questions, like “Who did you sit next to at lunch?” or, “What was the most interesting thing you learned today?” If your child is struggling with sharing his or her emotions, it might be helpful to ask about other emotions you see around you. Find opportunities to get children talking about how they feel by focusing on other people: “Why do you think that girl and her dad are hugging? What made that boy on the playground mad earlier?” You may be surprised at the results! For more tips, request a copy of the VIRTUS® article or read a copy at “Communicating with School-Age Children.”