Walk and Talk: Reconnecting with Your Kids after School

I’m not entirely sure how we got here, but it’s back-to-school season already. After three months of summer adventures, many of us are getting back into the hectic daily routines of packing lunches and school drop-off lines and homework sessions. It seems like there’s always so much to do—and the days seem to fly by without much time to reconnect with the family. But what if we could slow it down…just a little?

That’s where the after-school walk comes in.

Whether your kids are in preschool, high school, or somewhere in between, kids of all ages (and their parents) can benefit from a short walk together after school. It’s a great chance to get kids away from screens and assignments and the craziness of their day for some fresh air, movement, and some time to reconnect.

Why It Works

It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the day—and that after-school time can turn into a rush of homework and snacks and texts to friends and planning dinner. When you ask your kid about their day, how often do you hear, “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember”? I used to look at my daughter in awe and disbelief and say, “You don’t remember what you did all day? But you just left school 20 minutes ago!”

Through the summers of walking with my daughter, though, I’ve learned that there’s something about walking side-by-side that just makes conversations feel more relaxed. Most of the time, I don’t have to try to come up with specific questions to ask my daughter about her day—or about what’s going on in her life. It just comes out naturally as we walk.

As an added bonus, an easy walk (especially a walk in nature) helps kids unwind after another long day of sitting still and paying attention.

Not only that, but it helps you get your steps in, too!

Start Simple

Whenever you add something new to your regular routine, you’ll want to start simple. You don’t have to go for a long walk—or even leave your neighborhood. Come up with something easy—something that won’t make your kids give you that look that kids give their parents when they say something entirely unreasonable.

Some ideas:

– Go for a walk around the block after they get home and unload their bags—to let them decompress before jumping into homework.

– School pick-up can be a nightmare. Park the car and walk around the parking lot (or maybe the streets around the school) before you have to try to maneuver your way out of the lot again.

– Or…park a few blocks away from school. Walk to the school to pick them up—and then walk back to the car together.

– If school isn’t far away, walk to school to pick them up and walk home together.

– If they take the bus, walk to the bus stop and walk home together.

– If your after-school schedule is too hectic, go for a walk after dinner. It’s a great way to decompress at the end of the day—and to unwind before bedtime.

The distance doesn’t matter. The location doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re taking a few minutes to walk together—away from the distractions of the day. And if you happen to bring snacks…even better.

Need Some Conversation Starters?

With my kid, the discussions just start to flow once we start walking—but she’s always been a pretty chatty kid. If you need a little extra help, here are some conversation starters to help you get things going. You can find a few favorites to bring up every day, try a new one for each day of the week, or pick one at random.

About Today…
Want to know a little bit about your kid’s day? Try some of these questions instead of just “how was your day?”

– What’s something that made you laugh today?

– What did you do during lunch/recess?

– What’s something you wish had gone differently?

– What was the best part of your day?

– What’s something interesting that you learned today?

– If your day had a theme song, what would it be?

– What’s something you’re looking forward to tomorrow?

– What was the hardest part of your day?

– What’s something about today that you’re proud of?

Think About It…

These questions get a little more creative—to let kids get as serious or as silly as they want to think about what they’d like school to be like.

– If you could pick the lessons for tomorrow, what’s one thing you’d like to learn about?

– What would a perfect school day look like for you?

– If you could add your own school rule, what would it be?

– Which book/movie character would make a great teacher?

Just for Fun…

You after school walks don’t have to be serious. Try some of these fun “would you rather” questions to lighten things up a bit.

– Would you rather be able to talk to animals or fly like a bird?

– Would you rather be a giant hamster or a tiny rhino?

– Would you rather sit next to your best friend in school or sit in a bean bag chair?

– Would you rather eat only pizza for a week or only ice cream?

– Would you rather be invisible or able to teleport?

– Would you rather do math for an hour or write a story for an hour?

– Would you rather walk backward forever or hop everywhere?

– Would you rather be in a movie or write a movie?

Have you tried walks to reconnect with your kids during the busyness of the school season? How did it work for you?

If you’ve got more questions to add to the list, let us know!