A Free Guide From Laura Jeffrey Academy
Get Beyond
“Fine.”
If “How was your day?” isn’t getting you very far, try a new starting point. Find playful questions and hands-on activities that give you and your middle schooler something to talk about.
Ways to Spark
a Conversation
With Your Middle Schooler
A Little Curiosity.
A New Conversation.
You don’t need to make every conversation a big talk. Ask a silly question over dinner or see what happens when you try an experiment together.
This free, printable guide gives you five ways to get started. Pick one that feels right for your family and see where it goes.
“If you could assign your teacher homework, what would you make them do?”
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Ask Something Unexpected
Go beyond the usual questions with prompts about happy memories, big ideas and wonderfully unlikely possibilities.
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Make Something Happen
Build a homemade lava lamp or find out what popcorn kernels do in soda with two STEM activities to try together.
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Leave Room to Doodle
Put pencil to paper and let your ideas take shape. You don’t have to start with words.
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Think. Dream. Do.
Explore favorites, future dreams and “this or that” choices on a discovery sheet you can complete together.
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Look Ahead Together
Use the middle school checklist to talk about routines, school-year goals and new things they’d like to try.
Your Next Conversation Starts Here.
Complete the form below to get 5 Ways to Spark a Conversation With Your Middle Schooler. You don’t have to be an LJA family to enjoy it.
Created by Laura Jeffrey Academy, an inclusive, STEM-focused public middle school serving grades 5–8 in St. Paul.
