5 Things to Say Instead of "They had a Great Day!"

"They had a great day!" 

When they arrive in the afternoon to collect their child from their early education and care service, unfortunately this a phrase that families hear all too often. And do you know what? I have been guilty of saying it. 

I can remember when I first started in early childhood, as an eager - but not always confident to talk to parents - 18 year old. The parents would arrive in the afternoon and despite having a day of exploration, discovery and wonderful play, I would say "Oh, Katie had a great day today!" Why did I do that when I had so much I could share?

We were told we needed to talk to parents on arrival and departure, but I used to worry that I wouldn't convey the play in the "right" way, and that the parents might think it sounded silly. This is what a lack of confidence/maturity can do to you. I had plenty of confidence in my ability to facilitate the children's play, to support their learning and development, to document that play, but when faced with the prospect of sharing that with families when they came to collect and often seemed in a rush, I worried that I wouldn't do it justice. 

Obviously, as time goes on and you grow in confidence as an educator, your ability to share this information (and as such, advocate for play) grows too. You find yourself comfortable talking to anyone about how "Jimmy and Kate developed a new scoring system for their game of football using woodchips and stones and isn't that amazing early mathematic skills?!" 

As a parent, I do want to hear that they had a "great day", but I want to hear more too. Perhaps I don't have time for a 45minute talk about the theory behind their tipping out and refilling buckets of water or a PowerPoint presentation on the benefits of loose parts play, but I like to know something about my child... and something specific too. Something that says "I saw them today and they mattered, their play mattered." 

"But I'm only one educator!" I hear you shout, "do you know how hard it is to find something to say about 40 children at the end of the day!" This is where the benefits of family day care, or primary caregiving models in centre based care can really make themselves known. For those of us not in a situation like that, we may feel overwhelmed by the mental load of remembering something positive about every child for the day - share the mental load with others. If you have seen something positive in a child's day but are leaving before their parents arrive - pass that information on to another educator to share. 

HERE ARE 5 THINGS YOU CAN SAY INSTEAD OF "HE HAD A GREAT DAY!" 

1. They formed a really great partnership with {insert child} today - and talk about the connection that is developing. 
2. They were concerned about a friend who got hurt and went to get them an ice-pack - and talk about how considerate that was. 
3. They have been practicing their climbing/cutting/tunnel digging/tumbling/block building/singing today - and talk about their emerging skills
4. They shared a really lovely story with me about their camping trip/dog/grandma/new bed - and talk about the language that they used and the connection you shared while listening. 
5. They asked so many questions about dinosaurs/insects/dancing/Spain today - and talk about the curiosity and wonder that you see in them.

Not only does sharing a meaningful, positive comment show that you connected with a child that day (as a parent, I want to know that my child is nurtured, loved, valued) but it can provide a great opportunity for families to connect with their children, making them feel a part of their child's day.