Tips on how to get your child to open up to you

ASK your child ‘how was your day?’ and it’s likely you’ll get a one word answer like ‘fine’.

If you never hear much about your child’s life, it might be time to change your line of questioning.

Young children can be quite literal in how they interpret questions, says clinical psychotherapist Joanna Fortune ( www.solamh.com ), who acknowledges that, while under-fours can struggle with cohesive narratives, children tell parents stuff even pre-language, eg, crying when hungry.