What to Ask at a Preschool Conference

First, you know your child best, so if there are any areas of concern, this is a good time to bring them up.

If you have no concerns about any aspects of your child's development, here are some things you might ask about:

Who does my child like to play with?
What does he/she like to do/play with other children?
Which activities does my child seem most drawn to? (I like this so I can supplement at home sometimes.)
Are there any activities during the day which pose a regular challenge for my child? (at this age, self-care and transitions can often present challenges. Teachers might suggest practicing some of those skills at home.)
Is there anything I can be doing at home to help my child have a good day at preschool? (teachers may have concrete suggestions)
How does my child play with other children? Any challenges, areas for growth? (much of the purpose of preschool is learning how to be with the other children and play in small groups, follow the group through the day)

Unless there are specific areas of concern, this is a pretty basic set of questions that can help a parent get a well-rounded sense of their child's day at school. What a great question to post.:)

Does my child seem happy? Does my child have friends? Does my child sit nicely for circle time?

Basically, I want to know that he's developing social skills and the listening skills he'll need for school.

I have taught preschool and while my son isn't in preschool yet, I would ask how he is doing socially. Does he play with other kids? Does he share, play nicely, etc. Does he communicate with kids and adults? How does he do during more structured activities (art projects, games, circle time, story time)? Does he follow that structure/is he engaged or is he harder to keep on track? Is there any area where THEY have concerns? What areas are his favorites to play in? Which kids does he play with most? What do they do together?

What things does my child enjoy doing?
How does he interact with peers?
Are there areas in which he is struggling?
What can we do at home to support/carryover what you are doing in school?

At that age, my main concerns were social skills. Were my children playing appropriately with friends? Did they HAVE friends? Were they able to follow along during "class time"? Did they seem happy and well-adjusted? What could we do at home that would reinforce what they were learning in the classroom? Things like that.

At that age, I couldn't care less about academics or whether they were coloring within the lines.

Let the teacher lead the discussion. Be open and not defensive.