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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Stupid Questions?
ABCDaycareMN 09:05 AM 05-09-2013
Stupid questions are questions they already know the answer to! (No I don't say that to the child)

How do you respond to these types of questions.

And it's the same questions like 5 times in a row! I answer the first time. I say you know 2-3 times and finally I get very annoyed and just say its enough for 4-5.

It seems to get a little better but I would like to not have a 3-5 questions!
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daycarediva 09:28 AM 05-09-2013
"what do you think?"

I answer my 1,000 question kiddo with a question. Be prepared for "I don't know" or a L O N G explanation.
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AmyKidsCo 09:36 AM 05-09-2013
I also say "What do you think?" and let THEIR brains do the thinking.
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My3cents 10:31 AM 05-09-2013
I have one that ask me Why on top of Why for everything-

I love the response...... What do you think? Going to give it a go and see how that works.
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Starburst 10:32 AM 05-09-2013
How about saying "You tell me!" especially if they know the answer

or making a rule that you will not answer the same question from the same person more than once that day. You could introduce it by saying "Use your listening ears today because I am only going to answer this question once!" then give the answer. Then ask them what the answer to the question was (to help them remember by saying it out loud). If they ask that question more than once just say "I already answered that question today". If that kid tries to get someone else to ask that question then tell them "go ask *****, I just told him/her the answer".

I know your supposed to answer all the children's questions but there are times when kids are deliberately trying to push your buttons by asking the same question 5 times. So at that point they are not trying to learn they are just being distracting.
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EntropyControlSpecialist 10:41 AM 05-09-2013
For the ones who ask why about various things that they already know the answer to, I ask THEM why?

For the ones that ask questions that they already know questions to I tend to say something like, "Is it?" "Are you?" etc.
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itlw8 10:55 AM 05-09-2013
as they see you putting the food on the plates.... What are we having for lunch..... dog food.... nnnoooo that is a hamburger
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MamaBearCanada 11:03 AM 05-09-2013
What time is snack? How long is that? How many minutes is that? Is that a long time or a short time? What are we having for snack? Why are we having that? Are we having anything else with it? Why are we only having that? Why are we only having x amount of things? Why aren't we having abc? Can I have the yellow plate? Is Joey having the same? Is it snack time yet?



Now I just say don't ask me about snack. I'll tell you when it's ready and you get what you get.
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SilverSabre25 11:07 AM 05-09-2013
"What do you think?" "If you knew...then why did you ask me?"
"I think you know."
"I think you can figure it out for yourself"
Or, my favorite "nonsense answer" followed by "Ask a silly question, get a silly answer..." which my daughter can finish by herself, lol.

When I'm irked or peeved about something I have been known to ask my daughter (and only my daughter) to stop asking stupid questions...but that's usually just when she gets into the endless cycle of impossible-to-answer things like, "What if it was actually nighttime right now and we were awake all night and it was sunny all night?" and it's several of those bonkers scenarios in a row...then I tell her it's a stupid question. Or sometimes dumb. But one of those. Because it is!!!
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JoseyJo 11:08 AM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by MamaBearCanada:
What are we having for snack? Why are we having that? Are we having anything else with it? ?
LOL! That's here at snack too sometimes Now I just say "You will seee" in a sing song voice!
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Sugar Magnolia 11:26 AM 05-09-2013
"I think you already know the answer" or
"I don't know, why do you think the sky is blue?"
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EntropyControlSpecialist 11:27 AM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by itlw8:
as they see you putting the food on the plates.... What are we having for lunch..... dog food.... nnnoooo that is a hamburger
I always say, "Food! " to which they say, "Oh!"
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Bookworm 02:47 PM 05-09-2013
OMG! I was just banging my head on the door earlier at work because of this. It drives me crazy. Especially of I just told them the answer 5 seconds ago and another child asks the question again.

My typical responses are:
1. You tell me.
2. What do you think?
3. Why are asking me that?
4. What did I say the first time you asked me?

Kids who have to announce every move they make to me also drives me crazy. Why do they do this? I don't need to know 98% of what they announce.
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