Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Ask Me About My Day: Free Printable Worksheet for Reception
- ForReception
- StageEarly Years
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Ask Me About My Day is a free printable worksheet for Reception (ages 4 to 5). Children ask a grown up questions about their working day, listen to the answers and draw what they hear. There is a box to tick if the grown up does not work with cows, and a listening checklist at the end. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help, a stretch idea and answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children play the part of an interviewer. They read or hear each question, ask a grown up, listen carefully and then draw or make notes in the boxes. The questions are about where the grown up goes each day, who they help, what tools they use and what they wear for work. Fred thinks everyone works with cows, so children also tick if their grown up does not. At the end, they tick a checklist line to show they listened with their eyes and ears.
- 1. Where do you go each day?
- 2. Who do you help?
- 3. What tools do you use?
- 4. What do you wear for work?
- Fred thinks everyone works with cows. Tick if your grown up does not.
- I listened with my eyes and ears.
Making the conversation work
Pick a calm moment
Choose a time when you are not rushing. Sit side by side with the sheet and a pencil. A relaxed start helps a young child ask clear questions and wait for the reply.
Let your child lead
Your child asks each question in their own words. Give them time to finish. If they forget what to ask, read it again and let them repeat it.
Keep answers short and concrete
Give simple answers a child can picture. Say a place, a person or an object rather than a long explanation. Short answers are easier to remember and draw.
Draw first, label after
Let your child draw what they heard before any writing happens. Then offer to write a label beside the picture, or let them add letters they know.
Why ask about people's work?
Young children see the adults around them every day, but they often do not know what those adults do while they are apart. Asking about a working day makes that hidden part of life real. Children hear about places, people and objects they may never have met. It also shows them that adults do many different kinds of work, inside the home and outside it.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Understanding the World includes a strand called People, Culture and Communities. Talking about the roles people play in a community fits that strand well. The activity also builds listening and speaking, because the child has to ask a question, wait and then take in what they hear. Drawing the answer gives them a way to show what they understood.
Did you know? Jobs and work
- People do many different kinds of work, and no two jobs are exactly the same.
- Some people work indoors, some work outdoors and some work in different places on different days.
- Many people work to help others, such as people who care for the sick, teach children or keep streets clean.
- Some people work at night while most families are asleep.
- Looking after a home and family is also work, even when nobody is paid for it.
Skills and curriculum link
- Asking questions
- Listening carefully
- Talking about people's jobs
- Taking turns in conversation
- Drawing to show ideas
- Understanding the community
Ideas to help your child ask and listen
- Question wordsWords like where, who and what start a question. Say them clearly and point to them on the sheet. Children hear that a question word asks for a certain kind of answer.
- Listening with eyes and earsGood listeners look at the speaker and keep their bodies still. Talk about what that looks like before you begin, then tick the checklist together at the end.
- Different answers are fineEvery grown up has a different day. Your child may hear things they did not expect. Say that it is good to find out something new, and that there is no wrong answer.
- RetellingAfter the grown up has answered, ask your child to say it back in their own words. Then they draw it. Retelling shows how much they took in.
Key words
- QuestionSomething you ask to find out an answer.
- ListenUse your ears and eyes to take in what someone says.
- JobThe work a person does, often to earn money.
- ToolSomething that helps a person do a task.
- RoleThe part a person plays, such as a helper or a leader.
- CommunityA group of people who live or work near each other.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read each question aloud. Your child asks it to the grown up in their own voice.
- Your child listens, then draws or makes a note of what they heard in the box.
- Look at the Fred question together. Your child ticks the box if the grown up does not work with cows, then ticks the listening line.
- Talk through the pictures, check page 2 and come back another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Let your child point or tell you the answer first, then draw it. Offer to write a label beside the picture. Ask one question at a time and take a break between them. You can also do the drawing together, taking turns with the pencil.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to think of one more question to ask about the working day, such as a favourite part of the job. They ask it, listen and draw the answer on the back of the sheet. Then they say it aloud.
Make it a game
Play news reporter. Use a pretend microphone, such as a rolled up piece of paper or a wooden spoon. Take turns being the reporter and the person being interviewed. Ask the sheet questions, then make up new ones.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forYour child draws their own day instead of the grown up's.
Try thisRemind them that this sheet is about the grown up. Say, "Whose day are we finding out about?" Then ask the question again and wait for the answer before they draw.
Watch forYour child asks the question but does not wait for the answer.
Try thisPractise a pause. Ask the question, count to three quietly together, then listen. Using the pretend microphone can help, because only the person holding it talks.
Watch forThe grown up gives a long answer and your child loses track.
Try thisAsk the grown up to give one short answer for each question. Your child can ask for more afterwards if they want to know more.
Talk about it
- Where do you think the grown up goes each day?
- Who might the grown up help? How do they help?
- What is something that helps with a task, and why is it useful?
- Why do you think some people wear special clothes for work?
- What would you like to ask if you could talk to someone with a different job?
- How can you show someone you are listening?
Take it off the page
Job role play
Set up a pretend shop, hospital or farm at home with toys and cushions. Take turns playing the worker and the customer, and ask each other questions about the day.
Picture gallery
Draw a person doing a job you know about. Stick the pictures on a wall or fridge and say who each person is and who they help.
Job walk
Go for a short walk and spot people working, such as someone delivering post or mending a road. Talk about what each person might be doing and who they help.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. Answer in short, simple sentences. Your child may want to know more than the sheet asks, so follow their curiosity. Any trusted adult can be the grown up.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, a table activity or an early finisher task. Pair children up so each can ask and answer, or invite a visitor such as a parent or member of school staff. It links to listening, speaking and People, Culture and Communities.
Home educators
Pair it with books about jobs, play in a pretend shop and everyday talk about who does what in your community. If you home educate several children, let older ones take the reporter role and help younger ones draw what they hear.
Where this fits in learning
Before this sheet, children build early talk and listening skills through songs, stories and chatting about their families and homes. They learn that other people have different lives from their own. Pointing, naming and simple sentences help them get ready to ask questions.
After this sheet, children can talk about a wider range of people in their community, such as those who help in school, in shops or in health care. They can begin to compare similarities and differences between jobs and places. In Year 1 they meet more formal discussion and recording.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Ask Me About My Day for?
It is written for Reception, children aged 4 to 5, in the Early Years Foundation Stage. It can also work for slightly younger children with a lot of help, or for slightly older children who need a gentle speaking and listening task.
- What will children practise?
Children practise asking questions, listening carefully and talking about people's jobs. They also draw what they hear. The activity supports Understanding the World, particularly the strand on people and communities, and builds speaking and listening skills.
- What if my grown up does not go out to work?
Any trusted adult can answer, such as a parent, carer, grandparent or neighbour. Work can mean caring for a home, volunteering or studying. A grown up who is retired can talk about work they used to do.
- What if it feels too hard?
Start by letting your child point to or tell you the answer before they draw it. Offer to write a label. Do one question at a time and come back to the rest later. Short, calm sessions work best.
- Is it free to print?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or come back to it another day with a different grown up answering.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works for quiet time, rainy days or school holidays. It also gets children talking face to face, which is good practice for listening and speaking.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 has support and stretch ideas that suit mixed groups.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.