Solution Focused Conversations

Try Some Of These Questions to Co-Create Solutions with Children

Scaling Questions: (10 is their best hope, 1 is the opposite) (focus on the other person’s  personal agency/strengths/successes/resources):

• You are at a 3!  Tell me what you are doing to keep yourself from being a 2?
• Amazing, you are at a 6!  What will you be doing differently when you are at a 7?
• Look at that, you are at a 4!  What is the highest it has been? What were you doing then that helped you?

• What would it take to increase it by a point?
• What is one small step you are willing to take to raise it one number?
• What are you doing to keep it from being one number lower?
• On Monday, you were two points higher. What were you doing differently then?
• What advice would you give to your 5 year-old self on how to handle school?
• What strengths do you use to keep it from being lower?
• What are the most important things for you to do to keep it from dropping?
• When things are going well for you, and you are handling hard things well, what will you be doing that is helping you?
• Imagine that someone is annoying you, but you are calm. What will you be doing?

Other Solution Focused Questions to Try:

• When you at your best, what are you doing?
• You must have had a good reason for doing what you did, what was your good reason?
• What has worked for you in the past?
• What advice would your most trusted friend give you? Your favorite teacher?
• What was the highest number you have been? What did it take to do that?
• When things are better, what would I notice that is different?
• What was the highlight of your day? How did you make that happen?
• What was the challenge you faced today that you are proudest of?

Three Questions for Family Dinner What did you do today that made you feel happy or grateful? What did someone else do today that made you feel happy or grateful? What did you see, feel, smell or taste today that made you feel happy or grateful?