a likely response will be "good". however, if you say, "tell me one good thing that happened at school today.", you may get a response that contains actual information. follow up questions are always fantastic too.
2) schedule one-on-one time - kids are more likely to open up during quiet one-on-one sessions, so try to find time to be alone with them each day... even if it is just a few minutes at bedtime when you are tucking them in.
3) find an excuse to sit and talk - in our house, we have after-school snacks, and it gives us some time to sit and chat before everyone starts to play, head 