Interviewing children can be a very delicate process. It is important to understand
children. Make them comfortable with their environment and make them feel
comfortable with you. Children usually require direct questioning for elaboration.
First, try to elicit information with an open-ended question, and use the directed
question later. Keep in mind that: Even under the best conditions, children will be
unable to describe in words many events. In such instances, you should
encourage the children to rely on other, non-verbal forms of communications.
Children might act or draw simple sketches to convey what they observed-like
adults, but even more so, children may misinterpret your intentions and fabricate
information to please you.
