Conversation Starters

Meaningful Conversation Starters:

(From Focusonthefamily.org)

We encourage you to print this page, keep it in your car, wallet, or your child’s bedside table so that meaningful conversations are always within reach.

Note: for each question, consider sharing your own answer. Elaborate on the why. Share your troubles and ask your kids for their advice, their input, their assessment of your situation.

Pre-Kindergarten

1. What makes you happy?
2. What makes you laugh?
3. What is your favorite food?
4. What is the funniest face you can make?
5. If you could be an animal for one day, what animal would you be?
6. What is your favorite thing to do?
7. Who is your best friend?
8. What are you really good at?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. Which story that grandma or grandpa tells is your favorite?
11. What is your favorite Bible story? What do you like about it?
12. What is something you are especially thankful to God for right now?

Elementary

13. If you had one superpower, what would it be?
14. Who is your favorite Disney princess or superhero and why?
15. If your pets and/or stuffed animals could talk, what would they say?
16. What is your favorite book?
17. If you had a genie that could grant 3 wishes, what would you wish for?
18. What would you do if you swapped roles with Mom or Dad?
19. If you wrote a book, what would it be about? Who would the characters be?
20. What did you do to help someone else today?
21. What are some of your favorite things that God created in nature?
22. How did you see someone showing kindness to another person today?
23. What do you think heaven is like?
24. What do you like best about your brother or sister?
25. Who is your favorite Bible character?

Middle School

26. If you were a superhero, what would your name be and what powers would you have?
27. Would you rather travel back in time or travel into the future?
28. If you could meet anyone from history, who would you want to meet?
29. If you grew up to be famous, what would you like to be famous for?
30. If you had to go live on a space station for a month, what three things would you take with you?
31. What is the funniest joke you’ve ever heard?
32. Is there anything you really want to talk about that we haven’t discussed?
33. How do you know when God is near? When do you feel His presence the most?
34. When do you feel most proud of who you are?
35. If you could invent something, what would it be? What would your invention do?
36. If you had a thousand dollars to help someone, what would you do?
37. When you are praying, how do you picture God?

High School

38. What is the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?
39. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
40. If you joined the circus, what circus act would you be?
41. What is your dream vacation?
42. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
43. If you were a photographer for a day, who or what would your subject be?
44. What is your favorite family tradition?
45. If you had to live in another country for a year, which country would it be and why?
46. If you could have lunch with anyone – living or deceased – who would it be and why?
47. What do you think college would be like?
48. If you were President, what would you do first?
49. What is the most important thing you’ve learned from the Bible?
50. If you could ask God one question right now, what would it be?

Having conversations with our kids is critical for building a solid foundation of trust, demonstrating steadfast love, and teaching them how to grow as a young person. These 50 questions to ask your kids are a great starting point for conversations around the dinner table. What other questions can you come up with to ask your kids?