Fun questions to ask child: 9 Cool Questions to Ask Your Kid

61 Thoughtful Family Questions to Get the Conversation Started at Dinner

Dads love history, monuments, and museums. In one of nature’s cruelest twists, kids are, historically, not huge fans.

When I was a kid, my dad LOOOVED taking us to the Wright Patterson Air Force Museum. He was unphased by our groans and complaints, in fact he may have been fueled by them, as dads often are. It’s not that he didn’t care that we didn’t like it. Now that I’m a dad I realize he took ambivalence as a challenge, that he would be able to convince us of how fascinating it all really was. 

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My family just got back from a trip to Washington DC for the White House Easter Egg Roll. The last time I was in DC was 30 years ago. I was 10. Coincidentally my son is now 10 (and my daughter is 12). So while we were sightseeing, I constantly compared it with what it must have been like when my dad took me there in 1993. 

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Our flight left Cincinnati at 6:30am. We left our house at 3am, because dads love arriving super early for flights. Dads love to beat the rush and dads love early flights because the airport is less crowded. Etc etc etc. Some cliches are true. 

One of the first things we did was walk by the White House. DC was eerily empty Saturday morning but walking along the north side of the White House a Secret Service SUV suddenly stopped and rolled down its window. “HEY!” Uh oh… “THE DAD!” Uh ohhhhhh.

Let me pause and say that my kids do not think I’m cool. Partly because nobody’s kids think their parents are cool but mostly because I am 100% absolutely positively NOT COOL. Their assessment is spot on. But this was as if I scripted a scene that attempted to convince them I am cool.

An impressive Secret Service Officer got out of the car and shook my hand. He said “We see celebrities a lot but I don’t normally stop. But THE DAD? I love your guys’ stuff.” (As contractually required I assured him our content is made by a team of talented creators and I’m basically a boring business guy at this point.)

He got his police dog out of the car and let the kids pet him, even though he’s a highly trained combat doggo.  

RITSHI FOR PREZ

My son told him his goal was to play Joe Biden in basketball. The guy said, “Wellll I don’t know how athletic he is.” (Leaned closer and lowered voice.) “Well, actually I do but I’m not allowed to say.” 

As he went back to patrolling, I gave my kids a knowing glance that asked, “Now do you think I’m cool?”

They responded with a glance back that unequivocally said, “Still nope. But the dog was cool.” Nonetheless, I am so grateful to that guy for stopping and raising my cool score from -1 to, perhaps, 0. 

Did anything similar happen on my previous trip to DC in 1993? No because my dad’s meme game was trash due to memes not existing yet.

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The rest of the day was quintessential DC tourist stuff. So go ahead and play some montage background music in your head while you glance at pics. (Star Spangled Banner is a timeless choice but I’ll also accept My Country ‘Tis of Thee.)

♫ SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY ♫

Cliche right? We even did the “Pretend to lean on the Washington Monument” pic.

NAILED IT! HAHAHA, DAD JOKES.

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Did I appreciate DC more as a dad than as a 10-year-old kid? In ways words can’t describe. I stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial realizing this is the spot where Martin Luther King Jr gave the I Have a Dream Speech. I imagined throngs of people gathered. So much happened RIGHT HERE. 

We went to Ford’s Theater, where Abraham Lincoln was shot. I imagined the what ifs. What if John Wilkes Booth DIDN’T do that? What if the gun jammed? 

Life is tenuous. All of the moments that happened, both good and bad, celebratory and tragic, have led to the present and made our reality what it is. Historic spots, monuments, museums… they are documentation of the most important moments that got us here. They’re the inspiration for living a better life and making our children’s realities more rich and full. 

I looked at my kids. Did they realize the enormity? Did they appreciate the history? My daughter said something so profound. (This is an exact quote. I wrote it down in my phone so I could get it just right.) She said, “You should be grateful to have kids like us. We’ve been up since 3am doing your crap.”

I think she gets it.

UP SINCE 3AM DOING “MY CRAP”

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In 2.5 days we walked over 60,000 steps. When we’d stop I’d say “I need to rest the ole gams.” (Gams being a funny word for legs.) This became our running joke. Because what is a family trip if not a series of inside jokes you can look back on later in life. So the theme of this trip was not historical reflection as intended, but rather “resting the gams.” When we walked through White House security for the Easter Egg Roll on our last day in DC, my son asked the Secret Service Officer, “Is this the gam resting station?” 

RESTING THEIR GAMS ON THE STEPS OF THE US CAPITOL

In 1993, we toured the inside of the White House. We couldn’t do that on this trip. Best I could offer was the South Lawn. What an amazing experience to walk the grounds. We saw the President, First Lady, the Easter Bunny, and Jimmy Fallon.  

REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT HIS POLITICS, PRETTY COOL TO BE THIS CLOSE TO THE EASTER BUNNY

My son shouted for the dancing duck to “hit the griddy!” What would the 1993 equivalent of this be? “Do the Macarena!”? Kids, hitting the griddy is just a modern version of the Macarena. Ruined the griddy. You’re welcome.

@thedad

An attempt was made @thejoelwillis #hitthegriddy

♬ original sound – The Dad

A guy in the VIP section saw a friend near us and came over to shake his hand. My son said, “Hey dude can I get one of those too?” (a handshake). The guy shook my son’s hand and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Hunter.”

MY SON’S NEW BUDDY HUNTER

True parenting media brand aficionados will appreciate this: I got to hang with Micaela Birmingham and Alison Bucalo from Scary Mommy! 

A COUPLE SCARY MOMMIES AND ONE OF THE DADS

My kids’ favorite part? A pop up concert from Sofia Carson. In true dad fashion, I didn’t know who she was (despite her 16.3M IG followers) until my daughter told me she was Evie in The Descendents. Ah yes! Chillin Like a Villain! Historic. 

@thedad

We were at the White House yesterday for the Easter Egg Roll. @Joel Willis’s son got a selfie with @SofiaCarson and his reaction (and the pic) are killing me 🤣

♬ original sound – The Dad

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I’ve exaggerated for comedic effect. My kids appreciated the history more than most would. Certainly more than I did in 1993.

As parents, we need to remind ourselves: the point of historic sightseeing with your kids is not to induce some epiphany about their unique place in history and the world; the point is to create memories with your kids that they’ll look back on and appreciate when they’re older.

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After I became a dad, when my kids were little, we invited my dad to go with us to the Wright Patterson Air Force Museum. I hadn’t been since I was a kid. Ya know what? Through adult eyes it really was fascinating. My dad won the challenge after all. 

My kids humored us and were as interested as kids can get. But they got to spend time with their grandpa. That’s what it was about all along. 

He passed away a few weeks later and that was one of the last times we saw him. I’ll be forever grateful that we took that last trip to the museum.

History isn’t only boring museums, statues, and lengthy esoteric plaques. History is personal: our family, memories, shared experiences, and inside jokes. Some fascinating, some boring. Some heroic, some tragic. That’s the stuff life is made of.

WRIGHT PATTERSON AIR FORCE MUSEUM, MARCH 12, 2016

How to talk a child? 63 funny questions

How can we support our children in their curiosity and motivate them to keep asking questions? The answer is simple: we should also ask children questions. It has long been proven that children adopt the phrases and behaviors of their parents. In addition, by asking questions, you show the child how a good question should sound.

When asking your child questions, do not limit yourself to the standard: “How was your day?” Consider interesting questions that will help to talk the child.

Questions for young children

1. If your teddy bear could talk, what would it say?

2. How do you feel when I hug you?

3. If you could draw your thoughts and feelings, what would you draw right now?

4. What do you think you will dream about tonight?

5. What sounds do you like?

6. If you could spend a whole day outside, what would you do?

7. What can be used to build the strongest tower?

8. Do you think animals talk to each other?

9. Describe the best day of your life. What are you going to do? What needs to happen to make this day special?

10. What is the best animal to ride?

11. Do you like it when other people share things with you? Why?

12. Who is your favorite fairy-tale character?

13. What will you do if you want to do something on your own, but you need adult help?

14. If each family member had a different name, what would you call them?

15. What can make you happy?

16. If you could do anything right now, what would you do?

17. If you had your own dragon, what would you name it?

18. What would you like to do with your family?

Questions for preschoolers

1. Have you ever thought about calling colors differently?

2. What is the funniest character in a book or cartoon?

3. If you had your own store, what would you sell?

4. If you were a superhero, what would your name be and what would your superpower be?

5. If you could grow any plant in your yard, what would you grow?

6. What do you like to share with people?

7. What made you smile or laugh today?

8. Imagine yourself as a chef. Tell me about your restaurant. What kind of food does it serve?

9. Where would you like to visit? How would you get there?

10. If you could ask an animal any question, what would it be?

11. What do you think is the best thing in nature?

12. If you were a photographer for one day, what would you photograph?

13. What makes you anxious?

14. Do you have any ideas for inventions?

15. Would you be interested in learning a foreign language?

16. If you could come up with a new holiday, what would it be?

17. What is the most unusual thing you have eaten in your life?

18. Come up with three new traditions for the whole world (or for aliens from another planet).

19. What rule would you set in your house?

20. What makes some people smart?

Questions for school children

1. What do you like to dream about?

2. Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know.

3. What do your friends like to do?

4. What memory makes you happy?

5. What do you expect from a new day when you wake up in the morning?

6. What is the first thing you do when you go to the beach?

7. What makes you feel brave?

8. How do you know that you are loved?

9. How do you show concern for people?

10. If you could donate 100 UAH to charity, what exactly would you donate it to?

11. If you could build any hut, how would you design it?

12. If you could write a book, what would it be about?

13. If you could come up with a new design for clothes, what would they look like?

14. What is your favorite way to help others?

15. What makes you feel grateful?

16. If you were to build a dugout in the forest, how would you equip it?

17. What makes you feel tense?

18. What character would you like to play in a play?

19. What makes your friends cool?

20. What makes you cool?

21. What are three things you want to do this summer?

22. If you had friends all over the world, how would you communicate with them?

23. If you were performing in a circus, what would your number be?

24. If you were a teacher, what would you like to teach your students?

25. If your friend asked you to keep a secret and you felt uncomfortable doing so, what would you do?

Don’t worry if your child doesn’t rush to answer your questions right away. Do not force him to answer and do not rush to move on to a new question. Allowing your child to take their time will show that you are genuinely interested in their answers, rather than automatically asking.

30 funniest questions you can ask your child coming home from school usually leave your child completely indifferent. But since you really want to know about his life outside the home, you can try to get him to talk with the following out-of-the-ordinary questions. We bring them to help all parents of schoolchildren, and at the end – instructions for use.

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1. If you could start the day over from the beginning, what would you do?

2. What would you like to forget about today?

3. If you had a camera with you, what picture would you take at school today?

4. What book is your desk mate reading now?

5. Which of your classmates would you like to become friends with?

6. Does anyone in the class have parents who work in another city? What can be done to help such a family?

7. What books are currently displayed in the book review in the school library?

8. Who suggested the most interesting game during recess?

9. Who is the best artist in your class and what interesting thing did he draw recently?

10. Who made you laugh in class today? How?

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11. Who in class made you sad today? Why?

12. Did anyone sit alone at dinner today in the canteen? What can you do if this happens again tomorrow?

13. Did anyone play alone at recess today? What can you do if this happens again tomorrow?

14. If your teacher had a large sum of money to improve the classroom, what do you think she would spend it on?

15. What kind of pet would you have in your class if it was allowed?

16. Who in your class would make the best teacher?

17. Who in your class would make the worst teacher?

18. If you had to teach a lesson tomorrow, who would you take to help?

19. What other profession did or did not suit your teacher at all?

20. What rule did you almost break today? Why didn’t you break it?

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21. What rule do you think the teacher should add? Which one to cancel?

22.