Interesting questions to ask kids: 9 Cool Questions to Ask Your Kid

120 Funny Questions to Ask Kids

Inside: When you ask your child one of these funny questions for kids, you’ll laugh together, which is one of the best ways to strengthen your bond.

As parents, our daily lives are full to the brim, if not overflowing. We pinball from cobbling together dinner with whatever’s left in the fridge, to helping with math homework, to tackling the neverending pile of laundry—and the list goes on.

That doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for connecting one-on-one with our kids and simply enjoying our time together.

And yet, if you want to nurture a loving parent-child relationship that will last into the teenage years and beyond, the time for nurturing that kind of relationship is now.

Which is why as a busy parent, I’m always on the lookout for simple ways to connect with my kids without adding to my to-do list. And one of my favorite tricks for that is to ask my kids funny questions.

Why Funny Questions Can Save the Day

Research shows that when you laugh together, you feel more connected and strengthen your relationship. ¹Suttie, J. (2017, July 17). How Laughter Brings Us Together. The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

And as you spend quality one-on-one time with your child, laughter is sure to bubble up before too long.

But when you’re short on time—and let’s be honest, patience—you can’t exactly flip a switch and manufacture a Fun-Filled Family Moment™ on the spot.

The good news? Even if you don’t have time to stop and play with your child, you can always ask a funny question on the way to or from school, during a meal like dinner, or anytime you find yourself in the same space for more than 60 seconds.

The shared laughter will make you feel closer, plus the conversation will support your child’s language development. Researchers have discovered that regularly having back-and-forth conversations with your child builds their vocabulary, improves their reasoning skills, and literally grows their brain. ²Walsh, B. (2018, February 14). The Brain-Changing Power of Conversation. Harvard Graduate School of Education.

How This List Is Different

You can search “funny questions to ask kids” and find a gabazillion lists already out there. But as you start reading through the questions, you’ll discover pretty soon that those questions clearly haven’t been tested with real, actual kids.

I know this because I did test those other lists with my four kids, whose ages range from preschooler to teenager. And a good number of the questions resulted in blank stares, shrugs, and eye rolls. Questions like, “What color would you paint your room?” and “What’s your favorite food to put ketchup on?” will at best give you bland one-word answers and certainly won’t elicit giggles.

So I put together a new tried-and-true list of funny questions to ask kids that will actually get them (and you!) laughing. I’ve been keeping this running list for several years, and today I’m sharing it with you so that you can experience the pure comedic gold that will come out of your child’s mouth.

Related: 100 Non-Boring Questions for Kids to Get Them Talking {Printable}

120 Funny Questions to Ask Kids for Guaranteed Giggles

These funny questions for kids are one of my favorite shortcuts to help me quickly connect with my kids. Because these questions are so silly and off-the-wall, they lead to shared giggles and sometimes all-out guffaws.

But my favorite part of these fun questions isn’t even the moment of connection, although those warm fuzzies are undeniable.

What I love best about asking my kids these funny questions is that for a couple minutes, I get to see the world through their eyes. And that fresh perspective fills me with a sense of awe and reminds me how lucky I am to spend my days with these special little humans.

When you want to connect (quickly!) with your child, even when you’re busy, ask one of these funny questions for kids. Not only will their answers put a smile on your face, but you’ll delight in hearing how their mind works.

But First, a Quick Heads Up

Most kids don’t appreciate feeling like they’re put on the spot to perform like circus animals for the benefit of the surrounding adults. Plus, a conversation where everyone’s contributing is more fun anyway.

And so after your child answers one of these funny questions, consider answering the question yourself as well so that it feels like a conversation and not an interrogation.

Also, keep in mind that every child is different. Your child might not laugh out loud at every question, and that’s okay. What matters is that you’re taking the time to connect with them and listen to their thoughts and opinions. If any of these questions turns out to be a dud for your family, just move onto the next question.

Pro tip: Any time one of your child’s answers tickles your funny bone, you can jot down the question and answer in a journal or a notes app for safekeeping. Then later on down the road, you can reread them to reminisce—either alone or together as a family. As an alternative, if your child is okay with it, you can take a quick video of them answering a question or two so that you’ll always have that snapshot of your shared moment of fun.

All-Around Funny Questions

Here are the best overall funny questions to ask kids because they work in just about any situation and with a wide variety of ages. When you need a good laugh, these open-ended questions are a sure bet.

^† This site is reader-supported. When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

1. What’s the funniest thing somebody did or said today?
2. If you could eat only one food for an entire year, what would you choose?
   • Alternative: If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
3. What’s the funniest joke you know?
   • Side note: If you discover that your child doesn’t know many jokes, these two joke books are our favorites, and they’re both super inexpensive: Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids^† and Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids. And if you like those, this author has a ton of joke books for even more ideas!
4. If you could change your name to anything, what would your new name be? (Or would you leave it?)
5. If you could stay up all night, what would you do?
6. If somebody from another planet came to Earth, what would they think of our world?
7. If you had three wishes, what would they be?
8. If you buried a treasure chest, what would you put in it?
9. What is the most annoying noise in the world?
10. If people could see inside you, what would they see?
11. If you could be anything for Halloween, what would you be?
12. If you had an extra room in your home, what would you use it for?
13. If you could create one law that everybody on Earth had to follow, what would it be?
14. What’s the grossest thing you’ve ever seen?
15. If you were a superhero with one superpower, what would it be? Fun follow-ups:
    • What would your superhero name be?
    • What would your weakness be? (Maybe cake?)

16. What’s the silliest face you can make?
17. If you had a secret hideout, what would you hide there?
18. If you won $1000, what would you do with it?
19. If you had to enter a talent show, what would your talent be?
20. What’s something grown-ups do that doesn’t make sense?
    • Alternative: What’s something grown-ups do that’s weird?
21. If you could make one new rule for our family, what would it be?
22. What’s one thing you think mom or dad is afraid of?
23. What’s something that mom or dad always says?
24. What do you think mom or dad does after you go to bed?
25. If you wanted to make everyone in our family laugh, what would you do?
26. What’s the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?
27. What’s the funniest movie you’ve ever seen?
    • Alternative: What’s the funniest book you’ve ever read?
28. If you could ask your future self one thing, what would you ask?
29. What’s your favorite smell in the whole world?
30. What’s the grossest food you’ve ever tried? (Pop-tart-marshmallow-M&M-syrup-spaghetti, anyone?)

31. What would be the most annoying part of being a grown-up?
32. If you met your favorite famous person, what would you do or say?
    • If you already know their favorite famous person, ask the question with their name inserted.
33. If you were invisible, where would you go and what would you do?
34. If you wrote a book, what would it be about?
35. What’s the funniest sound you can make?
36. If you were trying to make me smile/laugh, what would you do?
37. If you could change one thing about your school, what would you change?
38. What’s the worst smell in the world?
39. What’s one thing that used to be cool but isn’t cool anymore?
40. Do you remember what you dreamed about last night?
41. What’s something I do that makes you laugh?
42. What’s one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?
    • This works best if you make it more specific. For example, for a 10-year-old, you might ask: What’s one thing you wish you could tell your 5-year-old self?

Photo by Caroline Hernandez

Funny Questions About Animals

For kids who love animals, here are a few funny questions that will be right up their alley.

1. If you could be any animal, what animal would you be? Why?
2. If you had a pet parrot, what’s the first phrase you’d teach it to say?
3. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would you choose?
4. If you woke up one morning and you’d turned into a bear/dolphin/elephant/insert favorite animal, what would you do?
5. If your pet could talk, what would they say?
6. If you could combine two animals to make a new one, what would you combine? What would you call it?
7. If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be? Why?

Silly Questions for Kids

Asking these silly questions for kids might get your child giggling even before they answer. These questions tap into your child’s imagination, and their creative answers might surprise you!

1. What would be the absolute worst name in the world to have?
2. If you could be any cartoon character for one day, who would you be? Why?
   • If your child doesn’t watch cartoons, you can change this to any fictional character—video game, movie, television, or Disney character.
3. What’s a weird combination of foods you’d be willing to try? Ketchup and banana? Syrup on mac and cheese?
4. Would you rather live in a castle, on a boat, or on a cloud?
5. If you could swap places with mom or dad for a day, what would you do?
6. If you had to take a bath in something besides water, what would you choose?
   • If your child takes showers instead, change the question to “If you had to take a shower…”
7. If you had a time machine that could travel to the future, what would you do there?
8. If you could add any word to the dictionary, what would it be, and what would it mean?
9. If there are aliens on other planets, what do you think they look like?
10. If you could build the perfect ice cream sundae and add any toppings in the world—candy, sprinkles, hot fudge, anything—what would you add?
11. If we left on vacation but you stayed home alone, what’s the first thing you’d do?
12. If you were in space and there was no gravity, what would be the hardest part?
13. If you could choose any one of your toys to come to life, which one would you choose? Why?
14. If you got to design a new Disney/amusement park ride, what would it be like?
15. If you found out your parents were secretly spies, what would you do?
16. If you found out your home was built on quicksand and you had to move immediately but you only had time to grab three things, what would you take with you?
17. If you woke up one morning and you’d magically turned into a grown-up, what’s the first thing you’d do?
18. If you were hired to invent the next dance craze, what would your dance look like?
    • Feel free to demonstrate famous dances as part of the question, like the Macarena!
19. If you had a pet monster, what would you teach it to do?
20. If you discovered your home was haunted by a ghost, what would you do?
21. If you could have a secret passage from your room to anywhere, where would it go? And what would the secret door look like?
22. If you were President for a day, what’s the first thing you’d do?
23. If you could create a new holiday, what would it be? How would you celebrate?
24. If you could build a robot to do anything, what would you make it do?
25. If you could live inside any movie but you had to be the villain, which movie would you choose?
    • Alternative: If you could live inside any book or fairy tale but you had to be the villain, which would you choose?
26. If you had to enter an eating competition, which food could you eat the most of?
    • Follow-up: How many could you eat without getting sick?
27. If you could give Mommy/Daddy/sister/brother a nickname and everyone had to call them that name for the rest of their life, what would you call them?
28. If you found a magic beanstalk and knew you could climb it to get a huge bag of gold, but you had to get past a grumpy giant, what would you do?
29. If you were a ghost, who would you haunt? Why?
30. If you woke up tomorrow and discovered you had a clone, what would you have it do?
31. When you’re a grandma or a grandpa one day, what will you do with your grandkid to have fun with them?
32. What does the Tooth Fairy do with all those teeth?
33. If you could stay one age for the rest of your life, what age would you be? Why?

Photo by Cole Keister

Questions to Get the Wiggles Out

Many of the funny questions for kids in this section will get your child moving their body in response. Perfect for active kids!

1. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
2. Can you wink? (If they can wink with one eye, ask them to do the other!)
3. Can you pat your head while you rub your belly?
4. Can you flare your nostrils?
5. How fast can you run?
6. Can you do an evil laugh?
7. Can you whistle?
8. Can you go a full minute without blinking?
9. Can you talk in a British/French/etc accent?
10. Can you hula hoop?
11. Can you talk with your tongue sticking out?
12. Can you wiggle your ears?
13. Can you talk like a pirate?
14. Can you juggle? (If you have bean bags or clementines on hand, those are perfect!)
15. Can you roll your tongue?
16. How high can you jump?
17. Can you yodel?
18. Can you kiss your knees?
19. Can you do a cartwheel?
    • Warning: If you decide to join your child on this one, be careful. I threw my back out trying to get in touch with my inner child!
20. Can you do a headstand? What about a handstand?
21. Can you raise one eyebrow?
22. Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?
23. Can you talk without moving your lips?
24. Can you do a pull-up?
25. Can you put your leg behind your head?
26. Can you jump rope?
27. Can you lick your elbow?
28. Can you do the splits?
29. Can you touch your toes to your nose?
30. Can you say a tongue twister 10 times in a row? A few examples:
    • She sells seashells by the seashore.
    • A proper copper coffee pot.
    • The sheep on the ship slipped on the sheet of sleet.

Potty Humor Questions

Different families feel differently about potty humor. But if that area of comedy is fair game in your family, here are a few funny questions for kids about just that.

1. If a unicorn farts, what does it smell like?
2. What would be the worst place to get the urge to poop?
3. What food would make the worst smelling farts?
4. Can you make yourself burp?
5. What’s the best way to get rid of the smell in the bathroom after you poop?
6. What’s your worst memory of throwing up?
7. What’s your favorite way to pass the time while you’re pooping?
8. You’re on the toilet, and you reach for the toilet paper but it’s all gone. What do you do?

Bonus: When to Ask These Funny Questions for Kids

Ask your child one (or more!) of these silly questions for kids any time you want to connect and laugh together. Here are a few specific situations that work well:

• Ask one of these questions when you’re in the car together, like as you’re driving your child to or from school, when you’re running errands, or on a road trip.
• When you find yourself in a situation where you’re stuck waiting like at the doctor’s office or at a restaurant, ask a couple of these questions to help pass the time and keep your child entertained.
• Pick a question or two to ask your child at dinner every night, then take turns answering the question.
• If you have a weekly tradition like family game nights or family movie nights, kick off the event with a question or two from this list. For game night, these questions work great as fillers when you’re in between games or when someone’s in the kitchen popping more popcorn!

Want More Awesome Questions?

For an everyday peek inside our children’s hearts, we keep our favorite set of family conversation starters in a mason jar on the kitchen counter. That way, it’s ready to go for the times we need an extra dose of connection.

We use these questions every night with our kids, and they’ve been a game-changer, helping us end every day feeling connected, loved, and happy. Click here to get your own set.

Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear

Your Turn

What are your favorite funny questions to ask kids? Share in a comment below!

• 1

  Suttie, J. (2017, July 17). How Laughter Brings Us Together. The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

• 2

  Walsh, B. (2018, February 14). The Brain-Changing Power of Conversation. Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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33 Questions to Ask kids and Get Them Talking — Greensprings School

Sometimes, trying to connect with your child isn’t easy. A favourite TV show or mobile game can often seem more interesting to him or her than what you have to say. So, the most you might get out of questions you ask could be one-word replies. If this happens frequently, then you should probably change your strategy.  Even for kids who tend to be talkative, there are a lot of important things they don’t say. 

The point of asking kids certain questions is to get them to open up about issues that might be bothering or affecting them or just simply to bond and learn more about what’s going on in their lives. Finding the right questions to ask kids can help you have meaningful conversations with them and get to know them better. 

Reasons Why it’s Important to Ask Kids Questions

As a parent, you might believe you know everything there is about your kids. You might spend more time lecturing and telling them what to do without trying to learn about what they might be going through or seeing things from their perspective. If you spend time asking your kids questions, there’s a lot you’ll learn about them and even understand why they behave a certain way or say certain things. 

• Questions create room for conversation

Whether you’re at the dining table or in the car heading somewhere, questions can get your kids talking and create room for conversations that you otherwise might not have if you never ask a question.

• Questions help you learn more about your kids

There are things that happen in your kids lives that they may not spontaneously talk about except you prompt them to. That’s one reason why these questions to ask kids are important. Questions help you learn about different aspects of your kids lives beyond favourite food or who their best friends are. 

• Questions help you determine how your child interprets the world

Can you tell if your child is empathetic or if he or she picks on other kids? How would your child react to someone who is “fat” or perceived as ugly to someone who is beautiful? Asking questions can help you determine how your child sees the world and you can identify things about his or her perspective to address or correct if need be.  

• Questions support your child’s learning 

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, asking children questions supports their language development and critical thinking. Asking questions can also help motivate your child to be more curious about something that might have happened during their day and as neurological studies have shown, curiosity makes the brain more receptive for learning. 

How to Ask Kids Questions the Right Way

Essentially, there are no right questions or wrong answers, but when you are considering questions to ask kids, here are a few things to aim for:

• Ask open-ended questions

When you ask questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” it will be difficult to keep the conversation going. Instead, ask questions that will prompt your kids to talk a bit more. For example, rather than asking “Did you have fun at school today?” you should consider asking “What interesting thing happened at school today?”

• Keep the questions simple

It can be tough to move beyond the typical “How was your day?” or “How was school today?” especially when you have kids who are not very talkative. In this case, try asking something that is still simple, but a bit different. 

• Don’t be pushy

Sometimes, your kids may not be in the mood to talk or the timing might just not be right. Be conscious about this and avoid forcing them to talk or open up at that time. Give them room to talk about what they want to, while following up with “Why” or “Tell me more about that” or even a simple “I’m glad you shared that with me.” 

• Be casual about it

Opening up to parents can be a bit uncomfortable for kids. So instead of calling a special question and answer session, try using activities like riding bikes or taking a walk together as opportunities to start conversations with different questions.

• Be mindful of your reactions and responses

This is not the time to criticise, scold or over-lecture your child about something he or she tells you. It is also not the time to be replying messages or be absent-minded. Focus on whatever your child is telling you, then respond with love and empathy. This will help win your child’s trust and make your child feel safe sharing things with you.  

Questions to Ask Kids That Will Get Them Talking

If you want to do away with awkward silences or avoid one-word answers, here are some questions to ask kids to get them talking about different things from school to friends or personal interests. Try following up with “Why?” “How does that make you feel?” or “Tell me more about that” if you want to keep the conversation going. 

Questions to ask kids to get them talking about interests or aspirations

#1. What do you want to be when you grow up?

#2. If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?

#3. If you could change one thing about the world, what would you change?

#4. If you could be someone famous for a week, who would you be?

#5. What do you like most about yourself?

#6. What is the one thing you think you can’t live without?

#7.  What are you interested in learning how to do?

#8. Do you prefer reading books or watching movies? Why?

Questions to ask kids to get them talking about their day

#9. What was the best part of your day?

#10. What was your least favourite activity?

#11. Who did you make smile or laugh today?

#12. Who made you happy or sad today?

#13. Can you tell me something that happened today that you normally wouldn’t talk about?

#14. What is your favourite day of the week?

#15. Was there a time you felt afraid or alone? 

Questions to ask kids to get them talking about school

#16. What’s the hardest part about school?

#17. What was your favourite part of your school day?

#18. What subject is the easiest for you?

#19. Are there any times you feel left out?

#20. What questions did you ask your teacher today?

#21. What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

#22. How would you rate your day on a scale of 1-10? Why?

#23.  Who did you sit with at lunch?

Questions to ask kids to get to know them better

#24. Do you think it’s more important to be rich or kind? Why?

#25. If someone gave you N5000, what would you do with it?

#26. What 3 items would you grab if our house was on fire?

#27. What is the best gift you have ever received? 

#28. What’s your biggest dream that you wish would come true?

#29. What have your friends been up to lately?

#30. How do you show people you care about them?

#31. If you could have anything in the world, what would you want?

#32. If you could go back in time, where would you travel to?

#33. What do you think it means to be a good friend?

As a parent, it is important to ask your children questions from time to time. These questions will help you catch up on what’s going on in their lives and also strengthen your relationship with them. As you consider these questions to ask kids, keep in mind that the chances of them sharing more openly will depend on catching them at the right moment and also asking interesting questions. However, even at a time when you might run out of questions, here’s one you should never forget to ask “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

Related posts:

How to get children’s attention by asking interesting questions

This is our parenting phase with our children, there are always moments of reflection that make us discuss what our communication with them might be like. Our topic or dialogue with our children or teenagers can change from generation to generation, and this is Even the smallest can create convergence points.

We must find a useful way to ask our children interesting questions. either in a way that doesn’t bother them and that gives us strategic information so we can reach know what’s inside your inner world . It is also a way of expressing our point of view by harmoniously trying this dialogue and thus creating this dialogue. pleasant homely atmosphere.

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Index

• 1 Interesting questions to get your child’s attention
  • 1.1 Daily questions
  • 1.2 Interesting questions
• 2 Tips for having a great conversation with your child

Interesting questions to get your child’s attention

Daily questions that can create that atmosphere