Questions to ask your 5 year old: 101 Fun Questions To Ask a 5 Year Old

Опубликовано: March 25, 2020 в 10:12 am

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101 Fun Questions To Ask a 5 Year Old

These questions to ask a 5 year old are perfect if you want to get them talking and expressing themselves much more than they are.

We’ve included funny questions to ask a 5 year old, some serious ones and others that focus on what they like and don’t like.

All of this is designed to encourage them to open up and express themselves and how they see the world. Kids are full of opinions and these questions are designed to help them express them.

Our list of fun questions to ask a 5 year old will lead to some fruitful and engaging conversations with kids, whether you’re a parent or an adult.

Questions To Ask A 5 Year Old List

  1. If you could have any animal as a pet, which one would you choose?

2. Do you think it would be more fun to be Batman or Superman? Why?

3. If you could eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?

4. Who’s your favorite Marvel superhero?

5. What makes the best fort?

6. Which animal do you think would be a good driver?

7. Where’s the best place to hide during a game of hide and seek?

8. Would you rather have tentacles for arms or tree trunks for legs?

9. Do you think it would be fun to be a wizard?

10. Which one of the Disney princesses is your favorite?


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11. If you had a pet dinosaur, what would you call it?

12. If your toys could talk, what do you think they would say?

13. What’s the best thing about nature?

14. What do you think makes someone smart?

15. If you could be a superhero, what would you call yourself?

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16. Would you rather be as fast as a leopard, or as strong as an ox?

17. What foreign language would you love to be able to speak?

18. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

19. What’s the best thing about your parents?

20. If you made the rules at home, what would be your first new rule?

21. Would you rather get in trouble with your parents or your teacher?

22. If you could be any animal, what would you be?

23. If your favorite toy could talk, what would it say?

24. What do you want to be when you grow up?

25. What do you think is the best thing about being a grown up?

26. If you could trade places with anyone for the day, who would it be?

27. If you had $100, what would you spend it on?

28. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned at school?

29. If you could design a t-shirt, what would you draw on it?

30. What’s the worst smell in the world?

Next: Never have I ever questions for kids

31. If you could wake up tomorrow with a superpower, what superpower would it be?

32. If you found a magic lamp with a genie inside, what three things would you wish for?

33. If you had a parrot, what would you teach it to say?

34. If you could change the color of your house, what color would you change it to?

35. What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen?

36. If you could invent something to make your life easier, what would you invent?

37. What made you smile today?

38. What’s your favorite part of the day?

39. What’s the best fact you know?

40. If you found a time machine, would you go back in time or into the future?

41. If you swapped place with your teacher tomorrow, what subject would you teach the class?

42. Would you rather become five years older or two years younger?

43. If you could give yourself a new name, what would it be?

44. What do you think is the best job in the world?

45. What’s your favorite meal?

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46. If you could combine two animals to make a new one, which two animals would you combine?

47. Would you rather go bowling or watch go and watch a movie?

48. If you could put anything on top of a pizza, what would it be?

49. What’s the nicest thing one of your friends has done for you?

50. What’s your favorite sport to play?

51. Which animal do you think is the coolest?

52. Who do you think would win in a fight between a gorilla and a polar bear?

53. If you could visit any country in the world, which one would it be?

54. If you could travel to the moon on a rocket, would you go?

55. Would you rather have a parrot or a lizard as a pet?

56. What musical instrument would you love to play?

57. If you could teleport to any place in the world, where would you go?

58. Do you prefer cats or dogs?

59. What’s your favorite dinosaur?

60. What’s the best way to show someone you love them?

Next: Open-ended questions for kids

61. Would you rather eat candy or cake?

62. If you could decide what breakfast you ate, what would you eat?

63. What’s the one vegetable you never want to eat again?

64. If you had a secret base, where would it be and what would be inside it?

65. If you were the leader of your country for the day, what’s the first thing you’d do?

66. Would you rather spend the night in a cemetery or a haunted house?

67. What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

68. What’s the strangest dream you’ve ever had?

69. If you could be any Pokemon, which one would you be?

70. If you could give all your toys away, who would you give them to?

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71. What makes you happy?

72. If you were enrolled at Hogwarts, what house would you like to be sorted into?

73. How old do you think Mommy/Daddy is?

74. What’s your favorite cartoon?

75. How many stars do you think there are in our galaxy?

76. Why do you go to sleep at night and not in the morning?

77. If you had to spend the whole day outside, what would you do?

78. If you opened a restaurant, what would you call it?

79. What’s your favorite insect?

80. What would happen if a vampire bit a werewolf?

Next: Get to know you questions for kids

81. What’s your favorite book?

82. What do you look forward to the most when you wake up?

83. Do you prefer to go to the beach or an amusement park?

84. Do you think it would be fun to live in a treehouse?

85. Do you prefer summer or winter?

86. Why did the chicken cross the road?

87. What are you scared of?

88. At what age do you become an adult?

89. If you could live in outer space or underwater, which would you prefer?

90. What do you think Santa does for the rest of the year when it’s not Christmas?

91. Do you think it would be fun to be a pirate?

92. What’s your favorite day of the week?

93. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

94. Do you think aliens exist?

95. Do you think ghosts ever get scared when they see humans?

96. What one thing would you change about school?

97. What’s the best way to deal with your feelings when you’re angry?

98. If you could meet one famous person, who would it be and why?

99. What’s your favorite subject at school?

100. What’s your favorite game to play with your parents?

101. Do you think your birthday or Christmas is the better day?

Looking For More Questions?

Questions to ask toddlers – If your children are under 5 years old, these questions are perfect to ask.

Fun questions for kids – Have some fun with your kids with these questions.

100+ Questions To Ask Kids That’ll Get You Better Answers Than Just ‘Fine’

Parenting

by Karen Belz

Updated: 

Originally Published: 

Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

When you think about questions to ask kids, you might need to tap into your own childhood a little bit. Think back to when you were growing up and had to interact with adults. What questions made you feel included in the conversation? Which ones were a pain to answer? That said, not everyone has a memory they can cling to from way back when. And even if you do, it can still be intimidating to think up questions to ask kids. But if you’re a parent — or an aunt or uncle — it’s good to have a few ideas in mind. The more you talk to kids, the better they’ll feel about speaking to adults. And, the more you ask, the more they’ll feel as if they’re valued.

Even if you don’t have much in common with your 5-year-old, they’re still in the midst of a crucial moment of growth. The world from their eyes is fascinating, and the observations they’ll share are a reminder that there’s still plenty of good in the world.

Fortunately, there are plenty of questions to ask kids to get to know them better — after all, kids have such distinct personalities. There’s a possibility your kids are into hobbies or shows you’re not even aware of or that they have fears you didn’t realize they had. The possibilities are sort of endless, so asking is always beneficial!

Here are some questions to ask kids that’ll help you start a truly rewarding conversation.

Fun Questions to Ask Kids

  1. If you can be anything in the world, what would you be?
  2. What’s your favorite superpower?
  3. What vegetable do you like the most?
  4. What vegetable do you like the least?
  5. What’s something funny that happened today?
  6. What’s the best joke you’ve ever heard?
  7. Where’s your favorite place to go?
  8. What book do you like the most?
  9. What book do you like the least?
  10. Who’s the funniest person you know?
  11. Which cartoon character would you love to be your friend in real life?
  12. How do you top your hamburger?
  13. Do you prefer crayons, markers, or colored pencils?
  14. What kind of M&Ms are the best?
  15. Who is your favorite fictional dog?
  16. If you could be an animal for a day, what would you choose?
  17. What television character do you admire, and why?
  18. What friend makes you smile?
  19. Would you rather live at the zoo or live at the mall?
  20. What was something kind you did today?
  21. Which pizza topping is best?
  22. Which pizza topping will you never try?
  23. What food did you think you wouldn’t like but ended up loving?
  24. What’s your least favorite food of all time?
  25. What’s the funniest food combination you can think of?
  26. What activity would you love to learn?
  27. What’s your hidden talent?
  28. If you could be any desert, what would you be?
  29. If you had to choose to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  30. If you could spend the day with any cartoon character, who would it be?
  31. Who is your favorite YouTuber?
  32. Show me your favorite TikTok dance?
  33. If you could ride any dinosaur, what would it be?
  34. Would you rather be a superhero or a wizard?
  35. Would you rather watch fireworks or go to a circus performance?
  36. Would you rather have long hair like Rapunzel or be blue like Smurfette?
  37. Would you rather understand what animals say or have them understand what you say?
  38. If you were a book/movie, what would your title be?
  39. If you could become any cartoon character for one day, who would you be?

Questions to Ask Kids to Get to Know Them

  1. What’s your favorite color?
  2. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
  3. Who is your favorite Disney princess?
  4. Who is your favorite Disney sidekick?
  5. Who is your favorite superhero?
  6. What song is your favorite to sing?
  7. What was the first movie you saw in theaters?
  8. If you can have any animal as a pet, what would you choose?
  9. What made you sad today?
  10. What’s your favorite outfit to wear?
  11. What’s your happiest memory?
  12. What place in the world would you love to travel to?
  13. When were you the most scared?
  14. What’s your favorite thing to do when you visit your grandparents?
  15. Which stuffed animal or toy is your favorite?
  16. If a friend was being mean to you, how would you respond?
  17. How do you calm yourself down when you get upset?
  18. What’s your go-to favorite snack?
  19. How did you meet your best friend?
  20. What’s your favorite playground activity?
  21. What meal do your parents make that makes you excited for dinner?
  22. Who is your favorite celebrity?
  23. If you were president, what rules would you make?

Questions to Ask Kids About School

  1. Which teacher has been your favorite?
  2. If you could give your teacher a nickname, what would it be?
  3. Who had the best lunch today?
  4. What was your favorite part of the day?
  5. What does your dream lunch at school look like?
  6. What’s the best lunch or snack that the cafeteria offers?
  7. What’s your favorite thing about your teacher?
  8. What did you play at recess?
  9. If you could choose anyone to sit next to in class, who would it be?
  10. What kind of school supplies do you have?
  11. Did you make any new friends today?
  12. What was the best school trip you ever went on?
  13. Which school assembly was the most memorable?
  14. What did someone else do for you that was helpful?
  15. Was there a moment when you felt confused about something?
  16. What was something funny you learned today?
  17. What was the hardest subject today?
  18. Are you anxious about any tests or quizzes ahead?
  19. Do you need any help with homework?
  20. What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
  21. What did you read at school today?
  22. Who did you sit next to at lunch today?
  23. What did you do today that made you feel proud?
  24. What is something you want to do at school before summer comes?
  25. If you could switch places with any teacher in your school, who would it be?
  26. If you were the teacher, what would you teach the class?

Question of the Day for Kids

  1. If any actor can play you in a movie, who would it be?
  2. What’s your favorite candy of all time?
  3. What type of holiday cookie is your favorite?
  4. What’s your favorite TV show?
  5. What is the best chip?
  6. What’s the best kind of soup?
  7. Who is your hero?
  8. If you have a YouTube channel, what would it be called?
  9. What’s your favorite thing about your best friend?
  10. What’s the funniest joke you can think of?
  11. If you could meet one celebrity, who would it be?
  12. What’s your favorite planet?
  13. What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?
  14. What band or singer do you want to see live?
  15. What’s your favorite chore?

This article was originally published on

125+ Fun Questions to Ask Your Kids to Get Them Talking

Looking for insightful, imaginative, and funny questions to ask your kids? Look no further! These 125+ questions will help your family bond as you learn things about your kids you might not have known.

How recently has your child told you what their favorite song is?

Or have you wondered how they would describe their perfect day?

There’s so much going on inside those young minds that we don’t always get to see. But a few key questions could provide insight into our child’s imagination, personality, likes, and dislikes.

But with our busy lives, it can be difficult to slow down and find a way to begin these conversations. After all, most kids – especially older ones – would roll their eyes if out of the blue we asked them: “What was the high point and low point of your day today?”

Which is why creating a small tradition of asking questions – at dinnertime, in the car, or whenever there’s downtime – can help.

And don’t forget that your kids are curious about you too. They’d probably be delighted to hear what you loved about the neighborhood you grew up in. And it can be empowering to hear your answer to the question “What’s your biggest fear?”.

Below are 125+ open-ended questions to ask your kids. In doing so, you’re bound to learn more about your child and them about you.

Want an easy way to turn these questions into a fun family activity? My Family Conversation Starters contain 125 questions on colorful cards. Click here to learn more and grab your own.

Questions that encourage kids to dream

Kids have the wildest imaginations. Learning what they dream about provides a window into their personality. Here are questions – some out-there and others more based in potential reality – that encourage kids to dream.

  • If you were given one million dollars what would you do with it?
  • If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?
  • If you could spend the day with anyone in the world (past or present) who would it be?
  • If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
  • If our pets could talk what would they say?
  • If you could be on any TV show or YouTube channel which would it be and why?
  • If you could be any animal which would you be?
  • If you could create a new holiday what would it be?
  • If you could be invisible for a day what would you do?
  • If you could give every person in the world a gift, what would it be?
  • If you could grow up to be famous, what would you be famous for?
  • If you could travel back in time three years what advice would you give yourself?
  • If money wasn’t a factor, how would you live your life differently?
  • What do you imagine your first day or college will look like?
  • If aliens offered you a ride on their spaceship, which two friends would you take?
  • If you had $5000 to design a custom treehouse, what would you include?
  • If you could be any flavor of ice cream, what would you be and why?
  • If you could have any three wishes granted, what would they be?
  • What are you excited to do when you’re a grown-up?
  • What rule will you have as an adult for your home?
  • If you could be the teacher tomorrow, how would you do things?
  • If you could give $100 to a charity, which would you choose? Why?
  • If you could, what two animals would you combine?
  • If you could trade lives with anyone for a day, who would you switch with and why?
  • If there was a cartoon zombie apocalypse, which two of your friends would survive?
  • How would you describe a perfect day?
  • Who’s someone that you’d like to be friends with from history, and why?
  • If we have a private airplane to take us on vacation right now, where would you want to go?
  • If you had a robot what would you make it do?
  • If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live?
  • If you were stuck on an island what three things would you bring with you?
  • Which dragons are your favorite?
  • If a genie granted you a single wish what would you wish for?
  • If you could be anyone in Harry Potter who would you be?

Insightful questions for kids

Ever wonder what your child would do if they won the lottery? Or would they be fearless enough to go skydiving? These questions are ones parents may not typically ask their kids but they provide insight into children’s personality.

  • Would you ever go skydiving?
  • Where do you imagine yourself in five years?
  • Where would you go on your perfect vacation? Who would you take with you?
  • What’s one of your biggest fears?
  • If you could be any age what age would you be and why?
  • What’s your first memory?
  • If you could plan the perfect day what would you do?
  • Is there something you wish you could do better than you currently do?
  • What was the high point and low point of your day today?
  • Which objects do you associate with your parents or grandparents?
  • What’s your biggest challenge right now?
  • What’s special about the neighborhood you grew up in or the one you live in now?
  • Are you saving for anything right now?
  • What are three things you’re grateful for?
  • If you could create a new family tradition, what would it be?
  • What are you looking forward to next year?
  • What was your biggest accomplishment this week?
  • If you were a teacher at school, what rules would you make?
  • What do you think is different about life now compared to when your parents were kids?
  • What are some ways we could help people this week?
  • If you could choose any name in the world what would it be?
  • If you could have any job in the world what would it be?
  • If you could have any pet in the world what would you choose?
  • If one of your toys were to come alive, like in Toy Story, which would like it be?
  • Who is the person you wish you saw more often?
  • If you could keep only one object what would it be?
  • Would you rather eat a worm or a grasshopper?
  • If you could create your own ice cream flavor what would it be called?
  • What’s the best meal you’ve had at a restaurant?
  • If you could eat any meal for dinner what would you eat?
  • What do you feel are the most important things for living a happy life?
  • Do you prefer a shower or a bath?
  • What’s one thing that you’re afraid of?
  • What’s one achievement you’re proud of?
  • Do you believe money can or can’t buy happiness?
  • Would you rather live in the country or the city? Why?
  • What are some kind things we could do for people this week?
  • What was your last dream about?
  • If you could make a movie, what would it be about?
  • Do you think roller coasters are fun or scary?
  • How old do you think your parents are?
  • Do you have any new jokes to share?
  • What’s one thing that made you happy today?
  • If you could rate your day on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate today?
  • How were you brave today?
  • What’s the funniest word you know?
  • What was the most challenging rule to follow today?
  • If you could change one thing about this week, what would it be?
  • What did you do today that made your brain work hard?
  • What’s one thing you did today that was helpful?
  • Did anyone do something nice for you today?
  • Is there any person in your class that feels like your exact opposite?
  • Who did you enjoy talking with most at school this week?
  • What’s something you wish would have gone differently today?
  • What’s something good that happened today?
  • If you could give everyone in your family new names, what would they be?
  • What’s the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning?
  • What’s something you’d like to learn how to do?
  • When you’re having a bad day, who or what helps you feel better?
  • What’s one thing you don’t understand about grown-ups?
  • If you could give your sibling one present (no matter what the cost) wht would you give?
  • What’s one thing you are thankful for today?
  • What do you think you will remember the most about Mom and Dad when you grow up?
  • What do you wish we knew about you?
  • Who’s the kindest person you know? Why do you feel this way?
  • If you could know one thing about your future, what would it be?
  • What do you love doing with your Mom/Dad/sibling the most?
  • Who did you say “thank you” to today and why?
  • What made you smile today?
  • What could we do together tomorrow if there were no TVs, computers, or phones allowed?
  • What do you want to ask as “the question of the day” today?
  • What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
  • Where’s your favorite place to read?
  • If you could do anything for your birthday what would you do?
  • If you had a pet dragon what would you name it?
  • Who do you consider to be a good friend?
  • If you could be any cartoon character which would you be?
  • What’s the grossest thing you’ve ever eaten?
  • If you could choose a nickname for yourself what would it be?
  • What’s the funniest joke you’ve every heard?
  • If you could live anywhere for the rest of your life where would it be?
  • What’s your favorite trick?
  • Are you someone who hates spiders or doesn’t mind them?
  • If you were given the chance to travel to the moon would you?
  • If you were given the opportunity to assign yourself homework what would it be?
  • If you were the principal of your school what would you change?
  • Would you rather have a tall neck like a giraffe or a long nose like an elephant?

Like or dislike questions for kids

While most parents know which vegetables their children definitely don’t like. It isn’t often that we’ve heard them talk about what their favorite room in the house is, for example. Find out what your kids like and dislike with these questions.

  • What’s your favorite season of the year? Why?
  • What’s the best book you’ve ever read?
  • If you could only listen to three songs all the time what would they be?
  • What movie could you watch over and over and not get sick of?
  • What’s your favorite movie?
  • What’s your favorite meal?
  • What’s your favorite day or the week?
  • What’s your favorite time of day and why?
  • What’s one of your most loved things? Why?
  • What do you like most about your school or job?
  • What are your favorite ice cream flavors?
  • What’s your favorite thing about our family?
  • What’s your favorite activity that we do together as a family?
  • What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer?
  • What’s your favorite thing to do outside?
  • What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter?
  • What’s your favorite holiday and why?
  • What’s your favorite room in our home?
  • What are your favorite books of all time?
  • Do you like cats or dogs better? Why?
  • What’s your favorite song?
  • What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
  • What’s your most favorite gift of all time and why?
  • What’s your favorite shape of noodle?
  • What’s your favorite song to sing?
  • What’s your favorite card or board game?
  • What’s your favorite dessert?
  • What’s your favorite family tradition?
  • What’s your favorite day of the week?
  • What’s your favorite animal?
  • What’s your favorite TV show?
  • What is your favorite outfit?
  • What’s your favorite color?
  • What’s your favorite planet in the solar system?
  • What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
  • What’s your favorite candy?

When and where to ask your kids these questions:

Turn these questions into a tradition or a game as you find free time during your day:

At Dinner

Have your children pick out a conversation starter from a bowl on the dinner table each day. Older kids can read the cards out loud while parents can read the cards to young children

In The Car

Keep conversation starters in your car glove box to make the most out of short car rides with the kids or turn them into a playful road trip game

At Bedtime

Have your child pick out a conversation starter as part of their bedtime routine. Share your answers with each other as a wind-down opportunity.

While Cleaning Up

Make after-dinner kitchen clean-up more playful with a bit of lively discussion as you clear the table and do dishes.

Over Zoom

Grab a conversation starter card at the start of a Zoom call with grandparents for a meaningful family interaction!

See related:

21 Family Bonding Activities to Strengthen Your Family’s Connection

5 Essential Rules Every Family Needs

Everything You Need to Know to Run a Successful Family Meeting

What to do next…

1.

Subscribe to Self-Sufficient Kids’ email list.

Like what you read here and want to learn more? Every Thursday I’ll send you one parenting tip about raising self-sufficient kids and creating the peaceful relationship you yearn to have with your child. Click here to sign up.

2. Take one of my quizzes!

Find out if you’re raising a self-sufficient kid (click here) or if you’re doing too much for your kids (click here). At the end of each quiz, you’ll be asked to provide your email address to see the results.

3. Get your kids started on chores.

Learn how to get your child started on chores (& keep them motivated + avoid power struggles) by enrolling in my Get Your Kids Successfully Started on Chores course. Click here to learn more and sign-up.

4. Become a member of The Empowered Parents Collective.

As a member of the Empowered Parents Collective, you’ll have access to targeted positive parenting advice in the form of mini-courses, expert interviews, Q&A from a certified parent educator, and more. Click here to learn more and sign-up.

About Kerry Flatley

Hi! I’m Kerry, the mother of two girls and a certified parent educator. I believe it is possible for parents to have a supportive, loving, and warm relationship with their kids while raising them to be independent and ultimately self-sufficient. Over the years, I’ve read numerous books and articles that support this belief and I’ve put these ideas into practice with my own kids. Read more about me and Self-Sufficient Kids here.

Posted Under: Communicating with Children, Effective Parenting, School-Aged Children, Teenagers Tags: bond with child, connection with kids, family bonding, family bonding activities, kids communication skills, positive parenting, questions for kids

100 Questions to Ask Kids – Great Conversation Starters

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Inside: 100 questions to ask kids for family connection and bonding.

My usually energetic, animated three-year-old boy stood still.  It’s been 10 minutes since the last time he moved a muscle.  He was mesmerized by the beluga whales at the Georgia Aquarium.  

He watched the massive white sea animals swim up and down behind the tall thick glass.  The 2,000-pound creatures looked like they were having a blast entertaining the people on the other side of the glass barrier.

I wondered what was inside my little boy’s head.  What did he think as he watched the gentle giants play?  What was it that stopped my bouncy little boy in his tracks and had such a strong hold of his attention?

Sure, the animals were fun to watch, but I knew my little boy well.  This was a bunny-boy on batteries that just kept going, and going, and going.  And now there he was, standing before an enormous aquarium of beautiful sea creatures, and it seemed that someone pressed the “off” button on his charge port.

He turned around, found me with his eyes, and asked me a question.

“Can we bring them home?”

Suddenly it all made sense.  My son stood still, imagining the beluga whales greet him through a thick glass wall in his bedroom as he woke in the morning.  He imagined swimming with them, throwing a beluga-sized ball to them, and feeding them goldfish crackers.

Such a colorful world lived inside my little boy’s head.  He had such innocent incomprehension of reality, that it made me want to daydream about having a pet beluga whale, too.

Asking kids questions is one of the best ways to take a peek into what’s going on in our kids’ minds and to take a step into their world of imagination.  They can be funny questions, silly questions, simple questions, thoughtful questions, and even serious questions. These questions will open up the door to their world so we can look through it and remember what it’s like to be a kid.

Why do we need to ask kids questions?

When kids answer open-ended questions it helps with their language development as well as their critical thinking. It’s also a great way for us to get to know our kids better, to better understand their thought processes, and help develop their creativity. 

Want this list as a printable? Join the motherhood tribe email list and you’ll get a PDF of these fun questions for kids right in your inbox.

100 Questions to Ask Kids

  1. What is love?
  2. What scares you?
  3. Do you like bugs?
  4. What is happiness?
  5. What makes you happy?
  6. What is your secret talent?
  7. What makes a person kind?
  8. Did you help anyone today?
  9. What makes you feel loved?
  10. What are you really good at?
  11. What makes a happy home?
  12. How did mom and dad meet?
  13. Are the rules in our family fair?
  14. What does being brave mean?
  15. How would you describe God?
  16. What are you grateful for today?
  17. Describe yourself in three words.
  18. Describe our family in three words.
  19. Name the qualities of a good friend.
  20. What do you worry about the most?
  21. What does your perfect day look like?
  22. Describe the happiest day of your life.
  23. What job would you not want to have?
  24. Finish this sentence: “I wish I could…”
  25. What names would you give your kids?
  26. What is your favorite weekend activity?
  27. What do you like most about your dad?
  28. If you had a store, what would you sell?
  29. What is the hardest thing about school?
  30. What is your favorite place in our home?
  31. What is your favorite thing to do for fun?
  32. What’s the best thing about being a kid?
  33. What do you like most about your mom?
  34. Tell me about your most favorite memory.
  35. What’s one rule you wish we didn’t have?
  36. What do boys not understand about girls?
  37. What do girls not understand about boys?
  38. What is the best gift you’ve ever received?
  39. Describe something that embarrasses you.
  40. What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
  41. What is your favorite thing about our family?
  42. What is the best thing that happened today?
  43. What is the most important thing in your life?
  44. If you got $1,000, what would you do with it?
  45. If you could time travel, where would you go?
  46. If you had one superpower, what would it be?
  47. What is the worst thing that happened today?
  48. What is the best way to make someone smile?
  49. If you were an inventor, what would you invent?
  50. Tell me about your most embarrassing moment.
  51. What makes you feel better when you’re upset?
  52. What is something you did that you’re proud of?
  53. If you could make up a holiday, what would it be?
  54. What is the best thing to do when you feel angry?
  55. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
  56. If you learned to cook, what would you cook first?
  57. Does it matter if a person lies, if no-one finds out?
  58. What do you think mom/dad was like at your age?
  59. If you could ask God a question, what would it be?
  60. If you would only have one wish, what would it be?
  61. If you could get rid of one chore, what would it be?
  62. Would you rather have a bunny or a lizard as a pet?
  63. If you were a superhero, what would your name be?
  64. Do you think any person can cry for a good reason?
  65. What is something you can do that no-one else can?
  66. What would you do to make this world a better place?
  67. Is it ever ok to share a secret you were asked to keep?
  68. If you got into serious trouble, what would you do first?
  69. If we had a role switch day, who would you want to be?
  70. How many kids do you want to have when you grow up?
  71. How would you want me to help you when you’re upset?
  72. If you discovered a new planet, what would you name it?
  73. What is your favorite thing that we do together as a family?
  74. If you could do one act of kindness today, what would it be?
  75. If you could have any job in the world, what job would it be?
  76. If you could do one chore for a year, what chore would it be?
  77. What type of home do you want to live in when you grow up?
  78. What is the most important thing your parents did/do for you?
  79. What is the difference between being smart and being wise?
  80. If you could teach mom and dad one thing, what would it be?
  81. If you could ask mom/dad any question, what would you ask?
  82. If you had a date with mom/dad, what would you do together?
  83. If you became an author, what would your first book be about?
  84. What would you let your kids do that you’re not allowed to do?
  85. If you could learn to do something overnight, what would it be?
  86. If you could be famous, what would you want to be famous for?
  87. What is the most important thing you learned from your parents?
  88. Would you rather have a house on the beach or in the mountains?
  89. If you could live in a book for a day, which book would you choose?
  90. What is one thing or event that you would like to have a do-over for?
  91. If you could turn any age you want right now, how old would you be?
  92. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  93. In your opinion, what is the most important quality for a person to have?
  94. If you could take any animal home from the zoo, what animal would it be?
  95. If you were stuck on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you?
  96. How much screen time should each person in this house be allowed per day?
  97. If you had a chance to have a different first name, what name would you pick?
  98. If our next vacation destination was up to you, where would you want us to go?
  99. If you could pick one place to travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
  100. If a friend wanted to give up on something he’s been working hard on, how would you motivate him to keep going?

20 Bonus questions for kids

  1. What’s your favorite joke?
  2. Do you have a best friend?
  3. What is the grossest thing you ate?
  4. Who is the funniest person you know?
  5. What is the silliest thing you’ve ever done?
  6. What is the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?
  7. What’s one thing you could tell your younger self?
  8. If you starred in a tv show, which show would it be?
  9. If you had a pet dragon, what would you name him?
  10. If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be?
  11. What is the funniest thing that happened to you this year?
  12. If you had a time machine, what year would you travel to?
  13. What is the first thing you remember when you were little?
  14. What is one of the most important things to you right now?
  15. What is a good way to show someone you appreciate them? 
  16. What’s a favorite food of yours that other kids generally dislike?
  17. If you could pick out a new animal as a pet, what animal would it be?
  18. If you could pick out a superhero name for yourself, what would it be?
  19. What’s the best thing about being the oldest/youngest/middle/only child?
  20. If you had a lot of time on your hands and no electronic devices, what would you do?

How to get kids to give better answers to your questions

It’s a good idea to add “Why” at the end of these questions.   This prompts kids to think deeper and exercise their cognitive skills. You can keep asking them follow-up questions to guide the conversation and gently teach them to dive deeper into a topic or an idea.

Helping school-aged kids to open up

Sometimes it’s hard to get school-aged kids to talk. I’ve learned that simply asking “How was your day”, “What’s your favorite subject” and, “What did you do in school today” doesn’t usually get kids to open up. Asking an open-ended question, however, often results in meaningful conversations. There are a lot of questions here to pick from.

When to ask kids questions

You can literally do it anywhere at any time. You can ask these questions at the dinner table, on a long car ride, or on the way to school. It’s a great way to spend some quality time with young children, tweens, and teens. It beats playing video games any day.

You can even make it a favorite family tradition and ask kids one question of the day from this list.

I asked my kids an open-ended question recently and it led to an enormous list of 140 fun summer bucket list ideas for kids.  It was a productive and fun way to spend time together.

Use these questions to make your own kiddie survey, or compile a list to ask your kids every year and see how their answers change with age.  Enjoy these conversations with your kids, and who knows, maybe they will teach you something new, too.

To get a free printable list of these 100 questions to ask kids, join the Raising Bliss motherhood tribe and it will be on its way to your inbox.

Related posts:

MAKING THE BEST OF ROAD TRIP WITH KIDS

RAISING GREAT KIDS WITH STRONG VALUES

ONE ON ONE TIME WITH KIDS – WHY AND HOW

100 questions to ask kids – great conversation starters

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394 Questions to Ask Kids (Fun, Silly, Get to Know Them Questions)

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Conversing with your children can be hard at times. This is especially true for young children who may have only recently learned how to speak in full sentences. Thinking about meaningful questions to ask kids, is important for their development.

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I know that I struggle to have good conversations with full-grown adults, let alone children. You may feel the same way. Just like you, I love my little ones, and I want what’s best for them.

Having meaningful conversations is essential for their development, as well as building the parent-child relationship.

So I’ve come up with some questions that can lead to meaningful, development- and relationship-enhancing conversations.

Table of Contents

  • 1 Why We Should Engage Our Kids With Questions
  • 2 Get To Know You Questions For Kids
  • 3 Funny and Silly Questions For Kids
  • 4 Funny and Silly Questions For Younger Children
  • 5 Questions To Ask Kids About Life
  • 6 Interview Questions For Kids
  • 7 Open-Ended Questions For Kids
  • 8 Questions To Ask Kids About School
  • 9 Questions For Younger Kids And Toddlers
  • 10 Would You Rather Questions For Kids
  • 11 Conclusion

Why We Should Engage Our Kids With Questions

I’ve found that it is a lot easier to feel motivated to take action when I know the reason behind the practices. So before I give list my question ideas, I want to provide you with a background on why using these questions is essential.

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Research has shown that when kids have brief, intensive conversations with adults, rare words are emphasized. Errors are corrected by being repeated correctly, and open-ended questions are used.

Children also have improved expressive vocabulary development. This coincides well with Vygotsky’s theory that children learn best through social interaction.

Scholars on the topic of language development shed light on how this can be accomplished, suggesting some ways that parents can encourage language development while conversing with their kids:

  1. utilize rich vocabulary,
  2. talk about the child’s interests,
  3. ask open-ended questions,
  4. take turns listening and speaking, and
  5. ask questions that encourage thinking.

These suggestions may seem simple, but they can make a gigantic difference. They are also not easy to do, even though they are straightforward. Having a handy list of questions at your disposal can make the process quite a bit easier.

So, without further ado, here are some questions you can ask your children to enrich their language development and relationship with them.

Get To Know You Questions For Kids

When getting to know your child, focus on learning about their likes and dislikes. I have many examples to get you started, but you probably know best which questions will get your child talking.

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These questions are mostly closed-ended because they aim at giving you information about your child. But you can use these as conversation starters and turn them into a back-and-forth exchange.

Simply ask “why” when they respond with their answer. Also, I included questions that focus on the child’s likes and interests, but you can also learn about their dislikes and disinterests simply by flipping the question around.

*Download the PDF Here”

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  1. What toy do you like to play with the most?
  2. What is your favorite dessert?
  3. What is your favorite snack?
  4. What is your favorite lunch?
  5. What is your favorite breakfast?
  6. What is your favorite dinner?
  7. What is your favorite fruit?
  8. What is your favorite vegetable?
  9. What is your favorite drink?
  10. What is your favorite cereal?
  11. Who is your favorite friend?
  12. What is your favorite color?
  13. What is your favorite thing to do at home?
  14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?
  15. What is your favorite thing to do at the park?
  16. What is your favorite thing to do at grandma’s house?
  17. What is your favorite thing to do when it is raining?
  18. What is your favorite thing to do when it is snowing?
  19. What is your favorite thing to do when it is windy?
  20. What is your favorite outfit?
  21. Do you like to wear shorts or pants better?
  22. Who is your favorite super-hero, and why?
  23. Who is your favorite Disney princess, and why?
  24. What is your favorite cartoon?
  25. What is your favorite movie?
  26. What is your favorite kind of technology?
  27. What kind of games do you like to play on your phone?
  28. What kind of video games do you like to play?
  29. What is your favorite board game to play?
  30. What is your favorite card game to play?
  31. What is your favorite type of plant?
  32. What is your favorite place to go on vacation?
  33. What is your favorite thing to learn about?
  34. What is your favorite book?
  35. What is your favorite book genre?
  36. What is your favorite movie genre?
  37. Who is your favorite sibling to play with?
  38. Who is your favorite cousin to play with?
  39. What is your favorite season?
  40. What is your favorite summer activity?
  41. What is your favorite winter activity?
  42. What is your favorite fall activity?
  43. What is your favorite spring activity?
  44. What is your favorite party game?
  45. What is your favorite meal of the day?
  46. What is your favorite time of the day?
  47. What is your favorite place in our house?
  48. What is your favorite type of craft?
  49. What is your favorite subject in school?
  50. Who is your favorite teacher?

Funny and Silly Questions For Kids

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Sometimes kids can be reluctant to have conversations with their parents. But if you can catch them off guard with a funny question and get them laughing, you might be able to trick them into talking to you.

Here are some questions to get you started. Because kids vary so much by age, I’ll start with some funny and silly questions you can ask older kids. 

  1. Who would win in a magical duel: Harry Potter or Mary Poppins?
  2. Who would you rather hang out with? Lord Farquaad or Gaston?
  3. If you could live in any movie, but you had to go as the bad guy, which movie would you want to live in?
  4. If you had to have one embarrassing quality to have all the money in the world, what would it be?
  5. If you could dance all the time without getting tired, would you?
  6. What if you had magical powers, but you had to sleep 90% of the time. Would you want them?
  7. If you could have a magical remote that could fast-forward through school, but you could never eat at McDonald’s again, would you do it?
  8. If you could eat as much dessert as you wanted every day, but also had to go to the dentist every day, would you do it?
  9. What would the world be like if little tiny leprechauns were in charge?
  10. What would the world be like if children were in charge of their parents?
  11. If you were an ogre, what would be your name?
  12. If you were a superhero, what would be your superpower and your weakness?
  13. If you could have Disneyland all to yourself whenever you want, but you could only communicate by singing Disney songs, would you?
  14. If you could be a famous movie star, but you had to always smell like stinky feet, would you?
  15. If you could eat anything you wanted, but you had to eat at least one worm a day, would you?
  16. If you could fly, but you had to always have really bad breath, would you?
  17. Why did the chicken cross the road?
  18. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
  19. If you could eat anything every day, what would it be?
  20. If you could get rid of anything in the world, what would it be?
  21. If you could be invisible whenever you want, but you had to sweat constantly, would you?
  22. Who would win in a sword fight: Robin Hood, or Peter Pan?
  23. Who would win in a dance battle: Snow White or Winnie the Pooh?
  24. Who would win in a singing contest: Olaf or Elsa?

Funny and Silly Questions For Younger Children

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  1. What kind of ice cream do mermaids like?
  2. What does the fox say?
  3. What sound do trees make?
  4. What do elephants like to do?
  5. What do princesses eat?
  6. Where do dragons live?
  7. What do crocodiles say?
  8. Who lives on the moon?
  9. What do monkeys smell like?
  10. Why do puppies wag their tails?
  11. What does the itsy bitsy spider do?
  12. What do the wheels on the bus do?
  13. What do little piggies buy at the market?
  14. How did the big bad wolf blow down a house?
  15. Can animals talk? What do they say?
  16. Is snow made out of sugar?
  17. Do you like to eat grass?
  18. Do you like to eat bugs?
  19. What do leaves taste like?
  20. Why do bunnies bounce?
  21. What color are unicorns?
  22. What are rainbows made of?
  23. Why do birds fly?
  24. Why don’t fish fly?
  25. Where do butterflies live?
  26. Where does yogurt come from?
  27. Is sugar yummy?
  28. Can it rain orange juice?
  29. Where is heaven?
  30. Why do dogs bark?
  31. Why do cats meow?
  32. Why are turtles so slow?
  33. Why does the wind blow?
  34. Are cats girls?
  35. Are dogs boys?
  36. Can dogs lay eggs?
  37. Do animals wear clothes?
  38. Do little boys live in zoos?
  39. Can ants swim?
  40. Are doughnuts delicious?

Questions To Ask Kids About Life

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Here are some great questions to ask your child about their daily life and routine. Asking these questions can give you a window into your child’s life. Let them know that you care about them, even when it comes to ordinary things in their life. 

  1. What do you do first thing in the morning, after you wake up?
  2. Are you a morning person, or a night person?
  3. When do you get dressed for your day?
  4. How often do you brush your teeth?
  5. Do you like breakfast?
  6. How do you make sure you’re ready for school on time?
  7. How do you get to school?
  8. Who do you sit by on the bus to school?
  9. What do you do when you get to school?
  10. What’s your favorite thing to do at school?
  11. What is your least favorite thing to do at school?
  12. What’s your schedule like on a typical school day?
  13. When you get home from school, what’s the first thing you do?
  14. What do you look forward to doing most after school each day?
  15. What’s your favorite after-school snack?
  16. When do you do homework?
  17. How long do you spend doing homework?
  18. When do you watch TV?
  19. How long do you watch TV after school?
  20. Do you like to hang out with friends after school?
  21. Do you ever study with your friends after school?
  22. Do you practice any instruments after school?
  23. Do you have any special hobbies you do after school?
  24. How often do you play video games?
  25. How often do you look at social media?
  26. What’s your favorite way to help with dinner?
  27. Do you have a favorite dinner?
  28. Do you like to watch shows while you eat dinner?
  29. Do you like to talk while you eat dinner?
  30. What do you like to talk about during dinner?
  31. What’s your favorite way to help clean up after dinner?
  32. What do you do to relax at night?
  33. Do you like to spend time with family at night?
  34. Do you like to play games with family at night?
  35. What do you like to do before bedtime?
  36. What books do you like to read before going to sleep?
  37. Do you look at your phone a lot before you go to bed?
  38. Do you have a special stuffed animal you like to take to bed with you?
  39. Do you like to sleep above the covers or under the covers?
  40. Do you like to have white noise while you sleep?
  41. Do you like to have quiet music playing while you fall asleep?
  42. What stories do you like mom/dad to read to you before bedtime?
  43.  Do you ever have a hard time falling asleep? 
  44. Do you ever have nightmares?
  45. Do you ever have dreams?
  46. Can you tell me about a nightmare you recently had?
  47. Can you tell me about a dream you recently had?
  48. What do you do when you have a nightmare?
  49. What is your favorite part of the day?
  50. What is your favorite thing to do before bed?

Interview Questions For Kids

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  1. What is one talent that you are proud of?
  2. What is one talent that you want to get better at?
  3. What is one subject in school that you do well at?
  4. What is one subject in school that you want to get better at?
  5. What is one thing you do that makes other people happy?
  6. What is one thing you do that hurts other people’s feelings?
  7.  What is one way that you help your parents?
  8. What is one way that you help your siblings?
  9. What is one way that you help your friends?
  10. When you play with your friends, do you make up the games?
  11. When you play with your friends, do they make up the games?
  12. When you do a group project at school, do you take lead?
  13. When you sit by your friend on the bus, what do you talk about?
  14. Tell me about a time when you felt proud of yourself.  
  15. Tell me about a time when you felt bad about something you did. 
  16. Tell me about a time when you helped someone in need.
  17. Tell me about a time when you saw someone being bullied, and how you reacted.
  18. Tell me about a time when you felt bullied, and how you reacted. 
  19. Would you rather take charge of a school project, or follow?
  20. How would you react if your teacher embarrassed you in front of your class?
  21. How would you react if your friends said mean things about you behind your back?
  22. Have you ever stood up for someone who was being bullied?
  23. When you are bored, what do you do?
  24. When you have a test, do you try to study a lot?
  25. When you have something important to do, do you take care of it right away?
  26. Tell me about one way you are trying to become better.
  27. Tell me about a time when you learned an important life lesson.
  28. Tell me about a time when you felt that you made a mistake, but tried to fix it.
  29. Tell me about a time when you forgave someone.
  30. Tell me about a time when you did something creative. 

Open-Ended Questions For Kids

  1. What makes a good friend?
  2. What do you want to be like when you grow up?
  3. Who is somebody you admire, and why?
  4. Tell me about your best friend.
  5. Tell me about your favorite hobby. 
  6. Tell me about a project you’re doing in school right now. 
  7. Tell me about your favorite movie.
  8. Tell me about your favorite book. 
  9. Tell me about what kind of music you like to listen to. 
  10. Tell me about what you do during lunch at school.
  11. Explain something you recently learned to me. 
  12. How do you like to spend your spare time?
  13. What is something you’re looking forward to, and why?
  14. Who is your favorite teacher, and why?
  15. Who is your favorite cousin, and why?
  16. Who is your favorite aunt, and why?
  17. Who is your favorite uncle, and why?
  18. What is your favorite restaurant, and why?
  19. Tell me how it feels to you when someone compliments you.  
  20. Tell me how it feels to you when someone is mean to you. 
  21. Tell me how it feels to you when you are mean to someone else. 
  22. Tell me how it feels to you to compliment someone else.
  23. Tell me about your favorite TV show right now. 
  24. Tell me about what you want to be when you grow up.
  25. Tell me about what you want to teach your kids when you grow up.
  26. Tell me about what kind of person you want to marry.
  27. Tell me about what job you want to have when you grow up.
  28. Tell me about your favorite thing about Christmas.
  29. Tell me about your favorite thing about Halloween.
  30. Tell me about your favorite thing about St. Patrick’s Day.
  31. Tell me about your favorite thing about Valentine’s Day.
  32. Tell me about your favorite thing about Easter.
  33. Tell me about your worst fear.
  34. Tell me about your goals.
  35. Tell me about your dreams.
  36. Tell me about what qualities you want to have.
  37. Tell me about what qualities you don’t want to have.
  38. Tell me about things you like about yourself.
  39. Tell me about things you don’t like about yourself.
  40. Tell me about things you don’t like about school.
  41. Tell me about things you do like about school.
  42. Tell me about the things you love about your friends.
  43. Tell me about things you don’t love about your friends.
  44. Tell me about your favorite after-school activity.
  45. Tell me about your favorite thing to cook.
  46. Tell me about your favorite way to help clean.
  47. Tell me about what you want for your birthday.
  48. Tell me about what you want to give your friends and family for Christmas.
  49. Tell me one thing that you’ve never told anyone about yourself.
  50. Tell me something that you’ve been wanting to tell me. 

Questions To Ask Kids About School

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  1. What did you do at school today?
  2. Who did you play with at school today?
  3. What did you learn at school today?
  4. What were the best and worst things that happened at school today?
  5. Did anything funny happen at school today?
  6. What did you do during recess today?
  7. What books did your teacher read you today?
  8. What toys did you play with at daycare today?
  9. Did you get to play outside today at daycare?
  10. What did you eat for lunch at school/daycare?
  11. What was your favorite snack today at daycare?
  12. Did anything interesting happen at school today?
  13. Did anything make you sad today at school?
  14. What was the most boring part of your day?
  15. What was the most exciting part of your day?
  16. What projects are you working on at school?
  17. Do you like science class or math class more?
  18. What’s a subject you need extra help with right now?
  19. Do you like art or reading better?
  20. Who is your favorite teacher?
  21. Did you get in trouble today?
  22. Did your teachers compliment you today?
  23. Do you ever help your friends with homework?
  24. Do your friends ever help you with homework?
  25. Are there any cool clubs at your school?
  26. What are you excited most about going to school?
  27. Do you like school?
  28. Do you think school is too long?
  29. Do you like to read at school?
  30. Are there any homework assignments you need help with?
  31. Do you ever get to cut with scissors at school?
  32. Do you get to color at school?
  33. Are you doing any fun art activities at school?
  34. Do your friends like school?
  35. Do your friends study a lot?
  36. Do you ever go to the library at school?
  37. Is there a special place you like to eat your lunch?
  38. Do you have a favorite school lunch?
  39. Do you have a least favorite school lunch?
  40. Is there anyone who is mean to you at school?
  41. Do you like the principal of your school?
  42. Do you ever have assemblies at school?
  43. Does your teacher let you read whatever you want at school?
  44. Are there a lot of books in your classroom?
  45. Do you like your classroom?
  46. Are there fun stations in your classroom?
  47. What is your favorite station to play?
  48. What is your favorite activity to do during recess?
  49. What is your least favorite thing about recess?
  50. Who is your favorite school friend?

Questions For Younger Kids And Toddlers

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  1. What does the (insert animal) say?
  2. What sound does water make?
  3. What sound does a garbage truck make?
  4. What is your favorite color?
  5. What is your friend’s name?
  6. What is your teacher’s name?
  7. What is mommy’s name?
  8. What is daddy’s name?
  9. What is your favorite song?
  10. What is your favorite show?
  11. What is your favorite movie?
  12. What is your favorite place to go?
  13. Can you count to three?
  14. What’s your favorite story to read with mom/dad?
  15. What is your favorite candy?
  16. How old are you?
  17. When is your birthday?
  18. How old is Mommy?
  19. How old is Daddy?
  20. How old is (insert sibling’s name)?
  21. What is your favorite toy?
  22. What is your favorite thing to do at the park?
  23. What is your favorite thing to do at grandma’s house?
  24. Did you have any bad dreams last night?
  25. What toys do you like at daycare?
  26. Who’s your favorite teacher at daycare?
  27. What’s your favorite thing to do at daycare?
  28. Do you like going to the store with mom/dad? Why?
  29. What do you like to do in the car?
  30. What is your favorite letter?
  31. What is your favorite number?
  32. How many toes do you have?
  33. How many fingers do you have?
  34. Where is your (insert body part)?
  35. Do you like to be hot or cold better?
  36. Do you like orange juice or milk better?
  37. Do you like cereal or toast better?
  38. Do you like breakfast or dinner better?
  39. Do you like vegetables or fruits better?
  40. What does mommy do when you go to daycare?
  41. What does daddy do when you go to daycare?
  42. What is mom/dad’s favorite color?
  43. Do you like to wear shorts or pants better?
  44. Do you like pajamas or normal clothes better?
  45. Do you like taking naps?
  46. What animals do you like?
  47. What color are your eyes?
  48. What color is your hair?
  49. What color are mom’s/dad’s eyes?
  50. What color is mom’s/dad’s hair?

Would You Rather Questions For Kids

  1. Would you rather play the piano or the violin?
  2. Would you rather eat ice cream or chocolate?
  3. Would you rather be a mermaid or a princess?
  4. Would you rather be a lion or a tiger?
  5. Would you rather ride in a car or a bus?
  6. Would you rather ride on a train or a plane?
  7. Would you rather go to Hawaii or Disneyland?
  8. Would you rather run or walk?
  9. Would you rather dance or sing?
  10. Would you rather go to a party or watch a movie?
  11. Would you rather eat a snack or a dessert?
  12. Would you rather eat at home or a restaurant?
  13. Would you rather eat chicken or fish?
  14. Would you rather have strawberries or blueberries?
  15. Would you rather go to the park or go to the museum?
  16. Would you rather fly or have super strength?
  17. Would you rather drink soda or chocolate milk?
  18. Would you rather drink water or milk?
  19. Would you rather go to school or hang out with friends?
  20. Would you rather play with your siblings or play with your cousins?
  21. Would you rather be sick or break your finger?
  22. Would you rather be fat or ugly?
  23. Would you rather be pretty or skinny?
  24. Would you rather wear sandals or tennis shoes?
  25. Would you rather play volleyball or hockey?
  26. Would you rather watch basketball or football?
  27. Would you rather watch a movie or a TV show?
  28. Would you rather play outside or play inside?
  29. Would you rather play a board game or a card game?
  30. Would you rather play a video game or look at social media?
  31. Would you rather play by yourself or play with friends?
  32. Would you rather wake up early or sleep in?
  33. Would you rather go to bed early or go to bed late?
  34. Would you rather read a book or watch a show?
  35. Would you rather eat macaroni or chicken nuggets?
  36. Would you rather eat at Wendy’s or McDonald’s?
  37. Would you rather live somewhere hot or somewhere cold?
  38. Would you rather stay at home or go to school?
  39. Would you rather play sports or read books?
  40. Would you rather write a book report or do a math assignment?
  41. Would you rather learn about History or English?
  42. Would you rather learn to speak Chinese or Italian?
  43. Would you rather learn to speak Russian or Tagalog?
  44. Would you rather go to Italy or Germany?
  45. Would you rather run a marathon or swim a mile?
  46. Would you rather go to the zoo or go to an amusement park?
  47. Would you rather go bowling or go to an arcade?
  48. Would you rather play hide and seek or tag?
  49. Would you rather wear a dress or pants?
  50. Would you rather eat chips or candy?

Conclusion

Having conversations with kids is vital for their language, cognitive, and social development. Additionally, they can learn conversation skills, which are crucial to have later in life.

It also builds your relationship with your child. You can learn a lot about your child that you probably didn’t know by asking them these questions. Whether they are 2 or 17, it’s always a good idea to talk to your child. 

Elizabeth Miller

Elizabeth is passionate about motherhood, both personally and professionally. She is mom to a toddler and an infant, and has a bachelor’s degree in Marriage and Family Studies. She is also currently working toward her master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies.

15 Questions To Ask Your Kids To Help Them Have Good Mindsets

As a loving parent, it is important to instill in your kids the right mindset and attitude. Both determine how your child interprets the world. And asking the right questions encourage behavior that brings positive change and also allows for the best use of available resources.

As the saying goes, where your mind goes, energy flows.

One of the ways to encourage children to develop a positive mindset and practice it is to talk to them honestly and ask them leading questions. It’s not about telling them what to do; it’s about explaining to them the value of living positively and making the best of what they already have.

Ask your kids these thoughtful questions to encourage conversation and help them develop a healthy mindset. Some of these questions will also help you to enhance your relationship with your children and bond with them, while learning to better understand them.

1. What five words do you think best describe you?

This question points children in the direction where they know themselves and have an idea of what other people think of them. It gives your child a good frame of reference on where she stands in her small world, which is important for molding the right self-image.

2. What do you love doing that makes you feel happiest?

Some children will say playing video games makes them feel happiest, which is actually fine. Recent studies show that there are actually many psychological benefits of gaming. Gaming even brings spouses closer together if they participate together.

The point of this question is to direct your child’s attention to the things that makes him feel happy and open his eyes to the fact that he can actively choose to increase time spent in those activities that bring him joy. Hopefully, this will teach him to pursue activities, hobbies and even careers that make him happiest later on in life.

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3. What do you know how to do that you can teach others?

This question is about teaching kids that life is not all about you, your own interests and what you can get from others. Life is about us all and what we can do to help each other.

The question helps your child feel empowered and valued. It reminds her that she is special and she has something to offer. When your child feels special and knows she has something to offer, it builds self-confidence and self-worth, and also encourages learning.

4. What is the most wonderful/worst thing that ever happened to you?

Life is not all sunshine and rainbows, but neither is it all gloom and doom. Life is a mix of good and bad experiences, and that’s what makes it so exciting.

Kids need to understand this fact early so they are mentally prepared for life. The question is about directing that awareness. It helps your child realize (from her own experience) that bad things don’t last forever.

The sun always shines after the storm, and the sunshine feels good. You also gain valuable insight into areas you can help your child get past.

5. What did you learn from the best/worst thing that’s happened to you?

An old adage says experience is the best teacher, which is true. It is important that kids extract lessons from their own experiences (both good and bad) and also from the experiences of others, including their parents.

That’s one of the best ways to make progress and also the way to make the best of every situation. When your child learns from her experiences, it means she is unlikely to repeat the same or similar mistakes in the future.

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6. Of all the things you are learning, what do you think will be the most useful when you are an adult?

This question is about reminding children that they will be adults one day and that they need to start living purposely. It is also about sensitizing your kids to where their conscience is calling them and what they should be doing right now to get there.

When your child understands the value of what he is learning and how it can help him in the future, it can motivate him to truly enjoy things like reading, studying and learning.

7. If you could travel back in time three years and visit your younger self, what advice would you give yourself?

This question can make for a fun conversation that helps you learn about (and address) past issues that hurt your child, in addition to instilling in them the habit of learning from their mistakes. The question opens up exciting avenues to talk to your kids about how to deal with disappointments and frustrations in life, while also teaching them the meaning of the expression, “making lemonade out of lemons.”

8. 

What are you most grateful for?

This question encourages kids to count their blessings and look at the brighter side of life. It is about teaching kids to put things into perspective, look around and appreciate what they have in life no matter how small, including family, friends, a good school and food.

This, is turn, can contribute to your child’s overall happiness, as there is a strong correlation between gratitude and happiness.

9. 

What do you think that person feels?

It’s easy for kids to focus solely on their own feelings and neglect to consider what other people feel. However, to build stronger relationships and avoid unnecessary conflicts in life, it is important for your child to consider what other people feel and show empathy.

Help her to develop empathy by asking her to wonder about what someone else feels. Your child will become a more compassionate, helpful and happy person just by being more considerate and empathetic. She will lead a richer, fuller life of meaning by thinking of (and often helping) others.

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10. What do you think your life will be like in the future?

This question also directs children to think about the future and plan for it. It will help your child to ponder on what he wants to be when he grows up and how he’d like the world to be like when he’s older.

You will in turn discover what your child is moving toward and see how you can help him realize that dream from the conversation you have around this question.

11. Which of your friends do you think I’d like the most? Why?

The company you keep has a big impact on your mindset and attitude. If you keep negative people around you all the time, your attitude is likely to shift and become negative. If you keep positive friends, you will become positive-minded yourself.

Ask your kids this question to figure out who among their circle of friends holds the greatest influence in their life. Help your child see that everybody is the average of the five people they spend the most time with, as Jim Rohn famously said.

12. If you could grow up to be famous, what would you want to be famous for?

This question directs children to think about the true meaning of success and the legacy they’d like to leave. Is success about accumulating the most money, or is it more than that?

What would you like people to remember you for? As your child ponders and responds to these questions, you will find out the type of character your child is moving toward and discover who influences your child as a role model. That is vital information for overseeing your child’s character development.

13. How would you change the world if you could?

Research shows that anticipation of positive experiences brings more happiness than the experiences themselves. Once your child is old enough to realize that tomorrow is not today and every new day is an opportunity to make a positive change, start instilling in her the habit of striving to relieve ills and improving things in her own small way for the betterment of tomorrow and the world in general.

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Happy people are those who think of problems as surmountable and themselves as effective problem solvers.

14. How can you help someone today?

As life in general constitutes much pain in the form of disease, poverty, ignorance and emotional anguish, it is important to give ourselves to one another as brothers and sisters.

Edwin Markham rightly said, “The crest and crowning of all good, life’s final star, is Brotherhood.

And brotherhood and sisterhood means being there for each other. Ask your kids this question regularly to incorporate a spirit of generosity into their daily life. Studies show that giving releases oxytocin and endorphins, which produce a good kind of “high” that your child can become addicted to.

15. If you could make one rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what rule would you make? Why?

This question brings to the attention of children the fact that we live in a world with rules and regulations, which we are obliged to follow to ensure order and everything runs smoothly. Rules are not meant to punish us, but to help us live and interact with others in a better way.

Your child will appreciate this fact more and be more receptive to following properly laid down rules and regulations when he has his own personal rule that he believes in. That personal rule or motto can be the key to raising respectful, law abiding citizens who are also valuable members of society.

100 questions for a child that will change his life forever

Home ideas /
Family and children

Tired of household chores, parents often forget about the importance of questions or interpret their meaning in their own way. So some are limited to only a brief “How was your day?” (receiving an even more concise “Norm” in response), while others arrange interrogations with prejudice. From the outside, it seems that the parent is an investigator, and the child is caught on a hot thief. They attack with questions, they demand an answer.

Let’s try a different method and ask sincere questions that will help the child get closer to his parents and develop his mind and imagination. When asking a child about something, be careful about the reaction to his answers. There is no need to condemn them or praise them too enthusiastically. Otherwise, children begin to lie in order to earn praise or avoid parental condemnation. Here are examples of questions for children of all ages.

Questions about how the child is doing

1. Was anything funny today?
2. Did anything upset you?
3. What surprised you the most during the day?
4. What sparked your interest?
5. Did you learn anything new today?
6. Was there anything you didn’t understand?
7. Have you done someone a good deed?
8. Are you very tired today? From what?
9. Did you do something today that you are proud of?
10. Has anyone helped you? And you to him?

11. Who did you have lunch with at school and what did you eat?
12. Did you play today with your friends and what?
13. Is there anyone you would like to become friends with?
14. What person in the class is completely different from you in everything?
15. What teacher do you like and why?
16. Which teacher do you dislike and why?
17. If you were a teacher, what would you say to your classmates?
18. Did you get angry with someone today, and why?
19. Were you ashamed of something?
20. If you lived this day again, what would you change?

21. Did anything make you want to argue that you were right?
22. What did you do best today?
23. Which of the books you read did you like the most, and which didn’t you like? Why?
24. Who would you like to invite to visit us?
25. Did you wake up in a good mood?

Imagination and Emotion Questions

1. Imagine that you have Aladdin’s magic lamp or a golden fish. What are your three wishes?
2. Do you remember the tale of the three little pigs? What would you build a house out of so that the wolf couldn’t destroy it?
3. How do you imagine your ideal home?
4. If you were given a magic potion or a spell, like a stork caliph, what animal would you turn into and why?
5. Let’s think of new colors for the rainbow. What would they be called?

6. What wild animal would you like to pet, who would you like to ride?
7. If you were in Wonderland like Alice, would you want to shrink or grow? And why?
8. Do you remember the cartoon about strawberry, mushroom and cheese rains? What would your rain be like?
9. If you could speak the language of animals, what would you say to them?
10. What do you think our pet is thinking about?
11. If you had a time machine, would you fly into the past or into the future? And why?
12. If you had Ellie’s magic shoes from the Emerald City, where would you go?
13. What invention would you create to make the world a better place?
14. Imagine a world without money. What is he?
15. What would you like to be when you grow up? Why?

Self-Assessment and Introspection Questions

1. What traits do you like and dislike about yourself?
2. If you could be a completely different person, what would you be like?
3. Imagine that you are a superhero. What power would you have and why do you need such power?
4. What lessons (clubs or games) do you enjoy the most?
5. When I hug you, stroke you or kiss you, how do you feel?

6. Imagine that you can spend one day with your idol. Who is this and what would you do?
7. What was the most pleasant compliment for you?
8. What is your favorite holiday and why?
9. What are you afraid of and what would you do to get rid of your fear?
10. What makes you angry in others?
11. What makes you always want to cry?
12. What fills you with tenderness?
13. If you won 100 million in the lottery, how would you spend it?
14. If you were the richest person in the world, would you work or just relax?
15. What are you doing (or would do) to help others?

16. If you were to write a book, what genre would you choose?
17. What would you like to learn?
18. What would be your ideal day?
19. Of what you learn at school (in courses), what will be useful to you when you become an adult?
20. Imagine going back in time to an early version of yourself. At what age would you return and what would you say to yourself?
21. What will you do if a hooligan sticks to you?
22. Imagine that you woke up famous. Who are you: a musician, an actor, an athlete or someone else?
23. Imagine that you have your own shop. What are the items on the shelves?
24. Do you enjoy cleaning the house? Why?
25. What kind of music do you like? What do you feel when you listen to it?

Questions about the universe and way of life

1. Is there a difference between smart, wise and well-read?
2. If you had unlimited powers, what would you change in the world right now?
3. Who lives better: adults or children? Why?
4. What are the main differences between an adult and a child?
5. Is it always necessary to tell people what you really think about them, or is it sometimes better to remain silent? Why?
6. What will the world be like in 10 years, and in 100?
7. Should a child always respect elders?
8. Are adults always right?
9. If a person dies of hunger, is it possible to forgive him for stealing food?
10. A white lie is a lie, from which it is easier for a person to live. Is white lies good or bad? Why?

11. If your children behaved very badly, would you punish them? How?
12. What is love for you? How to understand what you love?
13. Can love be eternal?
14. What is the difference between evil and good?
15. Can our world exist without war?
16. Imagine: tomorrow is the end of the world – everything will disappear quietly and without pain. Only you know about it and you can’t change it. Would you tell others about this? Why?
17. Does money spoil a person?
18. Can suffering benefit a person? How exactly?
19. Is it good to always do what you want?
20. Why is art so different?

21. Why do people fight each other?
22. Is there any benefit from envy?
23. Imagine that you are reading the thoughts of others. What are they thinking?
24. Why do people smoke and drink when it is harmful?
25. Does everyone need higher education? Why?
26. What does the word “happiness” mean to you?
27. Did Robin Hood have the right to take money from the rich by force in order to give it to the poor? Why do you think so?
28. Is there any use for kindness with fists? Why?
29. What should the life of old people be like? Why?
30. How do you know that you love someone?

31. Is it necessary to try to understand another person, even if he is disgusting to you?
32. Should you always love yourself the way you are?
33. Should people inhabit other planets? For what?
34. What is a “soul”?
35. What is the meaning of life for you?

How to formulate questions correctly

When thinking up questions for a child, it is extremely important to avoid wording that imposes an opinion. The duty of a parent is not to mold a new little man in his own image and likeness, but to develop a full-fledged personality with his own worldview. And there is nothing wrong with the fact that this person is not like you. An example of an incorrect question: “Why should you always obey your elders?”. We all know perfectly well that adults can make mistakes. Such questions threaten two developments. In the first case, the child will yearn for freedom and will begin to argue with adults always and in everything. In the second case, on the contrary, the child will become dependent on the opinions of the elders. I know people who, until the age of 40, were not able to make elementary decisions without listening to the opinion of their mother. Right down to choosing the color of the panties! When their parents die, such dependent children are left alone, and even in adulthood they are not able to put their lives in order, as they are used to doing someone else’s will.

Here is another example of an incorrect question: “Why are all rich people greedy?” – he already carries a life position in himself. So the child will grow up with the idea that money makes everyone greedy, he will treat with contempt those who have more money. If he gets rich, he will involuntarily begin to show signs of greed. Indeed, as a child, you laid the association in his mind: wealth = greed. And this is not always the case. There are many wealthy people who donate millions to charity. The essence of developmental questions is that the child should take off his blinkers, be able to form his own opinion, without thinking in patterns.

You can use these 100 questions or create your own variations based on the age and personality of your unique child. And remember, there are no wrong answers. Our goal is to hear the child’s thoughts, understand his worldview and enrich his life with our own experience. The task of a parent is not to impose his opinion, but to raise a wise and happy person. Dare!

Author: Samira Gajad

Discuss article

  • Raising a child

100 questions to discuss with your child in order to strengthen your bond with them / Bright Side

There are no people more dear and closer than your own children. At the same time, the routine course of life often does not allow us to get to know our child deeper or from an unexpected side. But if you can go beyond ordinary communication and routine phrases and instead of the standard “How are you at school?” ask questions from our article, you will definitely learn a lot of new and interesting things about your daughter (or son), and maybe about yourself. And certainly general discussions and even disputes will be much more useful for the child than moralizing and comments on your part. Try it!

ADME dug through a bunch of articles and books to find unusual, catchy and even provocative topics for family discussion.

1. Non-boring questions instead of “How was your day?”

© Stepmom / Columbia Pictures

  • What was the most interesting event today?

  • What new did you learn during the day?

  • What made you smile today?

  • Who did something funny, funny, stupid?

  • What surprised you today?

  • Did you help someone?

  • Has anyone done something nice for you?

  • Are you proud of yourself today? Because of which?

  • Were you sad?

  • What was difficult or incomprehensible for you today?

  • What did you play with your friends today?

  • Who did you sit with at lunch today?

  • Which of your classmates do you want to be friends with, but are not friends with yet?

  • Which of your classmates is your complete opposite?

  • Which caregiver or teacher do you like the most? And who is not very?

  • If you were a teacher for one day, what would you teach your classmates?

  • Did anything annoy you?

  • Did anyone act unfairly that day?

  • Was there anything that confused you?

  • What did you disagree with today?

  • If you could live today again, what would you do differently?

  • What didn’t work out for you this week? And what happened?

2.

Questions that develop fantasy

© Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs / Sony Pictures Animation

  • If food rained from the sky, what would you like it to be?

  • Which animal would you like to ride: an elephant or a giraffe?

  • If you could rename colors, what would you call them?

  • If our cat could talk, what would it say?

  • If you could ask any wild animal a question, what would it be?

  • If you had your own cave, what would it be inside?

  • What can be used to build a wall that cannot be destroyed?

  • What animal would be a good driver?

  • What inventions are missing in the world?

  • What would happen if a time machine existed?

  • What would the world be like if people hadn’t invented money?

  • If you had a magic wand, what three wishes would you make?

3.

Questions about your child

© Boyhood / IFC Film

  • What 5 words best describe you?

  • What do you like about yourself? What is not?

  • If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?

  • If you could be someone else for one day, who would you be?

  • If you were a superhero, what power would you have?

  • If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

  • What sounds do you like?

  • What adults don’t understand about you?

  • What was the best compliment you have ever received?

  • What occupation makes you happy?

  • What holiday do you like the most?

  • How do you take care of other people?

  • What makes you tender?

  • How do you feel when I hug you?

  • What makes you cry?

  • What makes you angry?

  • What scares you?

  • What would you like to be able to do more: fly like a bird or swim like a fish?

  • If you had a million dollars, what would you spend it on?

  • If you had enough money not to work, would you work or not?

  • If you opened your own store, what would you sell there?

  • If you were to write a book, what would it be about?

  • Do you like to give something to other people?

  • What would be your ideal day?

  • What can you do that you could teach others?

  • What else would you like to learn?

  • What was the happiest/unluckiest moment in your life?

  • Of all the things that you know, what will be the most necessary in adulthood?

  • If you could time travel and see yourself three years ago, what advice would you give yourself?

  • What are you most proud of in life?

  • Which of your friends do you like the most? Why?

  • What will you do if someone calls you names?

  • If you were to grow up and become famous now, what would you be famous for?

  • How can you help someone today?

  • If you could spend one day with someone, who would it be and what would you do?

4.

Questions about Life and the Order of the World

© Goodbye Christopher Robin / Fox Searchlight Pictures

  • What makes a person smart?
  • How do you think other people feel?
  • Why go to school?
  • What will life be like in the future?
  • What would you change in this world if you could?
  • Is it easy to be a child? What about adults?
  • How do you know that you have already matured?
  • Is a child obliged to respect all adults?
  • Should one always obey one’s parents?
  • How can children be punished and why?
  • Does a person have the right to steal food if he is dying of hunger?
  • Can you always do what you want?
  • Why do people lie?
  • Can you always say whatever you think?
  • Why do people get divorced?
  • Why do people quarrel, isn’t it possible to discuss everything calmly?
  • Why don’t adults smile enough?
  • Why do people smoke if it is harmful?
  • What is a bad and good mood?
  • What should be done in old age?
  • What is the soul and where is it located?
  • What is love?
  • How do you know if someone loves you?
  • Can love last forever?
  • What is happiness?
  • Is it possible to always be happy and never be sad?
  • Is it possible to be happy without money?
  • Why don’t rich people share their money with the poor?
  • Are all people equal?
  • Can the world be considered beautiful if there are wars and famine in it?
  • Is it possible to do without wars?
  • Is there any benefit from problems and difficulties?
  • Can you respond with rudeness to a person who is rude to you, or should you remain polite?
  • Is it possible to envy?
  • What is art for?
  • Who determines what is beautiful and what is not?
  • Should one accept one’s appearance as it is?
  • If it were possible to make a law that everyone in the world had to obey, what would it be?
  • Can we change our destiny or is it already predetermined?
  • Why do we live?

What topics do you like to discuss with your children?

Bright Side/Psychology/100 Questions to Discuss with Your Child to Strengthen Your Relationship

10 Tricky Questions to Tell Your Child How Things Are at School

StoriesMen’s Rules

If you’ve already tried it, you know that talking to your child is not an easy task, especially in adolescence. Especially since most of us don’t remember our parents doing this (probably not).

Still, maintaining some sort of contact with this bundle of nerves and tuft of spines is actually important. And who will he run to when he sets fire to the school and gets drunk to the green devils for the first time? It would be nice to still come to you.

Therefore, despite the resistance, let’s try to build a dialogue, at least about what is happening at school. This will help special trick questions that cannot be answered in monosyllables.

Most parents make one common mistake when they pick up their child after school and meet him at home in the evening. They ask a very general question: “Well, how are things at school?”

In fact, your student is still just learning to formulate his thoughts, so when he meets you, he is unlikely to be able to improvise a short speech summarizing the events of the past day, his feelings and a general forecast about what you will have to donate money for soon. It’s much easier to grunt a neutral “Fine!” and close the topic. It would take a long time to explain this.

Be smart and ask questions that really need to be answered. We were helped to compile them by psychologists who daily deal with the “splitting” of their clients.

Here they are.

1. Is there anything that worries you after today?

If your child is most afraid of your reaction to a bad grade, deal with the issue first so it doesn’t hang over your conversation like a sword of Damocles. Is your student not prepared or falling behind in the program? Maybe you didn’t do your homework?

This is where our article “A Strong Father’s Hand: 7 Ways to Punish a Child Without a Belt” will come in handy.

In any case, keep calm and try not to raise your voice right away, but first figure out the reasons.

But after the moment with the assessment has been spoken, do not stop the dialogue. Grades are only a small part of the school iceberg. In fact, your child also learns to communicate and live with his own kind. This is no less important, and there are no ratings here. This is where your experience comes in handy.

2. Did you do anything interesting today? Or maybe you learned some new trick or life hack?

Life hacks are as popular among today’s teenagers as they are with you and me. Curious facts they are also still interested!

So in response to his knowledge, you can tell something from our article “20 stupid scientific facts with which you can impress your child.”

3. Did someone offend you today? Or maybe he was trying to offend?

This question is, of course, better to ask a younger student. Teenagers are unlikely to let you into their showdowns. However, for a first grader, it is important that dad is on his side. True, this does not mean at all that you need to go and give bream to the offenders of your child. You have to act smarter.

This can be found in our article “What to do if no one in the class is friends with your child?”

4.

Have you done something today that makes you proud of yourself?

For example, you were almost not late to pick up your child from school. What? Friday is a short day? Well, on the other hand, he famously played enough football with his briefcase!

5. Was there anything difficult today? Is there anything I can help you with?

No, we don’t mean lessons. (By the way, learn how to teach a child to do homework on their own.) However, there are really difficult tasks or situations in which it is difficult for a child to figure it out on his own. Here you can try to get them out.

6. Will there be anything you look forward to tomorrow?

Maybe they have a big bash battle tomorrow or their best friend promised to give them an anime poster. If they tell you at least something about this, consider that the ice of your relationship has already been broken.

7. Was there anything funny at school? Moment or joke?

Humor is something that children inherit from their fathers. So you have a great mission in this sense. Try to share with your child everything that seems funny to you, even if it is difficult to understand. Over time, he will pick up, and you will laugh and be proud.

However, do not forget to encourage even awkward attempts at joking at a younger age. He will start to get really funny only by the age of fourteen, until then he will have to endure.

In the meantime, check out our best Back to School jokes and memes.

8. Would you like to sit in the classroom with someone at the same desk? Who wouldn’t you like to be with? Why?

Bringing classmates to the discussion is not easy, but very important. After all, the most critical thing for him now is who looks like and who says what. By asking about this, you help the child to formulate what he likes and what he himself wants to be. The most important task for a student.

9. What is the coolest place in school? Where do you like to be most during breaks?

Helps to understand what is really going on in the school. Parents are shown the facade on the first of September, but only schoolchildren know all the nooks and crannies of this Hogwarts (or Shawshank?). Surely you are also interested in learning about the place where your child currently spends a good half of his life.

10. Was there a moment when you were bored today? What do you think about the most during the day?

Staring out the window and daydreaming in class is normal, you probably know that very well. If you admit this to your child, you will add a bunch of points to yourself. Maybe you will even be initiated into dreams. And then it will be your turn to think about how to fit a dog into a two-room apartment and where to get money for a sports bike. But you will feel like a full-fledged father!

Photo: Getty Images

Katya Chekushina

CHILDREN’S QUESTIONS AND HOW TO ANSWER THEM

Municipal Autonomous Preschool Educational Institution “Child Development Center – Kindergarten No.

88″ Kirovsky District, Kazan

CHILDREN’S QUESTIONS AND HOW TO ANSWER THEM

The purpose of the consultation is to show the importance of children’s questions in the development of the curiosity of a preschooler, to equip parents with the skills to answer them correctly.

Preparatory work.

Homework. On the day off, observe your child and write down the questions he asked family members.

What do preschoolers ask about?

The content of children’s questions is varied. Children ask about the objects around them, about distant planets and outer space, about the phenomena of social life, about nature, the origin of man and all life on Earth, war and peace, norms and rules of behavior, the meaning and meaning of individual words, etc.

And now we will watch a video. What are the kids asking about? After watching, we continue the conversation.

Invite parents to read the questions they have collected, which will serve as the basis for a conclusion about the diversity of children’s questions.

At the heart of many children’s questions is a cognitive motive. Children ask them because of their curiosity, when they lack knowledge, they seek to replenish, clarify, and acquire new ones.

The source of cognitive questions is the diverse experience of the child. Questions arise when he is directly acquainted with any objects and phenomena, in communication with adults and peers, sometimes they are the result of his own reasoning.

Throughout preschool age, children’s questions change in form. Kids are interested in the name of objects, their properties, qualities. They ask questions in the form of where? Who? What? Which? When?

Children of middle preschool age are characterized by active mental processing of impressions about the world around them.

Questions become more complex and are expressed in the form why? Why?

In older preschool age, a typical sequence of questions is about any object or phenomenon.

The greatest number of questions are asked by children at the age of five.

But in the older preschool age, the number of questions begins to decrease why?

The decline in children’s issues is associated with the conditions of upbringing and education of older preschoolers: adults do not encourage their curiosity, often express dissatisfaction with questions: “Your questions are tired! Shut up, you are already big, but you keep asking and asking!

As a result, children develop a prejudice to their questions: they think that asking a question is showing their ignorance.

Game exercise “THINKING”.

Question Hat.

The meaning of the game. Questions for reflection are written on the pieces of paper, put them in a hat, and the parents take turns pulling out and reading out the question to whom – what will get ( you can work in pairs).

Questions:

How does your family treat children’s issues?

Do you think that children’s questions and the correct answers to them contribute to the development of the child?

What is your child asking about?

Is it possible to judge the child’s curiosity and interests based on the child’s questions?

Which member of your family does your child address more often and why?

What questions of the child baffle you?

What questions are easy to answer?

Is the child always satisfied with the way you answer his questions?

When answering children’s questions, do not strive for exhaustive and complete answers. When answering a child’s question, encourage him to new thoughts and observations. It is sometimes advisable to offer the child a counter-question instead of an answer: “What do you think yourself?”. The child will not always make the correct guess, but the fact that he thinks, will look for the answer on his own, will favorably affect the development of his curiosity.

Now let’s look at the requirements that apply to adults’ answers to children’s questions.

The kid begins to understand early that father, mother, grandmother, grandfather

different attitude towards his questions. Often he turns to that family member who, after listening carefully to the question, answers seriously and interestingly. From this follows the requirement, respectful, careful attitude towards them, the desire to understand what prompted the child to ask.

The next requirement is brevity, clarity, definiteness of the answer. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the level of mental development of a preschooler, rely on his life experience.

In the preschool years, it is dangerous to turn a child into a know-it-all, who thinks that he has heard about everything, learned everything, but in fact he just remembered a lot, but did not understand. Therefore, in cases where the answer to the child’s question is a message, information, inaccessible to his understanding, it is appropriate to say: “While you are small to understand this. Soon you will study at school, then you will learn a lot, and you will be able to answer your own question.

Consider some examples :

Dad and six-year-old Olya are looking at an illustrated book about the zoo. The girl had a question: “Why does the lion have such a yellow skin?”.

Listen to the conversation that took place between the father and daughter, pay attention to the counter questions that prompted the child to independently search for an answer.

Dad. Remember where lions live in the wild?

Olya. In the desert.

Dad. What do you think a desert is?

Olya. Grass and trees do not grow in the desert and sand is all around.

Dad. What color is the sand?

Olya. Yellow! Understood! Lions are yellow to make it easier for them to watch for prey in the desert.

Dad. Correct. The lion has a camouflage coloration of the skin. And also, what animals do you know, for which the color of the skin helps to disguise, to remain invisible?

Olya. Polar bears. They live in the north, there is snow, ice, and therefore their skin is white.

Dad. Are there animals in our forests with camouflage skin coloring?

Olya. Yes. This is a squirrel and a hare. They change their coats for the winter to light ones in order to be invisible.

Dad. Why do a squirrel and a hare change their coats in winter? Do they attack anyone like a lion in the desert?

Olya. No, they themselves hide from enemies.

Dad. Think, why do animals need camouflage skin coloring?

Olya. One animal to make it easier to attack, and the other to hide from enemies.

Additional questions from an adult lead the child from ignorance to knowledge and refinement of their ideas.

While walking in the forest, five-year-old Petya saw a beautiful butterfly with orange wings. Mom did not know what it was called, but suggested that her son carefully examine and remember the appearance of the butterfly: “At home, we will look in the book and find out its name.” Petya, after watching the butterfly, found that there were not many black dots on the wings. At home, mom took out a book, and together they looked at the butterflies depicted in it for a long time. Finally, they found one that Petya became interested in. It was called the many-eyed fiery. Mom asked: “Do you understand why it is called fiery? That’s right, for the orange color of the wings. And why many-eyed, what do you think? Petya expressed his assumption: “Probably, for black dots, they look like eyes.”

Turning to books with your child for an answer to a question that has arisen, you bring up respect for knowledge in a preschooler. The child begins to understand that knowledge is acquired in different ways, the environment of which is the most interesting and exciting – reading.

Five-year-old Sasha, helping his grandmother take care of strawberries in the garden, became interested in how berries are obtained from flowers. Grandmother invited the boy to observe the formation of strawberries. She drew her grandson’s attention to how the ovary appeared, how it began to grow, change in shape and color. Long-term observations directed by the grandmother enriched the child with knowledge about the growth and development of strawberries. Based on this knowledge, Sasha was able to explain the process of formation of currant berries, gooseberries, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes from flowers. He developed an elementary understanding of the growth and development of plants, which would later help him in studying botany at school.

A preschooler can get a convincing answer to many questions as a result of observations of the surrounding life. The task of parents is to involve the child in them.

The result of our conversation.

The ability to intelligently answer a child’s question is a great art. Mastering this art is a feasible task for parents and educators.

Appendix

Memo for parents on the topic “How to answer children’s questions?”.

Treat your child’s questions with respect without brushing them off. Listen carefully to the child’s question, try to understand what interested the child in the subject, the phenomenon that he is asking about.

Give short and easy-to-understand answers for a preschooler, while avoiding complex words, book turns of speech.

The answer should not only enrich the child with new knowledge, but also encourage him to further reflections and observations.

Encourage the child’s independent mental activity by answering his question to the counter: “What do you think?”.

In response to the child’s question, try to involve him in observing the life around him, read a book to him, consider illustrative material together.

When answering a child’s question, influence his feelings, cultivate sensitivity, humanity, tact towards people around him.

If the answers to the child’s questions require the communication of complex knowledge that is inaccessible to the understanding of the preschooler, do not be afraid to say to him: “As long as you are small and cannot understand much. You will study at school, you will learn a lot, you will be able to answer your own question.”

Kindergarten № 51 Vasileostrovsky district

How to teach a child to tell, retell, invent .

Adults whose children are about to enter first grade are faced with the question: “Is the child ready for school?” Some parents believe that in order to study at school, it is necessary to teach the child to read and count, others – to give him a large stock of knowledge, broaden his horizons, still others – to teach the child to be attentive, clearly follow instructions, assignments, for the fourth, it seems most important to buy a briefcase and school supplies and the rest will be taught in school. Undoubtedly, children are different, and they also need to be prepared for learning in different ways, remembering that being ready for school does not mean being able to read, count, know a lot, which means being ready to learn all this. A striking indicator of readiness for schooling is the level of speech development of the child

Parents are the first and most important educators in a child’s life. A child of preschool age has truly enormous developmental opportunities and abilities to learn. It contains the instinct of knowledge and exploration of the world. Help your child develop and fulfill their potential. Do not regret the time spent. It will pay off many times over. Your child will cross the threshold of school with confidence, teaching will not be a heavy duty for him, but a joy, and you will have no reason to be upset about his progress. And most importantly, try not to perceive classes with a child as hard work, rejoice and enjoy the process of communication, never lose your sense of humor. Remember that you have a great opportunity to make friends with a child. So, success to you and more faith in yourself and the capabilities of your child!

It is very important, when conducting developmental classes with children aged 4-6, to stimulate their speech activity, expressiveness of speech, expand their vocabulary, develop the ability to tell a coherent story, present their impressions, etc. But this does not require boring everyday activities. It is better to develop speech skills in free communication with the child, in creative games. Use for these activities what your preschooler sees around – at home, on the street, in kindergarten. You can enter into its dictionary the names of not only objects, but also their details and parts. “Here’s a car, what does he have?” – “Steering wheel, seats, doors, wheels, motor…” – “What does a tree have?” – “Root, trunk, branches, leaves …” By this age, children usually learned the names of the primary colors well, which means that you can introduce them to the shades of these colors (pink, raspberry, dark green, light brown, etc. When you and your child are examining an object, ask him a wide variety of questions: “What size is it? What color? What is it made of? What is it for?” You can simply ask: “What is it?” signs of objects, help the development of coherent speech. The names of the properties of objects are also fixed in word games. Ask the child: “What is tall?” – “A house, a tree, a person …” – “And what is higher – a tree or a person? Can When should a person be taller than a tree? “height”, “width”, etc. You can use other questions for the game that help you master your of objects: what happens to be white? Fluffy? Cold? Hard? Smooth? Round?..

It goes without saying that it is difficult to overestimate the importance of fairy tales, poems, and other works of art for the development of the speech of a preschooler. Reading works enriches the child’s vocabulary, develops his coherent speech, teaches him to understand the figurative meaning of words. Of course, all this happens gradually. A two-three-year-old kid gradually learns to listen to the text, answer questions from adults. A child of the fourth year of life almost verbatim memorizes the text of a fairy tale, the sequence of actions in it.

The so-called reflected retelling is a good help in learning to retell the kids. An adult begins the phrase: “Once upon a time there was a grandfather …”, and the child ends it: “… yes, a woman”; adult: “And they had …”, child: “… chicken Ryaba”, etc. Then you can proceed to retelling on the questions: “Who did Kolobok meet?” – “Bunny”. – “What song did Kolobok sing to him?” etc.

When the child has mastered the ability to retell fairy tales, offer him to retell short stories with a simple plot. For example, the stories of L. N. Tolstoy for children. Very willingly, children convey the plots of cartoons, puppet shows, circus performances, when the content captures them emotionally. Gradually lead the child to compose a story from the picture. First, with the help of questions from an adult, and then independently, he will begin to speak out about what is depicted on it.

Use toys that are interesting to the child for such activities. A four or five year old can be offered two dolls or two cars for comparison. First, he will have to carefully consider them, and then tell how they are similar and how they differ from each other. Keep in mind that describing differences for many children is easier than finding similar features.

Descriptions of toys are obtained – you can offer a preschooler to try to compose short stories on his own. Pick up a few toys or pictures that allow you to build a simple storyline (for example, a girl – a Christmas tree – a basket – a fungus – a hedgehog …). Ask what could have happened to the girl in the forest, whom she met, what she brought home. At first, you can offer your own version of the story, and then give the baby freedom of action. It’s okay if he just repeats your story at first. Gradually take him away from imitation.

Children 4-5 years old can already tell about the events of their own life, about their personal experience, and do it very expressively. Try to offer them the creative tasks below.

Recall an incident

Choose an event with your child that you recently participated in together. For example, how you walked along the embankment and watched the fireworks, met your grandmother at the station, celebrated your birthday … Take turns telling each other what you saw, what you did. Recall as many details as possible – until you can no longer add anything to what has been said.

We speak differently

Try to read the same nursery rhyme first in a normal voice, then very quickly and very slowly, in bass and in a thin voice, emphasizing the wrong words. By changing the intonation, you can read a harmless poem like a scary story or like a television report. If possible, try using a foreign accent. Yes, you never know what you can think of!

Travel agency

Every day you and your child take the usual route – to the store or kindergarten. But what if you try to diversify your everyday life? Imagine that you are departing on an exciting journey. Discuss with your child what type of transport you will use, what you need to take with you, what kind of dangers you will meet along the way, what sights you will see… While traveling, share your impressions.

Always at hand

All parents are familiar with situations when it is difficult to keep a child busy, such as a long wait in line or a tiring journey in public transport. All that is needed in such cases is to find a couple of felt-tip pens in my mother’s purse, or at least just a pen. Draw faces on the baby’s fingers: one is smiling, the other is sad, the third is surprised. Let there be two characters on one hand, and let’s say three on the other. The kid can give the characters names, introduce them to each other, sing a song or play a scene with them.

Best Friend

If you’re waiting in the magazine room, you can play “best friend stories”. Let the child choose a picture that he likes. It can be a person – big or small – or an animal. Ask him to talk about his “best friend”. Where does he live? What games does he like to play? Is he calm or does he like to run? What else can be said about him?

Picture stories

It’s good if you can pick up a few pictures related to a common plot. For example, from a children’s magazine (like “Funny Pictures”). First, mix these pictures and invite the baby to restore order so that you can make up a story from them. If the child is having difficulty at first, ask a few questions. Such a set of plot pictures will not be at hand – just take a postcard. Ask the child what is depicted on it, what is happening now, what could have happened before, and what will happen next.

Stories from life

Children enjoy hearing stories about what happened when they were very young or when they did not exist at all. You can tell these stories in the evening before going to bed, or in the kitchen when your hands are busy and your thoughts are free. What to talk about? For example, how the baby kicked in your stomach when it was not yet born. Or how you learned to ride a bike. Or how dad flew for the first time in an airplane … Some stories you will have to tell even more than once. Ask other family members to join the game as well.

My report

You and your child went on a trip alone, without other family members. Invite him to write a report about his journey. Use photos or videos as illustrations. Give the child the opportunity to choose what to talk about, without leading questions. And you observe what exactly was deposited in his memory, what turned out to be interesting and important for him. If you start fantasizing, don’t stop. The speech of the baby develops regardless of what events – real or fictional – are reproduced by him.

Family talk show

Would your child like the idea of ​​being a TV presenter? Prepare a tape recorder or voice recorder for recording, give the “journalist” a microphone – and you can start an interview with your grandparents, aunt or sister … Before the interview, tell the child what questions you can ask. For example: “What is your favorite dish?.. What did you like to eat as a child?.. Where would you like to go?” etc.

Change song

Children like to sing about familiar things – about themselves and their family, about their toys and what they saw on the walk… Choose a well-known song and invite the child to come up with new words for it. Nothing if the text is not too coherent, a lot of repetition is also not scary. Rhymes are not required. You can also offer your own, “adult” version of the converted text.

How did it end?

One of the ways to develop coherent speech can be watching cartoons. Start watching an interesting cartoon with your baby, and at the most exciting place, “remember” the urgent matter that you have to do right now, but ask your child to tell you later what will happen next in the cartoon and how it will end. Don’t forget to thank your storyteller!

A psychologist named the right way to tell a child about a divorce | Society news | Izvestiya

Both parents should set aside time to talk with their child about divorce and explain to him that what is happening is not his fault. Medsi Premium psychologist Ekaterina Kulagina told Izvestiya about this and other problems that may arise in the family and how to deal with them.

It is best if both mom and dad are present at the announcement of the changes that await the child after the divorce of the parents. If this is not possible, then the responsibility for the conversation should be taken by the parent whom the child trusts more, the specialist emphasizes. It is much worse when information comes to the child from third parties: grandmothers, friends, neighbors. In this case, the child does not have the opportunity to ask questions to the “original source”, which increases anxiety.

Special time should be allocated for the conversation, Kulagina emphasizes.

“Yes, it is difficult. But important life-determining things are not communicated “in between times” – this humiliates and devalues ​​the child’s experiences. For him, the world is collapsing in any case, and this must be treated with the utmost respect <...> What can I say? That adults sometimes can’t live together for adult reasons. That this is only their adult question and the child is not to blame here and will not be able to influence the situation in the future, ”said the psychologist.

It is important for a child to convey that mom and dad will remain loving parents for him and will continue to communicate with him, despite the fact that the relationship between them will change. It is also necessary to show that parents are sorry to hurt the child, but they see no other solution, so they will try to compensate for what happened to the best of their ability.

“And of course, if there are several children in the family, it is advisable to conduct the initial conversation in the presence of all of them. But the following questions can be answered one by one. And it’s good if these questions are – this is a natural way for a child to cope with pain, ”explained Kulagina.

Sometimes divorce can still be avoided by contacting a specialist, she stressed. A person who deals with problems between spouses is a family psychologist. He knows how the human psyche works, what difficulties people overcome in their life path and understands the intricacies and nuances of relationships, the stages of family development, inevitable crises and ways to effectively resolve them, as well as the features of communication between people, types of attachment and intergenerational processes.

“A family is a place where a person should feel good. Accordingly, if a person cannot confidently say something similar about himself, if a person experiences discomfort of any kind in a marital or parent-child relationship, a family psychologist will help to understand what is happening, identify hidden processes and find ways to resolve contradictions, ”said the psychologist, adding that the sooner a person asks for help, the easier the contradictions can be eliminated.

Unexpected problems in a family can arise if all its members are “imprisoned” at home at once: parents have switched to remote work, and the child has switched to distance learning. To begin with, Kulagina recommends coming to terms with the fact that this happened and that not all family members are to blame for this. This approach will help not to disrupt the resulting irritation on loved ones.

In addition, the specialist advised to draw up a joint work schedule for everyone, which would take into account not only the mandatory “work-study”, but also cooking, sleep and the possibility of relaxation for everyone on equal terms. You can then rank the overall list of tasks by importance.

At the same time, putting one’s own employment in the first place and forcing the rest of the family to adapt will inevitably lead to scandals.

“From practical details: buy a set of ear plugs and headphones and actively use them for everyone; ordering ready-made meals more often to reduce “cooking for the whole family” time and free up space in the kitchen; pay for mobile Internet and, whenever possible, transfer work processes to a car, park or nearest cafe; be sure to plan time for “being alone” for everyone. And remember that this is not forever: the distance will pass, but loved ones will remain, ”advises the psychologist.

Sometimes the reasons for quarrels and scandals in a family can be the financial dependence of one of the partners on the other. This can be either a temporary phenomenon – for example, maternity leave, illness or a job search period – or permanent, when the partners initially agreed on mutually convenient financial interaction, and then “something went wrong” and one or both partners began to violate these agreements not for the benefit of the other.

As a rule, in the first case, the addicted partner usually has resources for some other areas of jointness: leisure, emotions, social circle, experience and knowledge. In this case, it makes sense to identify the problem and revise financial arrangements in the light of changed conditions.

In the second case, it is likely that the dominant partner fell into the temptation to “shut off” any other scarce areas at the expense of the financial sector: the desire for power, status, compensation for childhood injuries, Kulagina suggested. In such a situation, work is required on alternative ways of “closing” emotional deficits.

“And there is a third option, when initially there were no agreements at all, it just somehow happened by itself. Then we can certainly say that there was a period when the state of dependence was beneficial to the non-independent partner too. In this case, it would be worthwhile to deal with the background, secondary benefits and the prevailing stereotypes of interaction, ”the psychologist noted.