Conversation Starters for Kids of All Ages
We're collecting the ultimate list of best conversation starters for kids, so if you have any go-to questions that get the whole family talking and sharing, please add them below!
Why Conversation Starters Are Beneficial for Kids
Regular, meaningful conversations with your kids can help them develop important skills for friendships, school, and life. Having a back-and-forth conversation with your kids daily can improve their cognitive skills, increase their vocabulary, and teach them social skills, all while strengthening your relationship and making it comfortable for them to talk with you about big and small things.
Tips for Learning How to Talk to Kids
- Find appropriate moments. Sometimes, you’re not in the mood to talk, right? Same goes for your kids. If you catch them in a moment when they’re tired, hungry, or just cranky, even the best conversation starters for kids might get you nowhere. So choose your moment with intention.
- Focus on their interests. Kids are more likely to participate in a conversation about something that interests them. So, ask them about their favorite hobbies, best friend, activities, or TV shows and movies.
- Speak in simple terms. Consider the age of your kids and adjust your language accordingly. For example, conversation starters for elementary students will be worded differently than conversation starters for middle schoolers. Keep language simple for young children.
- Actively engage and listen. Make your children feel heard, the same way a good friend would. This can look like nodding, using words of affirmation like “Of course” and “That makes sense!” and having welcoming body language.
- Ask open-ended questions. Questions that can be answered with one word are a dead-end. See if you can rephrase questions to be open-ended. For example, instead of asking, “Did you have fun at PE today?” you can ask, “What was your favorite part of PE?”
- Share your own experiences. This is actually part of Communication Skills 101 for any age. If you want someone to open up to you, sometimes, you have to open up first. Share an experience from your day with your kid, including how it made you feel. They might just model your behavior and share back.
- Get specific. If you see your child struggling to come up with an answer, you can get more specific. Instead of asking, “What did you like about school today?” you might ask, “Last week, you were having fun learning fractions in math. Did you learn anything new in math today?” Specificity can help jog their memory about their day.
- Put away distractions. Nobody likes to feel ignored, so give your kid your full attention. Put your phone away, close your laptop, shut the magazine — make sure your kid knows they have your attention.
- Model empathy. Conversations with your kids are an opportunity to teach them empathy. If they tell you about a difficult feeling they experienced, you can show empathy by validating their experience and saying things like, “That’s okay” and “A lot of people feel that way.”
- Respect their boundaries. Sometimes, you’ve come up with the most fun questions to ask kids, and they just don’t feel like talking that day. That’s okay. Give them their space if it seems like they need it. Respecting their boundaries might even encourage them to initiate the conversation once they’re ready.
- Adapt to each child’s uniqueness. It might take time to figure out your kid’s favorite subject. There’s going to be a learning curve. The more you try, the sooner you’ll understand what topics get your kid talking, whether that’s their favorite hobby, favorite animal, or something else.
Fun Conversation Topics for Kids
Leave your comment to share any conversation starters that work well for your family!
54 answers
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06/29/2019If you were an Olympic gold-medal athlete, which sporting event would you want it to be in?
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07/16/2019If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?
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01/15/2020I love this one, too. Works much better to get my kids thinking about their day and talking than simply asking, "How was your day?"
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07/16/2019
If you could trade places with anyone dead or alive, who would it be and why?
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07/16/2019
Oh my goodness, I've never thought of this one and am guessing it would be HILARIOUS! Will be asking it tonight for sure :)
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06/27/2019
If you could time travel to any point in the past, what time period (or event) would you choose?
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06/27/2019
If you could invite any fictional character from a book, movie or TV show over for dinner, who would you choose, and why?
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05/01/2020Te me something your looking forward to doing today or in the future.
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01/15/2020
If you could magically trade places with a character in any book, which book and character would you choose?
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01/15/2020
If you were moving to a new home and could only bring one thing with you, what would you choose?
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01/15/2020
If you could make a rule that everyone had to follow for one whole day, what would it be?
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09/10/2019
If you could have three wishes what would they be? And one can not be to have more wishes.
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09/24/2021
What are three things you are really good at? What is something each person in our family is good at?
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09/07/2020
Which actor would play you in a movie about your life? How would you cast the rest of the family?
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05/01/2020Ask about which movie was their favorite movie that we watch together As family
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11/02/2024When I pick up the grandkids from school I start with a joke to get a laugh. Once they are related from laughing I ask them how their day was and they get to say what's on they mind and then they take turns discussing what happened during their school day. Sometimes I'm singing a song I made up for them and they join in. It relaxes them to where it makes it easier to talk.
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