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It can be difficult to know how to start a meaningful conversation with your child. There are so many crazy things going on in the world today, and it’s important to make sure we’re checking in with our kids and initiating a dialogue that ensures they feel comfortable opening up about their feelings, fears, and their everyday experiences.
Below are some thought-provoking questions to consider asking to break the ice!
- What are three skills that you’ve learned this year?
- What do you think you’ll be doing in one year?
- What are three things you think you could improve about yourself?
- What are three things that you’re happy with about yourself?
- What are you doing to make the world a better place?
- What unusual interests do you have?
- What do you want to achieve “when you grow up”?
- Do you think lying is ok? If so, in what situations, and why?
- Do you think spending time with your family is important?
- Do you think that you practice forgiveness?
- What makes you happy right now?
- Do you think it’s ok for boys and men to cry?
- Do you think girls are less capable than boys at certain things?
- Do you think life would be boring if we were all the same?
- Do you think it’s better to try and fail or to succeed and never fail?
- What do you think your life will be like in 20 years?
- What is your favorite time of the day?
- Who would you choose if you could have one of your friends as your brother or sister?
- Who would you want as your imaginary best friend?
- What is a holiday that you would like to celebrate again and again? Why?
- What cheers you up when you’re feeling sad?
- Do you like being alone or with lots of people?
- What is one thing that all of your friends like about you?
- What is your favorite way to communicate with your friends and family?
- What is a character trait that gets you in trouble the most?
- What would you do if your friend shared a secret not be shared, but you felt it needed to be shared?
- What would you like to try all by yourself, but your Mom/Dad won’t let you?
- What can you do to change a bad day into a good one?
- Do you want to grow up fast or take it slowly?
- If you could help the earth heal, how would you do it?
- What would you do if all tech, smartphones, video games, and tablets suddenly disappeared?
- What is the most challenging part of growing up?
- What would you like to be famous for?
- What do you worry about the most?
- Have you ever felt that you should have spoken up instead of keeping quiet?
- Is there a situation where it would have been better if you’d kept quiet instead of speaking up?
- Is there a situation where you feel you’ve made the wrong choice?
- Is there a situation where you succeeded at something after trying and failing?
- Do you think you have patience when you need it?
- What is one rule that you’d like to change at home?
- What is one rule that you’d like to change at school?
- What makes you feel special?
- What’s the most challenging part of being a kid?
- What is your favorite family tradition?
- What is something that you thought you’d never tell anyone, but it slipped out?
- Who do you have trouble communicating with within your family?
- Who do you have trouble communicating with at school?
- Describe how you’re feeling with words different than you usually use.
- Share one of your favorite memories with me.
- What do you like most about your brothers/sisters?
- What is something that you find really easy to do?
- If you could choose a new name, what would it be?
- How would you improve our home to make it better?
- If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
- What will be different about the world when you grow up?
- What motivates you?
- What do you love to learn?
- How important is winning?
- How do you feel when you don’t win?
- What are you grateful for today?
- What made you proud today?
- What made you laugh today?
- What will you do tomorrow that you didn’t do today?
- Can you name ten different emotions?
- Should kids decide what to learn in school?
- What is something that makes our family special?
- What is something that makes you angry?
- How to handle your emotions when you become angry?
- What subject do you know enough about that you could teach others?
- What is the best thing that’s ever happened to you?
- What did you learn from the best thing that’s ever happened to you?
- If you had three wishes, what would they be?
- If you were invisible, what would you do?
- What is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?
- What did you learn from the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?
- When you are afraid, what is something that you do to be less afraid?
- Do you think that you are a good friend? Why?
- If you could be famous, what would you want to be famous for?
- How did you help someone today?
- Who are your role models?
- Tell me about a time that your feelings were hurt.
- What is the best gift that you’ve ever been given?
- Is there something that you’d like to learn to do?
- What is the funniest thing that happened to you today?
- What is a fun activity that we could do together as a family?
- If you could invent something to help people, what would it be?
- What is the most challenging rule that you have to follow?
- Tell me about a time that you were brave.
- If you could change a rule that we have at home, what would it be?
- What would the rules be at home if you could make them?
- What privileges are you looking forward to as an adult?
- What is the difference between being smart and wise?
- What is your favorite place to spend time?
- How do you deal with your feelings being hurt?
- What do you think makes a good friend?
- What is a memorable act of kindness that you’ve witnessed?
- What is your dream job?
- What characteristics make a good leader?
- What is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
- What is the most useful thing that you own?
- When was the last time that you were disappointed?
Asking your children mindful, thought-provoking questions will inspire new conversations and engage a healthy, curious mindset.
Asking these questions will enhance the bond with your child and encourage them to come to you with new questions and thoughts. Open-ended questions help children find solutions and improve their problem-solving skills.
I hope that these questions help spark conversation at home and help to strengthen the bond you have with your children.
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