121 Conversation Starters for Kids of All Ages

Kids love to be silly, but don't underestimate them. Use these 121 conversation starters to spark real, fun conversations with kids of any age.

Dinner table. You go first.

“How was school?”

“Fine.”

“What did you do today?”

“Stuff.”

Sound familiar? You’re three questions in and you’ve learned nothing. Meanwhile, this same kid will narrate forty-five uninterrupted minutes on why the red Lego is better than the blue one.

So they’re not the problem. The questions are.

Kids love to be silly, sure. But do not underestimate them. They have real opinions on the big stuff, and they’ll happily tell you all about them, IF you ask the right thing.

And it matters more than you’d guess. A study from MIT found that back-and-forth conversation, not just the sheer number of words a child hears, is linked to stronger language skills and brain development in children, regardless of family income. So those goofy little chats over cereal? Quietly building a brain.

Watch our video below for some fun icebreakers for kids:

A few things before you dive in:

• Skip leading questions, and watch your tone. Kids hear the “right” answer you’re fishing for from a mile away.
• Ask follow-ups. The good stuff usually shows up on the second or third question, never the first.
• Chase the surprises. When an answer comes out of nowhere, keep digging. Kid logic is often more sensible than it first sounds.
• Make conversation a daily habit, at dinner or whenever you’re driving home from school.

Conversation Starters for Kids

Start here. These are the all-purpose ones, good for any age and just about any mood.

1. What do you like to do when it’s raining outside?
2. Who is the nicest person you know?
3. What do you like most about your mom, dad, brother, or sister?
4. If you could make up a holiday, what would you call it, and what would it celebrate?
5. Do you think it’s better to be funny or smart? How come?
6. If you could rename yourself, what name would you choose? How come?
7. What kind of person do you imagine when you hear the name Bertha? What about Amadeus?
8. If you could live in a cartoon, which one would you choose? Would you be yourself or one of the characters?
9. What do you think about the clothing styles today?
10. What was the best present anyone ever gave you?
11. What is the hardest thing to do?
12. What makes you angry?
13. What do you think happens during a day at work?
14. What’s more important: making a lot of money or being happy at work?
15. What do you think a rich person looks like?
16. What do you do with your allowance?
17. What is the most challenging job?
18. What would you do with $100?
19. What takes up only a little space in your life but means a lot to you?
20. If you could change the color of the sky, what color would you choose?

Great conversation is one of the best ways to connect with a kid. Knowing what to ask is the easy part. Knowing how to keep it rolling, and land it on a high note, is a skill they’ll carry the rest of their life.

Dinner Conversation Starters for Kids

Everyone’s at the table for once. Forks down, screens away, a captive audience.

Don’t waste it on “how was your day?” These do the job that question never does.

21. Describe yourself in 3 words.
22. What makes you unique?
23. What’s something you want to learn how to do?
24. What was the funniest thing a teacher said today?
25. Did anyone hurt your feelings or make you feel sad today? Tell me about it.
26. Can you guess the ingredients in the food we ate?
27. What’s the difference between playing alone and playing with friends?
28. What is something that’s hard for you to share?
29. Who is your favorite person at school? How come?
30. Can you tell me about your P.E. class today?
31. How many colors are in a rainbow?
32. If you could go to another planet, which would you pick, and what would you take?
33. When do you feel the most loved?
34. Are rich people friendly people?
35. What’s your favorite place we’ve gone on vacation? What was it like?
36. What is your favorite restaurant?
37. Do you think people should get a second chance when they’ve done something wrong?

Fun Conversation Starters for Kids

Got a kid who clams up the second a question sounds serious?

These are your way in. Lead with fun, and the real answers tend to sneak out behind it.

Pro Tip for parents: A quiet kid usually isn’t a closed book, just a slow opener. Start silly. Once they’re laughing, the door’s already open.

38. If you could make everyone in the world smile, how would you do it?
39. What is the strangest thing grown-ups do?
40. What is the nicest thing you’ve done for a friend?
41. If you were a pirate, what would you do?
42. If you could only have water or electricity, which would you choose? How come?
43. If plants could talk, what would they be like?
44. If you had a secret room in your house, what would you keep there?
45. What are mom and dad’s favorite things?
46. What nicknames would you give everyone in the family?
47. What’s your favorite outfit?
48. What’s your favorite thing to cook?
49. Tell me a story about something that happened to you.
50. Describe the best day ever.
51. What do you want to be when you grow up? How come?
52. Tell me about the most extraordinary person you’ve ever met.
53. Which is better, squishy toys or toys with wheels? How come?
54. Who makes you laugh? What do they do that’s so funny?

Holiday Conversation Starters for Kids

Two hours into the drive to grandma’s. The snacks are gone. Somebody’s foot is on somebody’s seat.

Pull one of these out of your pocket and watch the backseat war turn into actual conversation.

55. What’s your favorite winter scent?
56. What is your favorite holiday?
57. Who’s the best: the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, or Cupid?
58. What is your favorite Hanukkah tradition?
59. What is your favorite Kwanzaa food?
60. If you could decorate the whole town in one color of lights, what color, and who would help you?
61. If snow could have a flavor, what would you pick?
62. Would you rather carve a jack-o’-lantern or decorate Valentine’s cards?
63. What’s your favorite holiday craft?
64. What’s your favorite holiday memory?
65. Which holiday song is the best?
66. What is the best holiday cookie?
67. If you could celebrate one holiday every month, which would you choose?
68. What is the funniest holiday movie?
69. What holiday memory makes you happiest?
70. What holiday has the best school activities?

Silly Conversation Starters for Kids

Warning: things are about to get weird.

Good. Weird is where kids live. There are no wrong answers down here, just giggling, and that’s exactly the kind of talk you want.

71. What would you do if you had four arms?
72. Would you rather live in a box with a litter of cats or a tree stump with a badger?
73. If you were a tiny mouse, would you be more like Stuart Little or Despereaux?
74. What would you do if you could fly?
75. If you were in the circus, what would your act be?
76. Make up a silly song that starts with “I have a little nose…”
77. What fictional place would you most like to visit?
78. Who would win at rock-paper-scissors: an elephant, a cat, or a monkey?
79. If rain could be another liquid, what would you make it?
80. Make up a story that includes a pair of gloves, a fork, and a football.
81. Would you rather have a tail or fur?
82. Would you rather hop like a kangaroo or run like an ostrich?
83. If you could write a book, what would happen to your main character?
84. Would you rather live under the ocean or up in the sky?
85. Would you rather be green like the leaves on a tree or blue like the ocean?
86. Would you rather celebrate your birthday or a friend’s? What’s the best birthday food you’ve had?
87. Would you rather be friends with a unicorn or a mermaid?

Animal Conversation Starters for Kids

Ask a kid about animals and you’d better clear your schedule.

It’s the one topic nearly every one of them will talk your ear off about. So lean in.

88. Which is better, books about dinosaurs or horses?
89. What is your favorite movie with animals in it?
90. What is your favorite book with animals?
91. What is your favorite animal to draw?
92. What animal do you think makes the best pet?
93. If you had a pet giraffe, what would you name it?
94. Why do you think people like fish as pets when you can’t hug or play with them?
95. Why do you think some people prefer cats and others prefer dogs?
96. What’s the funniest-looking animal? What’s the cutest?
97. Are there any animals that scare you? Which ones? How come?
98. Would you rather ride on the back of a llama or a tiger?
99. Would you ever want a praying mantis as a pet? What would you name it, and what do you think it’s praying about?
100. Can you name five bugs that have wings?
101. Humans are sometimes allergic to animals. What would happen if an animal was allergic to humans?
102. If there were a story about an elephant and a zebra, what do you think it would be about?
103. If squirrels could talk, do you think they’d have high voices or deep ones?
104. What do you think it feels like to be a sloth?

Food Conversation Starters for Kids

Everybody’s got food opinions. Kids’ opinions are just louder.

Ask one of these and brace yourself. The case for ketchup over ranch can get genuinely heated.

105. What’s your favorite comfort food?
106. Pizza every day or chocolate every day?
107. Should you dip fries in ranch, ketchup, or ice cream?
108. Brussels sprouts with chocolate sauce, or broccoli with strawberry syrup?
109. What’s your favorite birthday meal?
110. What’s your favorite dessert?
111. What’s the best food a friend ever brought for lunch at school?
112. Could you eat a whole pizza by yourself?
113. What food combination do you want to try someday?
114. What fruit could you eat every day for the rest of your life?
115. Can you name three red fruits?
116. If you could change the color of strawberries, what color would they be?
117. What are the best pizza toppings ever?
118. What is the best way to eat a hot dog?
119. If you had your own restaurant, what food would you serve?
120. If you could invent a brand-new flavor of ice cream, what would be in it and what would you call it?
121. Would you rather only ever eat breakfast foods or only dinner foods?

So pick three. Pocket them. Try one tonight, somewhere between the green beans and the “may I be excused.”

You might be surprised what’s been rattling around in that little head all day.

And if you want to go further? Helping a kid build real social skills is a gift that keeps paying out for the rest of their life. Vanessa Van Edwards walks through exactly how in Social Skills Training for Kids: 8 Super Steps to Success.

Watch our video below for 7 things worth teaching the kids in your life: