10 Fun Questions to ask the Kids, so that they can Talk

Children, by nature, are a curious lot. During their growing up days from infancy to toddlerhood, they are always on the lookout for information, and once they start talking, they become question banks of sorts. They come to you with one question, which keeps getting extended into a question-answer session, irrespective of whether you are in the middle of something urgent or in the washroom. Most parents would have handled these little question banks at one time or another, wouldn’t they? Then you must be wondering why there is a need for parents to ask questions to kids. Or you might be like me, who wants to understand what’s going on in our child’s mind and learn different fun questions to ask the kids. Whatever may be the case, this blog discusses the importance of questions and kids.

Why should we ask questions to kids?

Before I give my arguments as to why we should ask questions to kids, let me ask you two questions.

Have you ever donned the role of an investigator in your kid’s life?

Did you ever wonder what’s going on in the little brain (or even the big brain of your teenager) of your kids?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then I don’t have to talk about the importance of asking questions to kids. But for others, here is my argument, which I strongly believe:

1. Asking questions right from an early age develops decision-making capabilities in kids

2. It will help the parents foster a strong bond with the kids

3. It will also help the parents to understand their kid’s emotions and thoughts better

4. It will help the kids to develop the most important traits like empathy, kindness, mindfulness, etc.

5. It will also help to develop the kid’s curiosity and creativity, especially with open-ended questions.

Different types of questions to ask the Kids:

Now you understand the importance of asking questions to kids, here are a few different types of fun questions to ask the Kids.

1. Funny questions:

First, here are a few sample fun questions to ask kids that can act as conversation starters and make even the reserved or shy kid open up.

# What is the funniest sound you heard to date?

# Do you want to become an ant or a big lion for a day?

# If you find a genie who can give you only one wish, what would you really wish for?

# If you want to be at some other place right now, where would that place be?

2. Social or Get-to-Know Questions:

# What is your favorite color?

# What is your favorite book?

# Who is your best friend?

# Which teacher do you love most in the school?

# What is your favorite food?

3. Would you rather type of question?

We can start asking these questions from a very tender age itself, as it will make the kid choose and decide. With a little creativity and quick thinking, we can use these questions so that kids can do what we want them to without undergoing any power struggle and making the kids feel that it’s their choice.

# Would you rather swing or slide?

# Would you like to take a bath now or later?

# Would you rather sit inside the house without playing or enjoy the weather outside?

# Would you rather read a book or go for a walk?

4. Questions about School:

Once the kids start going to school, then we need to understand how their day was in school, and few kids wouldn’t want to discuss anything about the school immediately. So here are a few sample questions to ask them so that the kids can get talking.

# Who made you smile today in school?

# What made you happy in school today?

# Which story or funny incident the teacher narrated to you today?

# With whom do you share your snacks today?

5. Open-ended questions:

Open-ended questions will make the kid think and develop his logical thinking capabilities. These questions would lead to more questions as there is nothing right or wrong, but we get to learn about our kids, and they get to think about many things.

# Why did you choose to read this book?

# What makes you laugh and feel happy?

# Are there other ways to solve this problem?

# What can we do differently next time?

The same open-ended questions can be used to teach the value of family and inculcate other important emotional characteristics in the kids like:

6. Value of Family relationships:

# What is your favorite family tradition?

# What do you like the most about our family?

# What can we do as a family?

# What do you want to change in our family rules or traditions?

7. Empathy:

# Did you get teased at any time in the school?

# Did you stand up and support the kids who got teased in school?

# Have you been kind to someone today?

# What do you think if someone has helped you?

8. Confidence:

# What do you think you are good at?

# What must you do to improve your skills in that area?

# How can you help others or change the world today?

9. Gratitude:

# Are you grateful for something today?

# What are the things that you can give to others so that you can see the joy in them?

# What things are unnecessary for you but still have them?

# What are things that you have that others don’t have at this moment?

10. Mental Strength:

# What are the things that you are uncomfortable with?

# How do you want to face your fears?

# What do you do when someone criticizes you?

Though this post lists so many different types of fun questions to ask kids, not all the kids would be enthused to answer the questions at the start. It takes consistent time and effort from the parents’ side to make the kids understand that the parents are willing to spend time with them without any deviations. Also, they need to understand that we are trying to spend quality time with them and not interrogating them. Only then would they start opening up.

An easy tip to get the kids to start talking is while going on long drives. The kids know we are concentrating on driving and wouldn’t react too much, even if they say something outright. That’s when most of the kids do the talking.