This past weekend, my family took an impromptu day trip to Queens, NY, to visit the Museum of Moving Image. We told our son to be prepared with books, toys, and games for a 3-hour drive (both ways). We allowed him to have 2 hours of iPad time, one hour on the way, and the other hour on the way home. He did really well for the first two and a half hours of our trip, then in the last 30 minutes, he started getting bored and restless from the drive. That was when I started asking him some random questions from a conversation card deck that I have, and it led to some great conversation with us…and this article. As my son answered his questions, we were able to answer and reflect on what he was saying.
If you read my first version of 25 Conversation Starters to have with your Spouse or Partner, you may enjoy this one, too. We often find ourselves caught in the hustle and bustle of a busy day and normal routines, but taking the time for unique conversations can help with parent-child bonding. Exploration with these conversation starters can be done in the car (or plane), at mealtime, on a walk, while pushing them on a swing, snuggling on the couch, or even while doing the bedtime routine, and can include other family members, too.
Here are 25 conversation starters to have with your child(ren):
1. If you could be any character, who would you be and why?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. If you could be an ice cream flavor, what would you be and why?
4. What is your favorite holiday memory or tradition that we do?
5. What do you think your life will be like as a grown-up?
6. What do you want to be when you grow up?
7. If you could be an animal, what would you be?
8. If you could choose your dream vacation, where would we go and what would we do?
9. What is your favorite sport or activity/hobby?
10. What is your favorite thing to learn about?
11. What is something new that you would like to learn, and how would we do that?
12. Tell me what you like about each season.
13. Tell me about a character in your favorite TV show or movie.
14. If you could choose any animal to be a pet, what would you choose?
15. If we are at home for a day, what kinds of activities could we do?
16. If you could meet a make-believe creature, what would it look like and what would you do with it?
17. Tell me what you like most about yourself and why.
18. Tell me about your best friend. Why is he/she your best friend?
19. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
20. What is something that is challenging or hard for you, and how can we help you with it?
21. What do you like about being a sibling?
22. What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you like to get there?
23. Who inspires you and why?
24. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
25. What are 3 words to describe yourself?
Enjoy these conversation starters with your littles. It is interesting to see the world from their young and innocent perspectives…and they are only this young for so long.
