30 dinner table questions for kids

“How was your day?” “Good.” Sound familiar? Small, open questions can turn the dinner table into a place where good conversations happen.

About the day

• What made you laugh today?
• Who did you play with?
• What was the hardest thing today?
• What were you proud of?
• If today were a color, what color would it be?
• What did you learn something about?

About feelings

• When did you feel happy today?
• Was there anything that made you sad?
• What makes you brave?
• What do you do when you’re angry?
• Who can you talk to when something is hard?
• What makes you feel safe?

About friends

• What is a good friend?
• How can you tell that someone is sad?
• What can you do if someone isn’t allowed to join in?
• Who did you help today?
• What’s the most fun thing to play?
• How do you become friends?

For the imagination

• If you could fly, where would you fly to?
• Which animal would you like to be for a day?
• If you were a king or a queen, what would your first rule be?
• What would you invent?
• If your toys could talk, what would they say?
• What did you dream about last night?

About the family

• What’s the best thing about our family?
• What should we do this weekend?
• What’s your favorite food, and why?
• What’s the most fun thing we’ve done together?
• What would you like to learn from me?
• What do you wish for most in the world?

Good tips

Let your child draw a card, and let everyone answer, grown-ups too. Listen more than you talk. And remember, it’s okay to say “pass.”

From My Mini Mindset

Want to bring these words into everyday life? Here are materials with your child’s name and a figure that looks like your child:

• Conversation cards with your child’s name
• Feelings cards