Family Conversation Starters

Some of the best family stories never get told, simply because nobody asks. These cards get grandparents, parents and kids talking about memories, traditions and what they have learned from each other.

Good for: Families with more than one generation around the table.

Play 80 cards

Tips for playing

Let the youngest person read the question out loud.
When an answer opens up a good story, ask a follow-up.
Write down the best stories afterward.

Depth: lightLight questions

Easy to start with. Good for warming up.

What's your favorite tradition in our family?
Which family member are you most like?
What's your favorite memory from growing up?
If you could plan the perfect family day, what would it look like?
What new tradition could we start?
What's the funniest thing that's ever happened at a family get-together?
Which family recipe must we never lose?
Which family trip do you remember best?
What's something your family has always done differently from other families?
What's your favorite dish that someone in the family makes?
How did you celebrate the holidays when you were a kid?
Who's the family storyteller?
What's the best vacation you've had with family?
What's one thing everyone in the family agrees on?
Who in the family are you nothing like?
If you could get the whole family together for one event, what would it be?
Which dish tastes most like childhood to you?
Who in the family tells the best jokes?
What's the strangest gift anyone in the family has given you?
Who in the family would last longest on a desert island?
What song does the whole family always sing along to?
What's your favorite thing at your grandparents' house?
Who in the family has the most contagious laugh?
Which game always ends in an argument at our house?
Which car or van do you remember from family road trips?
What word or saying does only our family use?
Who's the first person you call when something good happens?
Which pet has meant the most to the family?

Depth: mediumA bit more personal

For when the conversation is flowing.

What's the best advice anyone in the family has ever given you?
Which family story do you tell the most?
What do you admire most about your parents or grandparents?
What's something your siblings taught you?
Who in the family do you go to when you need advice?
What are you proudest of about our family?
Who in the family surprises you the most?
What's a secret from your childhood that the family doesn't know?
Who would you call first in a crisis?
What trait do you think you got from your mother?
What trait do you think you got from your father?
Which family member would you like to get to know better?
Which family tradition do you hope never disappears?
What's the bravest thing a family member has ever done?
Who's the black sheep of the family, and why?
How can we stay close to the older and younger people in our family?
What does the family always disagree about over the holidays?
What would your family say about you behind your back?
What's the most important thing your family taught you about money?
What did you learn from your grandparents that you still use?
Which family story do you wish you knew more about?
Who in the family are you most like on the inside, not in looks?
What do you think makes our family unlike any other?
When has the family pulled together through something hard?
If you could add one tradition to our family, what would it be?
What would you ask one of your great-grandparents if you could?
Who in the family knows you best?
What's the best advice a sibling or cousin has given you?
How have you changed since you moved out of your parents' home?

Depth: deepDeep questions

Take your time. These are the ones people remember.

What would you like to pass on to the next generation?
How has your family shaped the person you are today?
What's the most important value in our family?
What do you wish you had asked your grandparents?
How does our family handle disagreements?
What has your family taught you about love?
What's the most important lesson your parents taught you?
What would you change about your childhood if you could?
What's something you've promised yourself to do differently from your parents?
What's the biggest sacrifice anyone in your family has made?
How did your family show love?
What's something you never said to your parents but wish you had?
What's a family conflict that never got resolved?
What's the most surprising thing you've learned about your family's past?
What do you miss most about being a kid in your family?
What do you wish we said to each other more often in this family?
Which family disagreement has taught you the most?
What are you grateful your parents did differently from their own parents?
What would someone need to know about our family to understand you?
Which family member do you miss most, and what do you miss about them?
What do you hope the next generation takes with them from our family?
When have you felt most like you truly belong in this family?
What has your role in the family cost you?

80 cards in this deck.