“How was school?” almost always gets a one-word answer. These conversation starters will give you real questions to ask instead, from easy icebreakers to deeper ones, so car rides and dinner tables turn into actual conversations.
Easy Starters
- What made you laugh today?
- What was the best part of your lunch?
- If you could trade lunches with a friend, whose would you want?
- What’s the silliest thing that happened today?
- If today was a color, what color would it be? Why?
Friends
- Who did you sit with at lunch?
- Who would you want to switch seats with?
- Did anyone do something kind for you today?
- Did you do something kind for someone else today?
- Who do you want to get to know better this year?
- Who made your day a little easier?
School
- What’s something you learned that you didn’t know this morning?
- What was the easiest part of your day?
- What was something hard today?
- What’s one question you had that you didn’t get to ask?
- What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
- If you were the teacher for a day, what would you teach?
Deeper Starters
- Was there a moment today you felt proud of yourself?
- Did anything happen today that you’re still thinking about?
- Was there a moment today you felt nervous?
- What’s one thing you wish had gone differently today?
- Did you need help with anything today?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how was today, and why?
Just for Fun
- If you could add one class to school, what would it be?
- What’s the weirdest thing you saw today?
- If your day was a movie, what would it be called?
- What’s one thing about today you’d want to do again tomorrow?
- Who would you pick to be principal for a day?