Parenting

100+ Conversation Starters That'll Make For Interesting Discussions

by Lior Zaltzman

Updated: June 10, 2021

Originally Published: Oct. 24, 2019

10'000 Hours/ Getty Images

Do you struggle to find good conversation starters? Hard same. Talking about the weather only goes so far until you reach that very familiar, very awkward silence. As a parent, you’re especially in need of good conversation starters: from PTA meetings, to playdates with new parents, to school pick-up and drop-off (those are times for VERY SHORT conversations.)

There are other times you need things to talk about as a parent. You know… with your actual kids. Ever noticed that “how was school today?” is never really a hit? Kids can be reticent talkers, especially after a long day at school or preschool — let’s not even get started on tweens and teenagers! Pulling more than “uh-huh” or “whatever” out of children between the ages of 10 and 17 feels a lot like pulling teeth. Sure, there are certain times every parent prays for a little peace and quiet. And while it’s nice to get that occasionally, talking to our kids feels like an important part of raising them. In fact, you’ll have just as many moments in parenting (if not more) when you pray your kids don’t shut up as you do for their silence. That might be hard to imagine when your tween is talking back, but it’s true.

Plus, parents are also people. We network, we want to make new friends! Finding things to talk about on sleepless mommy-brain is darn near impossible. Some of us may even be thinking of heading back to work in the office, which we can all agree is way different from WFH life. The transition back can be a little… awkward, especially after working from home for so long. It can be a little strange to be in an office environment again, and we can all use a refresher on human interaction. But have no fear! With these conversation starters, soon you’ll be chatting it up by the water cooler like you never left.

So, here are some good ideas for how to start those conversations and keep them flowing:

Conversation starters with adults:

What was the best trip you’ve ever taken?
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
What’s your story?
If you had to eat the same meal for a month, what would it be?
What place on earth would you most like to go to?
What three verbs/adjectives/nouns that describe you?
Which time period, other than today, would you want to live in?
If you could have dinner with any celebrity/historical figure, who would it be?
What would you want to be reincarnated as?
Do you have a favorite plant/flower/tree?
What is something that’s difficult for you that seems to be easy for everyone else?
What is something that’s easy for you that seems to be hard for everyone else?
What’s a condiment you couldn’t live without?
What’s something people would be surprised to find out about you?
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to TV/film/music?
What music would people be surprised to find out that you like?
What’s the best costume you’ve ever worn?
What’s the riskiest thing you’ve ever done?
What’s your favorite karaoke song?
What’s your special skill?
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?
What’s your biggest passion?
What’s your favorite TV show?
Who is your favorite band or musician?
Which drink best represents your personality?
What’s something that always makes you laugh?
When was the last time you cried?
What was the last book you read?
What is your favorite book?
What was the last movie you watched?
Who is your idol?
What was your happiest moment?
What does success mean to you?
What is the best thing your parents taught you?
What was your favorite subject in school?
What’s something that keeps you up at night?
Who is your favorite celebrity couple?
Who is your celebrity crush?
Who has been the most influential person in your life so far?
Are you a cat person or dog person?
If you could swap lives with someone for a day, who would it be?
What’s the movie you’ve watched the most times?
If your house was on fire, what’s the one possession you would take with you on your way out?
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life?
What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
What’s the strangest gift you’ve ever received?
What is your earliest memory?
What is your least favorite house chore to do?
If you could be any age, what would it be?
What’s a skill you wish you had?
What superpower would you want to have?
What are you reading right now?
What was your first job?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Have you ever kept a New Year’s resolution?
What’s the one thing that makes you the most angry?
What is something that always makes you cry?
How long could you go without your phone?
What would be the title of your biopic?
If someone were to make a show about your life, what would you choose as the theme song?
Would you want the ability to see into your future?
What’s a song that always gets on your nerves?
If you could talk to your teen self, what would you tell them?
What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?
What do you think about white lies?
If you could spend a day with a fictional character, who would it be?
What’s your ideal day?
If you could live any place in the world, where would you live?
Would you prefer to live in the city or in the country?
Would you prefer to live by the sea or in the mountains?
What was your favorite toy as a child?
What is the worse pickup line you’ve ever heard?
Who do you think is the funniest person on earth?
What is your recurring nightmare?
What’s the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?
What’s the best dream you’ve ever had?
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
Which member of your family are you most like?

Conversation starters with kids:

What is your favorite part of your day?
If you could only eat one food forever, what would it be? Why?
If you could spend the day with a character from a book/TV show, who would it be and why?
Who is your best friend? Why?
What do you like the most about yourself?
What is your favorite place on earth?
What is your favorite toy and why?
What is your favorite game and why?
If you could do anything, what would it be?
What special power do you wish you had?
What dinosaur would you like to be?
Who is least favorite TV character? Why?
What’s your least favorite thing to eat?
What subject do you wish they taught at school?
What is your favorite school subject and why?
What would the perfect playground look like?
What would your ideal room look like?
What is your favorite season and why?
If your friend was sad, how would you cheer them up?
What do you do to feel better when you’re sad?
What do you do when you’re angry to calm down?
What is your favorite dessert?
If I gave you $50 dollars, what would you buy with it?

Deep Conversation Starters

Where do you think your life will be in 10 years?
Name the happiest and saddest event of your life?
What do you think you need to do to be the person you want to be?
How have your experiences made you into the person you are today?
What steps have you made to achieve your goals?
Is the person you show the world different than who you are in private?
What would you do if you knew for sure that God didn’t exist?
Do you think humans improve or hurt the planet?
What do you think are the positive and negative parts of humans?
Why do you think humans are the superior species?
What is the wildest thing you believe exists?
Use one word to describe humanity.
Use one word to express yourself.
Do you think each person has their own reality?
What do you think is the real purpose of war in society?
Have you ever experience a miracle?
Describe your perfect neighborhood?
What does respect mean to you?
Why are morals important in society, and which ones are the most important?
Do you think people should help others or look out for themselves?
What do you think makes a society great?
How much is your life worth?
Do you think you put on earth for a purpose?
What do you want your legacy to be?
Describe your best day.
If someone gave you a book that described the rest of your life, would you read it?

Fun Conversation Starters

If your ice cream melts and you drink it, is it soup?
What is the goofiest name?
If you could start any conspiracy theory, what would it be?
Do you think farts should be visible?
Describe the strangest thing you’ve eaten.
Is a burger a sandwich?
What is the coolest Twitter handle?
What is the most useless fact you know?
Say the dumbest joke you know.
It’s the future, and your kids ask you to turn on your favorite song growing up. What do you play?
What is the rule at work that everyone knows but no one says out loud?
What’s your favorite pizza topping?
What movie did you watch as a child that you should not have seen?
If babies could talk, what do you think they’d say?
What your favorite kind of cheese?
Where is the craziest place you’ve peed?
How many butterflies would it take to kill a tiger?
Describe your worst outfit.
Do you think of comebacks for fake arguments in the shower?
Which body part do you think is the most useless and why?
Would you rather jump on the couch or bed?
Which superhero should exist in the real world?
What animals should be the size of an elephant?
Which one of your clothes would you like to have a conversation with?
If you could change your name, what would it be?
If you could keep any fruit from existing, what would it be?
Who would win in a fight, an apple or an orange?

This article was originally published on Oct. 24, 2019