140 Free Printable Family Conversation Starters

Fun and Creative Conversation Starters for Families

It’s likely your family’s schedule is filled to the brim with school, church, music, sports events, and more. Between juggling everyone’s responsibilities, you may not all be in the same place at the same time often. So, when you are, and we encourage you to make this a priority for your family, we want to help you have meaningful conversations that include all members of the family.  

Whether you’re at the dinner table, in the car, or on vacation, we hope you can use these family conversation starters as a guide to spur meaningful and engaging conversations with your spouse and kids. Print out the PDFs of questions, and keep them handy in a bowl or envelope. Then, when you’re all together, let everyone choose a question to read and have the whole family share their answers. You could also download the free PDFs to your phone to keep as a reference and use when you’re waiting in line at an amusement park or while you’re walking to the park. 

Either way, you’ve got the easy part—sharing in fun conversations with your family. Take the pressure off your back, and get to know your kids by asking them questions you hadn’t thought of. Let these 140 family conversation starters lead you, and save what you don’t get to for next time. 

Imaginative Family Conversation Starters

Family Conversation Starters About Our Family

Holiday Themed Family Conversation Starters

School Themed Family Conversation Starters

General Family Conversation Starters

Imaginative Family Conversation Starters V2

New Year Themed Family Conversation Starters

20 Imaginative Family Conversation Starters

Whether your kids are young and imaginative or they’re older and haven’t dreamt up crazy scenarios in a while, these imaginative conversation starters will certainly get your family thinking and talking!

1. If you could build a treehouse to live in, what would you make it look like?
2. If our pet(s) could talk, what would they say?
3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
4. What would your superhero name be?
5. If you had a time machine, would you travel forward to the future or backward to the past?
6. Would you rather live in the sky or in the ocean?
7. If you turned invisible, where is the first place you would go?
8. If you were granted one wish, only one, what would you wish for?
9. For the next month, you can only eat three foods. What are you choosing?
10. If you were made king or queen for the day, what is the first rule you would implement?
11. You can combine two animals to create a new animal. What are you choosing?
12. What would you name the new animal you created?
13. If you could live inside one TV show for a week, what would it be?
14. If you could turn a book character into a friend or family member, who would you choose?
15. If our family lived in the zoo, what animals would we be?
16. If you could fly for the day, where are three places you would go?
17. If you could invite a person from history to come to dinner, who would you invite?
18. If you had a robot, what is one thing you would have them do for you?
19. If you could invent a new holiday, what would it be?
20. How would we celebrate your new holiday?

20 Family Conversation Starters About Our Family 

Next time your family is all together for a meal or just hanging out, use these conversation starters to get everyone sharing their favorite things about themselves and their favorite things about your family.  

1. What is one thing you love about our family? 
2. What is your favorite meal we eat together? 
3. What is one thing you love about our home? 
4. Who do you think you are the most like in our family? 
5. Do you think you want to get married when you grow up? 
6. What is your favorite family tradition we have? 
7. What is one thing you love about each of your siblings? 
8. If you could switch places with your parents for the day, what would you do? 
9. What is one thing you think we could do better as a family? 
10. What is your favorite family vacation we have gone on? 
11. What is one thing you love about your parents? 
12. Do you think you want to have kids when you grow up? 
13. What is the best thing about being the age you are right now? 
14. Where do you want us to take a family vacation to? 
15. What is your favorite activity we do together? 
16. What is a funny memory you have from our family? 
17. What is one thing our family is good at? 
18. Do you want to do a job like your parents when you grow up or something different? 
19. What is the hardest thing about being the age you are right now? 
20. If our family could have a family superpower, what would you want it to be? 

20 Holiday Themed Family Conversation Starters

While your family is gathered around the table for Thanksgiving, you’re in the car traveling to a holiday gathering, or you’re cuddled on the couch after decorating, use these holiday conversation starters to engage all members of your family in fun Christmas themed conversation. 

1. What is your favorite holiday tradition our family does? 
2. If you could invite a famous person to Christmas dinner, who would you invite? 
3. What do you think the perfect winter wonderland looks like? 
4. What is your favorite Christmas movie? 
5. What is something you have done this year you are proud of? 
6. Do you prefer white lights or colored lights at Christmastime? 
7. If you could spend Christmas anywhere in the world, where would you go? 
8. What is your favorite Christmas song? 
9. If our Christmas tree was a palm tree, how would you decorate it? 
10. What is your favorite Christmas gift you have ever received? 
11. Who are three people you are thankful for? 
12. What is one way we can give back to others during the holidays? 
13. What is your favorite holiday food? 
14. What is one memory from this year that brings you joy? 
15. What are three things you are thankful for? 
16. What is your favorite ornament on the Christmas tree? 
17. If you could be in a Christmas movie, which one would you want to be in? 
18. What is one item on your Christmas list? 
19. What is your favorite holiday pie or dessert? 
20. What is one thing you are already looking forward to next year? 

20 School Themed Family Conversation Starters

There’s a few more months left before school lets out for the summer. If your kids are getting antsy for the school year to be over, use these conversations to spark healthy conversation about school around the dinner table or in the car.  

1. If you could design your own school, what would it look like? 
2. If you were a teacher, what grade level or subject would you teach? 
3. Who do you eat lunch with? 
4. What is one thing you learned today? 
5. What is your favorite part of the school day? 
6. What is one way you could make someone smile? 
7. Who is your favorite teacher you have ever had? 
8. What is your favorite part about school? 
9. What is your least favorite part about school? 
10. What do you think makes a good friend? 
11. Who are some of your friends at school? 
12. What is your favorite thing to wear to school? 
13. What is your favorite thing to do on the playground? 
14. Would you ever want to be a teacher? 
15. What is your favorite subject in school? 
16. What has been your favorite grade so far? 
17. What is one thing you have learned you could teach someone else? 
18. What is your favorite thing to eat at lunch? 
19. What is your favorite book you have read? 
20. If I got to visit your classroom, what would you show me? 

20 General Family Conversation Starters 

These general conversation family conversation starters are perfect for all types of families—families with younger or older kids, blended families, etc. They range in topic and seriousness, so next time you want to strike up casual conversation with your family and you need help getting started, try these free conversation starters. 

1. What is something special you would like to do with mom or dad? 
2. What is something you are excited to do this summer? 
3. What, or who, makes you feel better when you are sad? 
4. What is your favorite drink? 
5. How do you show someone you love them? 
6. What is your favorite movie? 
7. If you had $100, what would you buy? 
8. What is one of your biggest pet peeves? 
9. What is your favorite song? 
10. What is your favorite thing to do during the weekend? 
11. If you could redecorate your room, what would you change? 
12. Who is someone you admire? 
13. What is your favorite dessert? 
14. What is your favorite thing to do or play inside? 
15. What is your favorite thing to do or play outside? 
16. What is something you have done you are proud of? 
17. What, or who, makes you laugh? 
18. What is something you are good at? 
19. What is your favorite book? 
20. What is something that makes you feel loved and cared for? 

20 Imaginative Family Conversation Starters V2 

We’re dropping version two of our imaginative family conversation starters perfect for kids of all ages. These thought-provoking questions will help your family members think outside the box and use their imagination. 

1. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one new ability, what would it be? 
2. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? 
3. If a food started falling from the sky, what would you want it to be? 
4. Would you rather slither like a snake or hop like a frog? 
5. Would you rather direct a movie or be the lead actor/actress? 
6. If you could get one thing for free for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
7. If you could invent a new country, what would be the first law you would implement? 
8. What professional sport would you want to play? 
9. If you could only watch one movie forever, what would you pick? 
10. If you could be famous for something, what would you want it to be? 
11. What would your dream car be? 
12. If you could never ride in or drive a car, how would you want to get places? 
13. If you opened a store, what would you sell? 
14. Would you rather be as tall as a giraffe or as small as a mouse? 
15. Would you rather live in a castle or on a boat? 
16. If you could relive a memory, what would you choose? 
17. Would you rather see the bottom of the ocean or outer space? 
18. If you built a rocket ship, what would you name it? 
19. If you could make one of your toys come to life, what would you pick? 
20. Would you rather go on a cruise or a safari?

20 New Year Themed Family Conversation Starters 

3…2…1…Happy New Year! A new year is quickly approaching, which can bring lots of emotions for people as they reflect on the past year and anticipate the coming one. In the days after Christmas and leading up to the new year, spend some time with your family talking about this year—what was good, what was hard, what brought you joy—and the new year—what you’re looking forward, what you’re worried about, where you can’t wait to visit. Perfect for the whole family, these New Year themed conversation starters should spark great discussions. 

1. What is one new thing you tried this year? 
2. What is your favorite place you visited this year? 
3. What are three words you would use to describe this year? 
4. What is something you learned this year? 
5. What is something you loved about school or work this year? 
6. Where is one place you want to visit next year? 
7. What is something you would like to do for someone next year? 
8. What is one goal you have for yourself next year? 
9. What is something you want to learn next year? 
10. What is the best movie you watched this year? 
11. What is something that made you laugh out loud this year? 
12. Where did you see God at work this year? 
13. What is the best gift you received this year? 
14. What is an unexpected difficulty that happened this year? 
15. What is a positive surprise that happened this year? 
16. What is the best book you read this year?
17. Is there anything worrying you about next year? 
18. What event are you most looking forward to next year? 
19. What is something God taught you this year? 
20. Overall, would you say this year was a good year, bad year, or indifferent year?