100 Questions to Ask Your Grandparents (and the Whole Family)

Every grandparent carries stories that nobody has thought to ask about yet. The day they walked to school in the snow. Their first pet. The recipe they still make by heart. The best way to hear those stories is simple: ask the right questions.

Below you will find 100 questions to ask your grandparents, sorted into 10 themes, from funny to meaningful. They work for kids, teens, and adults, and they work just as well with a great aunt, an uncle, a parent, or an older neighbor.

Free printable: want all 100 questions on paper, ready to bring to Grandma's house? Download the free printable list (PDF).

Before you start: 5 tips for a great conversation

1. Pick a calm moment. A quiet afternoon, a car ride, or a holiday visit works better than a busy dinner.
2. Choose a few questions, not all 100. Five to ten questions per visit is plenty. The best stories come from follow-ups.
3. Ask, "Tell me about a time when…" It turns a short answer into a real story.
4. Write down their exact words. A single sentence in their own voice is worth more than a long summary. If they agree, record their voice on a phone.
5. Let them pass. Some memories are private or painful. A simple "we can skip that one" keeps the conversation warm.

1. Childhood: when you were little

1. Where did you live when you were my age?
2. What did your bedroom look like?
3. What was your favorite thing to do on a Saturday?
4. What were you most afraid of as a child?
5. What is a trouble you got into that you still remember?
6. Who was your best friend, and what did you do together?
7. What did you want to be when you grew up?
8. What was your favorite food as a kid?
9. What did your parents always tell you?
10. What is the earliest memory you have?

2. School days

11. How did you get to school: walking, by bus, or by bike?
12. What was your favorite subject, and which one did you hate?
13. Who was your favorite teacher, and why?
14. What was in your backpack or lunch box?
15. Did you ever get in trouble at school? What happened?
16. What games did you play at recess?
17. How was school different from my school today?
18. Were you a good student?
19. What did you do during summer vacation?
20. What is something you learned in school that you still use?

3. Games, toys, and fun (the funny questions)

21. What was your favorite toy?
22. Could you teach me a game from when you were a kid?
23. Did you ever build a toy yourself?
24. Which toy did you dream of but never got?
25. What was the silliest thing you ever did with your friends?
26. What music did you dance to?
27. What was the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
28. What did kids do for fun without phones or the internet?
29. What was your favorite TV show or radio program?
30. If you could be a kid again for one day, what would you do?

4. Home and neighborhood

31. What did your house look like? How many rooms did it have?
32. What was your favorite room, and why?
33. Who were your neighbors?
34. Did you have a TV? A phone? When did you get your first one?
35. What stores were in your neighborhood?
36. What chores did you have to do at home?
37. What did your street sound and smell like?
38. Did you share a bedroom with anyone?
39. How did your family get around: car, bus, train, or on foot?
40. If you could go back to one place from your childhood, where would it be?

5. Pets and animals

41. Did you have a pet when you were little? What was its name?
42. Tell me a funny story about that animal.
43. Who took care of it?
44. Was there an animal you were scared of?
45. Did you live near a farm, a forest, or the sea?
46. What is the strangest animal you have ever seen?
47. If you could have any animal today, what would it be?
48. Did you ever rescue or care for a hurt animal?
49. Which animal do you think you are most like?
50. Do you have a pet memory that still makes you smile?

6. Holidays and family traditions

51. What was your favorite holiday as a child?
52. How did your family celebrate Christmas or other holidays?
53. What is the best gift you ever received?
54. Which family tradition do you hope we keep?
55. What did a birthday look like when you were a kid?
56. Was there a special song your family sang together?
57. Where did your family go on vacation?
58. What holiday food could you never wait to eat?
59. Did you have any funny or unusual family traditions?
60. What is your happiest holiday memory?

7. Family recipes and food

61. Who did the cooking at your house?
62. What was your favorite dish?
63. Which family recipe do you know by heart? Will you teach it to me?
64. What food did you refuse to eat as a child?
65. What was the first meal you ever cooked?
66. Was there a dish your family made only for special days?
67. What did a normal dinner look like at your house?
68. Did you grow your own fruit or vegetables?
69. What is a kitchen disaster you still laugh about?
70. If we cooked one meal together this week, what should it be?

8. Work, first jobs, and dreams

71. When you were my age, what did you want to be?
72. What was your very first job?
73. How much did you earn, and what did you buy with it?
74. What was the best moment of your working life?
75. What was the hardest job you ever had?
76. Did you ever change your mind about your career?
77. Who taught you the most about work?
78. What job do you think no longer exists today?
79. What is something you are proud of building or creating?
80. If you could try any job for one day, what would it be?

9. Love, family, and the people who mattered

81. How did you meet Grandma or Grandpa?
82. What did you like about them first?
83. What was your wedding day like?
84. Who is someone who changed your life? How did you meet?
85. What was my mom or dad like as a child?
86. What is a funny story about my parents that I probably don't know?
87. Who were your grandparents, and what do you remember about them?
88. Where does our family come from?
89. What is the bravest thing someone in our family ever did?
90. What do you love most about our family?

10. Life lessons and what you want to pass on

91. What made you happiest in your life?
92. What is the most important thing you have learned?
93. What big events do you remember, and where were you at the time?
94. How did you hear the news back then: radio, newspaper, or TV?
95. What has changed most in the world since you were a kid?
96. What advice would you give to your younger self?
97. What are you most proud of?
98. What do you hope I remember about you?
99. Where would you like to go with me someday?
100. What do you love most about me?

Not only grandparents

These questions work with anyone who has stories to share: a parent, an aunt, an uncle, a godparent, an older cousin, or a neighbor. Just swap "Grandma" for their name. Interviewing several people about the same theme is a wonderful way to see how one family story can be told in different ways.

How to turn the answers into a family keepsake

Answers on loose paper get lost. Here are three simple ways to keep them:

• A notebook per person, with one page per theme and their best quote at the top.
• A voice recording, saved with the date and the questions asked.
• A memory book, illustrated with old photos or drawings of the scenes they describe.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions should I ask in one visit?

Five to ten is ideal. Short, relaxed conversations bring better stories than a long list read in one go.

What age should kids be to interview their grandparents?

Children from about 8 years old can lead the conversation, with a grown-up helping to write down the answers. Younger kids can draw what they hear instead.

What if my grandparent doesn't remember much?

That's normal. Old photos, familiar objects, music, or smells often bring memories back. Start with an object and ask, "Where does this come from?"

What are good funny questions to ask grandparents?

Start with section 3 above: the silliest thing they did with friends, the toy they dreamed of, or what kids did for fun without phones. Laughter is the best way to open up a conversation.