Last Updated on November 16, 2023 by The Smetz Files
If you had $1,000, how would you spend it?
What is a book you have read you can’t stop thinking about?
Would you rather go back in the past, or travel to the future?
Impromptu conversations
Kids can be super philosophical and ask deep questions. Often as I’m driving the kids to or from school, they’ll pose questions like, if you could have any super power, what would it be? Just today on the way home from school, G asked if we’d rather have one super power permanently or get a new one each day, which prompted a spirited debate on getting bored with sameness versus having to adjust to newness daily. These spontaneous questions are always interesting conversation starters that lead me to better understand who they are as individuals. Even in these short bursts of conversations their interactions are lively, usually filled with imagination, rationalization (most often cogently argued!), and some good natured teasing if one sibling passionately disagrees. Would you rather questions are always fun, too (I pinned some kid-friendly conversation starters on my Pinterest board).
Complex thinkers
It’s interesting to me how kids consider options with such depth. They think more complexly than they’re given credit. Too often I find that I’m distracted with trying to get us to the next place, what to cook for dinner, or thinking about a follow up work task I need to complete when we get home, but when they start these questions I’ve tried to be more intentional about listening to their responses, and of course, joining in when asked.
We’ve hit that sweet spot of the middle to upper elementary years where our kids still like to be around us (I know that’s fleeting!) and they are great conversationalists, so our topics of exploration are fun and sometimes contemplative, for example, when G questioned, ‘Mom, what do you think heaven looks like?’ Regardless of the ‘would you rather’ you pose, I find our conversations fun and lively, and insightful. Beyond that, they are a great way to know my kids better.
What are some fun, kid-friendly topics you suggest?
