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Sometimes children need a little bit of encouragement when it comes to getting their thoughts into words, and conversation games can help.
It can be eye opening to find out what broke you children’s heart, even if it seems silly to you, it’s a big deal to them. Having that conversation opens up the opportunity to really connect and be there for your child in their times of sadness, no matter how ridiculous you might believe the problem is.
Building a solid foundation with kids when they are younger will help parents connect with children as they get older, and the kids will be more inclined to share all the things that their world is made up of without being shy, or scared.
Not to mention is helps build up their emotional intelligence as well as promote children’s communication skills.
We all want what’s best for our children, and it starts at home, through a simple social skills game and fun conversations that don’t involve screen time. These are also great for road trips as a fun way to pass the time.
Here are the best dinnertime conversation starters and games to get your chirpy little chatterbox to open up and start chatting.
24 Fun Conversation Games For Children
- Would You Rather
- Hide And Speak
- Story A – Z
- Questions Only
- The Famous Person Game
- That’s How We Roll
- Secret Message
- Story Starter Hot Potato
- Name Ten in Ten
- Speed Speak
- Rory’s Story Cubes
- The Grateful Game
- Trait Roulette
- Find Your Partner
- My Name Is Anne
- I Spy
- Human Experience Bingo
- Fact or Fiction
- The Art Of Children’s Conversation
- Thoughts and Feelings – A Sentence Completion Card Game
- Answer Fast
- I Like You Because…
- The Elevator Game!
- This or That
Would You Rather
A conversation game called “Would You Rather” includes giving your child two options and asking them which one they prefer.
Here are: 300+ Would You Rather Questions Kids Love To Answer
Hide And Speak
This is a fun game where yo write questions on cards and then scatter them around the room. The kids have to find your question cards and then answer the question that is written on the card.
If you wanted to scale this game in a classroom setting you can add questions that are right or wrong, but for family conversations, make the questions simple such as “What does your dream house look like?” or “Why is that your favorite toy?”
Story A – Z
This is a really fun talking game for little kids. All you have to do is go around in a circle and start a story. The story starts with A and finishes with Z. For example:
Person 1: “A bug flew into the house”
Person 2: “Bugs shouldn’t be in the house”
Person 3: “Can we get the bug back out of the house?”
Questions Only
Everyone must always speak in the form of a question. This conversation starter is really easy to play, has no clear winner or conclusion, will keep you laughing, and whether you like it or not, it can come up again hours after you thought it was over.
The Famous Person Game
Have you played the Famous Person Game? I used to play this game at summer camp to break the ice and start conversations.
How it works is you write on a piece of paper the name of well-known people (people that your children know as well like paw patrol characters or Blippi) and put those pieces of paper on all of the foreheads.
Your children need to ask questions about the name on their forehead and see if they can figure out who they are. The other family members are not supposed to simply reveal who they are either. It has to be challenging and fun.
The game is over when the last person can guess who they are correct.
This kind of game really gets the family laughing, engaging and having a blast. This kind of quality fun can open up conversations later on in the evening because it tends to break any tension (that you may not have even known was there) between you and your kids ( or other family members with different perspectives) and your children are more likely to come over and start a conversation.
That’s How We Roll
This is a great game if you need to break some ice with a new friend or when your child is having a hard day. Write down some questions and then number those questions. Let your child roll the dice and whichever number they land on, that is the question they have to answer.
Keep the questions light hearted and even funny if you can.
Secret Message or Telephone
Remember the telephone game from your childhood? One person comes up with a message and then each person whispers the message into the next persons ear. The last person says the message out loud and the first person has to say whether that was the original message or not.
Story Starter Hot Potato
Write down some beginner stories on a few pieces of paper. Give each child a story starter and then play some music. Once the music stops, ask each child to come up with the next part to the story starter.
Name Ten in Ten
In the traditional discussion game Name 10, each player names a category, such as Fruit, and the other participants must think of 10 examples of that category. It is up to the person who created the category to decide whether the examples fit.
Speed Speak
This is a really fun one, especially if the kids are younger! How it works is each family member needs to talk for 30 seconds about a topic another family member suggested.
The trick is to talk for that 30 seconds without saying the words “um” “like” or use long pauses to think about the topic. You can use a timer to time that 30 seconds and literally talk about anything and everything you can think of.
Our most funny ones have been about “toes” and “rubber boots”
This is a really classic way to break any tension during supper time and a great way to make some memories while you’re at it.
Rory’s Story Cubes
A simple game, that takes up very little storage space in your family game cubby. It encourages children to tell stories and stretch kids’ imagination.
The Grateful Game
This is a very simple game. All you have to do is ask each family member to say what they are grateful for. That’s it!
Trait Roulette
Ask the children to collaborate and create a list of potential character traits. Make sure they only emphasise their virtues. Examples include being kind, risk-taking, and wise. On pieces of paper, write the qualities, then place them in a bag. Allow each child to take a character attribute slip out of the bag in turn.
Find Your Partner
Create a tiny slip of paper for every child. One word on the paper should correspond to the other word on another piece of paper. For instance, paper-pen, fork-spoon, night-day, and so forth.
The papers are folded and placed in a bowl or hat. Now instruct the children to remove one slip of paper out of the hat at a time.
The children are required to wander around and look for their companion when you say “go.” To find out if they made the right partner choice, the students must now come to you.
My Name Is Anne
Each player in this discussion game adds a name and an item in alphabetical order. The first person would say, “A my name is Anne, and I like apples,” and the next person might respond, “A my name is Anne, and I like apples, and B my name is Bobby, and I like bananas,” and so on.
I Spy
Traditionally, this game begins with the statement “I spy with my little eye something…” and then includes one or more descriptors, such as “red,” “smaller than a mouse,” or “made of wood.” Each person takes a turn attempting to identify the object. The correct answerer becomes the “spy” after that.
Human Experience Bingo
Ask the children to compose a list of all their wonderful experiences, such as an exciting vacation, scuba diving, and so forth. Complete the list by adding 30 to 40 experiences. Now hand a blank bingo sheet to the children and instruct them to fill in one experience for each box.
Fact or Fiction
In this game, each player takes turns saying two facts about themselves that are true and one that is false. The other players then have to identify which statements are true and which are false. Although younger children might not quite “understand” this discussion game, their contributions are frequently funny nevertheless.
The Art Of Children’s Conversation
The Art Of Children’s Conversation is the talking game that everyone’s talking about. It helps develop listening and talking skills and can be used starting Kindergarten kids ages with simple conversation games.
Thoughts and Feelings – A Sentence Completion Card Game
Thoughts And Feelings is a great game that is also a tool for parents designed to engage children of all ages to help identify, work through and process many issues such as trauma, grief, depression, anxiety and anger.
Answer Fast
Answer When playing fast, you say one word and ask your child to swiftly say whatever comes to mind when he hears that word.
Although you can play this game with kids of any age, it could be a little difficult for the younger ones. Encourage them to communicate in whatever way. They will develop the habit of taking part as a result, which will make playing later on easier.
You’ll learn more about your child’s thought habits thanks to this game.
I Like You Because…
I Like You Because is a fantastic game for strengthening family ties. In this game, players take turns naming one positive trait of the individual to their left. Once everyone has had a turn, the game continues to be played around the table (or circle).
Go around the circle once again once everyone has had a chance to speak, but this time everyone must say something that hasn’t been mentioned before.
I accept any response. Don’t start out by looking for meaningful solutions. It’s a terrific response if child A likes youngster B because the latter shares her toys. Child B can now be proud of her ability to share, and Child A can grow in his appreciation for his sister’s generosity.
The Elevator Game!
When playing the elevator game, choose a topic (or let your child choose one), then set a timer for 1 to 5 minutes of conversation on that topic.
For instance, if the topic of discussion is red sneakers, you might set a timer and ask child #1 to share his thoughts about red sneakers at the table for the allotted period of time. The following individual would then go in turn. The subjects can stay the same or shift depending on the player.
The elevator game is a fantastic way to improve your communication abilities. After starting a discussion, most people can carry it on. Again, all that’s required is to start the process.
This or That
Giving your youngster the option between any two similar items is how the game “This or That” is played. Dogs or cats? Lunch or breakfast? Day or night? Trucks or cars? Quick or slow?
The possibilities for this conversation game are virtually endless. You can talk about your child’s responses as much or as little as you’d like.
This game is fantastic when you want to do something silly and superficial. after a difficult day or during a difficult moment. The conversations that come out of this game are rich and worthwhile.
Conversation Games For Kids Benefits And Outcomes
There are great benefits to playing conversation games with kids, it shows that you are interested in their interests, opens lines of communication, makes conversation flow easy, creates family traditions and memories.
Shows Your Interest In Them
Having conversations around your children’s interests shows your child that you really do care about their interests, even if it’s difficult to listen to. You’re showing them that you care about their likes and dislikes and you’re showing them that they are seen and heard by you.
Conversation games for kids feed into the human need that everyone has for being seen and heard which helps children feel a large sense of belonging and comfort. When you engage in conversations they truly believe that parents have a good understanding of the child which helps with brain development, emotional regulation which is an important life skill.
Opens Up Communication Lines
When you start a conversation with your little one, you’re likely not going to stay on the subject you started out on. Starting a conversation about favorite animals and even another favorite thing can lead to fears they could be having or successes they haven’t yet shared with you. These are effective communication skills that are very important for kids to know.
The dinner conversation starter is just the starter, the momentum happens through engaging and continuing the talk. Positive parents like you and me, want our children to grow up to be kind and successful, and we will do anything we can to teach our kids important conversation skills.
The reality is, children will not come out and tell you about their problems, or they rarely will if they do come out with it. This is where conversation games for kids create an opening for the portal of conversation.
Makes Conversation Flow Easy
Because conversation games for kids open up the lines of conversation, they do in turn make the flow of conversing nice and easy too with easy conversation topic ideas.
Creates Family Traditions And Memories
My kids seem to remember anything and everything that is even the silliest thing and some of the conversations that come out of these conversations games are hilarious and ridiculous, which is FUN and exciting!
How fun would it be knowing that one day when your kids are older, they will want to play conversation games with their own kids simply because of the memories and traditions that were created with your family when they were younger.
Kids remember the silliest, and most fun things from their childhood, and very rarely remember the negative aspects, which makes your job as a parent pretty simple, as long as you try and raise children who are happy, well balanced and having fun while using positive discipline to teach important lessons.
The Power Of Play
Board games and table topics are a simple and fun way to engage in critical thinking and team building exercises, both in small groups and big groups. Not only do they provide an opportunity for interesting facts and interesting questions, but they can also serve as a conversation starter for fun and stimulating discussions.
One of the best things about board games and table topics is the variety of topics they cover, from word play and alphabet games to classic games and conversation starter cards. These games appeal to all ages, from children to older kids and adults. They are a valuable opportunity for families to bond and for classroom discussions in high school.
One example of a fun and engaging game is the “BestSelf Co.” conversation starter cards. These cards come in a pack of Christmas-themed conversation questions, perfect for holiday gatherings with friends and family. The questions range from light-hearted and fun, such as “What is your favorite Christmas movie?” to more thought-provoking questions like “What do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind during the holiday season?”
Another great game is “Fun Memory Game” by Karen Conklin. This game is perfect for families with young children and is a valuable tool for helping children develop their memory and recall skills. It is also a great conversation starter for parents to learn more about their child’s life and interests.
Playing board games and table topics is a great way to put away the cell phone and have a good laugh with friends and family. It’s a fun and easy way to spend time together, without the need for a lot of planning or preparation. The next time you’re looking for a fun conversation starter or team building exercise, consider breaking out a board game or pack of conversation starter cards.
As we know, playing games is a powerful way to spend time together and learn new things. It’s a way to build conversation and connection, whether you’re playing alone or with a partner. The next time you’re looking for a way to spend your time, consider trying one of these games, and you’ll see the power of play in action.
Creating Memories With The best conversation games
In conclusion, conversation games for kids are a great way to make dinner time more engaging and meaningful. These games offer a better way to connect with the entire family and create a fun memory game that everyone can enjoy.
Instead of playing video games or browsing through social media, playing cards or other conversation games can help establish a strong relationship and foster valuable insight into the thoughts and feelings of each family member.
These simple question games can also help kids open up about their day or any other topic that they may be having a hard time discussing. The game appeal of these conversation games is that they offer a different topic each time, ensuring that the entire family has something to talk about.
Whether it’s the first player or the next player, each person can participate and share their thoughts without fear of giving a wrong answer. The games mentioned above, such as Would You Rather, Story Starter Hot Potato, and I Spy, require little work to set up and can be played with a group of people. Even short message games like Secret Message and Answer Fast can offer valuable insight into the different personalities and interests of each family member.
Need more? Here is another pack of christmas-themed conversation questions and trivia fun you can play with a group of people or with your kids.
FAQ
What’s a fun conversation starter for kids?
A great conversation starter for kids is to ask about their favorite hobbies or interests. For example, you could say, “What do you love to do for fun?”
This opens up the conversation and allows the child to share their passions, whether it’s a sport, a favorite book or movie, a hobby, or even a unique talent they possess.
Kids often enjoy talking about the things they love, and this question encourages them to express themselves and engage in an enjoyable conversation.
It also provides an opportunity to learn more about their personalities and build a stronger connection with them.
How can I help my child with conversation?
To help your child with conversation, encourage active listening and provide opportunities for regular communication.
Engage in meaningful discussions, asking open-ended questions to stimulate their curiosity and critical thinking. Be a good role model by displaying attentive listening, maintaining eye contact, and being patient when they speak.
Create a supportive environment where they feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgment. Foster their vocabulary and communication skills through reading together and playing word games.
Encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings, showing genuine interest in what they say.
By nurturing their communication abilities, you’ll boost their confidence and help them become effective communicators throughout their lives.
How do you help a quiet child speak up?
Helping a quiet child speak up involves creating a safe and supportive environment where they feel comfortable expressing themselves.
Avoid pushing or pressuring them to talk but instead, show patience and understanding. Engage in one-on-one conversations, giving them ample time to respond.
Encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings without judgment. Use open-ended questions and show genuine interest in what they have to say.
Provide opportunities for social interactions, such as playdates or group activities, to gradually build their confidence.
Praise their efforts when they do speak up, boosting their self-esteem. Celebrate small victories and be a positive role model for effective communication.
How do you make small talk fun?
To make small talk fun, try to add some creativity and humor to the conversation. Use light-hearted and interesting topics, such as recent movies, hobbies, or travel experiences.
Ask open-ended questions that encourage engaging responses and show genuine curiosity in the other person’s answers.
Share funny anecdotes or stories that relate to the topic at hand, but keep them brief to maintain the flow of the conversation.
Use positive body language and maintain good eye contact to create a friendly atmosphere.
Avoid controversial or sensitive topics, and instead, focus on finding common ground and shared interests. Remember, the key is to keep it light, enjoyable, and relaxed.
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