Kids Interviewing Their Grandparents: Questions Worth Asking

One of the simplest ways to preserve family history doesn't require a parent or grandparent to sit down and write anything. It just requires a kid, a phone, and a short list of questions. Here's a starting list worth using while there's still time.

Why kids asking the questions works so well

A grandparent might not think to record their own life story unprompted. It can feel indulgent, or like no one would really want to hear it. But when a grandchild asks directly, it removes that hesitation entirely. It also tends to produce more natural, conversational answers than a formal, self-directed recording ever would.

Questions about their childhood

• What's your very first memory?
• What was your house like growing up?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What's something you got in trouble for as a kid?
• Who was your best friend, and what happened to that friendship over time?

Questions about their younger adult years

• How did you meet [spouse/partner]?
• What was your first job, and what did it pay?
• What's a risk you took that you're glad you took?
• What's something you were sure about at 20 that turned out to be wrong?
• What did you think your life would look like, and how is it different?

Questions about family history

• What do you know about your own grandparents?
• Is there a family story that's been passed down that might not even be true?
• What's a family tradition that started with you, or with someone before you?
• Is there anyone in the family history you wish you knew more about?

Questions about now

• What's something you're proud of that most people wouldn't know about?
• What's the best advice you've ever gotten?
• What's something you'd do differently if you could?
• What do you want people to remember about you?

How to actually run the interview

• Keep it relaxed, a phone propped up during a normal visit works better than a formal sit-down
• Let silences happen; some of the best answers come after a pause, not immediately
• Don't rush through the list, better to get a few questions answered in depth than all of them briefly
• It's fine to go off-script if a story takes an unexpected turn

Why this shouldn't wait for "someday"

Family history like this is rarely lost all at once: it disappears gradually, as people forget to ask, assume they'll get to it eventually, or simply run out of time. A twenty-minute conversation, recorded on an ordinary afternoon, can end up holding more family history than years of casual conversation ever did, simply because someone finally asked directly.