100 Questions to Ask Your Grandparents About Their Life

The best questions to ask your grandparents are open-ended and specific, like "What's your earliest memory?", "How did you meet Grandpa?", or "What was Dad like as a kid?" Ask a few at a time, follow the story wherever it goes, and record the answers so you can hear them in their own voice later.

Below are 100 questions sorted by topic, plus tips for getting a quiet grandparent to open up.

How do you start a conversation with your grandparents about their life?

Start with something easy and concrete, like an old photo, a family recipe, or the town they grew up in. Objects jog memories, and talking about a picture feels less like an interview. Then ask "what happened next?" and let them lead.

A few tips:

• Ask open questions, not yes/no ones. "What was school like?" beats "Did you like school?"
• Follow up on details. "What did it smell like?" "What did you say back?" Small details make the best stories.
• Don't rush silences. A pause often means they're remembering something.
• Go in small doses. Five questions over coffee is better than fifty in one sitting.
• Record it (with their OK). You'll want their voice, not just your notes. Here's how to record your grandparents' stories.

Questions about their childhood

1. What's your earliest memory?
2. Where did you grow up, and what was your house like?
3. What did your neighborhood look, sound, and smell like?
4. What games did you play with other kids?
5. What was your favorite toy?
6. Did you have a pet? What was its name?
7. What chores did you have?
8. What did your family eat for dinner on a normal night?
9. What did you get in trouble for?
10. Who was your best friend as a kid?
11. What holidays did your family celebrate, and how?
12. What did you want to be when you grew up?
13. What was something that scared you as a child?
14. What's a smell or song that takes you straight back to being little?

Questions about their parents and family history

1. What were your parents like?
2. What did your parents do for work?
3. What's something your mom always said? Your dad?
4. Did you know your grandparents? What were they like?
5. Where did our family come from before that?
6. Are there any family stories that get told at every gathering?
7. Were there any family traditions you've kept?
8. Is there a family recipe I should learn?
9. What languages did people speak in your home?
10. Who in the family was the funniest? The most stubborn?
11. Is there a family mystery nobody ever solved?

Questions about school and growing up

1. What was school like for you?
2. What was your favorite subject? Least favorite?
3. Who was a teacher you never forgot?
4. What did you do for fun as a teenager?
5. What did teenagers wear when you were young?
6. What music did you love?
7. What was your first car, or how did you get around?
8. Did you go to dances or parties? What were they like?
9. What did your parents worry about with you?
10. What was something you did that you'd never want me to do?

Questions about love and relationships

1. How did you meet Grandma/Grandpa?
2. What was your first impression of them?
3. What was your first date like?
4. How did you know they were the one?
5. How did the proposal happen?
6. What was your wedding day like?
7. What did you argue about most?
8. What's the secret to staying together?
9. Who was your first crush?
10. What's the most romantic thing anyone ever did for you?
11. What advice would you give me about love?

Questions about work and money

1. What was your first job, and how much did it pay?
2. What jobs have you had over your life?
3. What job did you love most? Hate most?
4. What was the hardest you ever worked for something?
5. How much did things like bread, gas, or a movie ticket cost back then?
6. What did you learn about money the hard way?
7. Was there a moment when you were proud of your work?
8. If you could have had any career, what would it be?

Questions about being a parent

1. What was it like when you became a parent?
2. What was my mom/dad like as a kid?
3. What was the hardest part of raising kids?
4. What's a funny story about my parent that I've never heard?
5. What did you do differently from your own parents?
6. What do you wish you'd known as a new parent?
7. What are you most proud of about your children?
8. What was it like when you became a grandparent?

Questions about history and big moments

1. What major world events do you remember living through?
2. Where were you when you heard big news, and how did you hear it?
3. How has your hometown changed?
4. What technology changed your life the most?
5. What's something that's normal now that would have shocked you as a kid?
6. Did you ever move far from home? Why?
7. Did you serve in the military or know people who did?
8. What was the hardest time your family went through?

Fun questions to ask grandparents

1. What's the most trouble you ever got into?
2. What's the best trip you ever took?
3. What's your go-to dance move?
4. What's a talent people don't know you have?
5. What's the best meal you've ever eaten?
6. Which celebrity did you have a crush on?
7. What's a trend you're glad went away?
8. What's the funniest thing that happened at a family event?
9. If you could relive one day, which would it be?
10. What would your younger self think of you now?

Deep questions about life lessons

1. What are you most proud of in your life?
2. What's the best advice you ever got?
3. What do you wish you'd done differently?
4. What made you happiest over the years?
5. What's something you changed your mind about?
6. How did you get through the hardest times?
7. What do you think matters most in life?
8. What are you still curious about?
9. What does a good day look like to you now?
10. Who had the biggest influence on you?
11. What do you hope never changes about our family?
12. What scares you less now than when you were young?

Questions about legacy and the future

1. How do you want to be remembered?
2. What do you hope your grandkids learn from you?
3. Is there a story you want to make sure gets passed down?
4. What's something you want to tell me that you've never said?
5. What do you wish for my future?
6. What would you say to your great-grandkids if they could hear this?
7. Is there anything you'd like to do that you haven't done yet?
8. What's your favorite memory of us together?

Save their answers in their own voice

Write-ups are nice, but their voice is what you'll treasure: the way they laugh before the punchline, the word only they pronounce that way. Record your conversations on your phone, and save any voice notes or voicemails they send you. Our guides on preserving a loved one's voice and saving voice messages walk through it.

When Tucket launches, you'll be able to give Grandma or Grandpa their own pocket, with their sounds and favorite photos side by side, and share it with your family to fill together. See Tucket for families.