Connect | 21 revealing questions to ask your kids
{This modified post originally appeared on Kidspot}
Cappers surprised me one day when she insisted that her favourite colour was green.
“But your favourite colour has always been blue,” I insisted.
“No, it’s green. I’ve always liked green.”
Now, I know that’s not true and whether she likes green, blue or ombre doesn’t actually matter in the grand scheme of things, but it got me thinking. How well do I actually know my kids? Not last year’s kids, these kids.
There’s not a parent alive who hasn’t had that “Where did the time go?” moment – our kids grow up in the blink of an eye and all of us scramble to keep up with them. I thought the changes experienced in the first five years were amazing until I realised that the next five years produced even more remarkable differences. I can only assume that the five that follow those will leave me flattened!
As Cappers told me all about her love affair with green, I decided then and there that I was going to ‘interview’ the children each year on their birthday, asking them the same questions and recording their answer on paper and on video. I can just see them in twenty years’ time, trying to work out how to play the daggy old MP3 that mum made way back in 2014, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway.
The continuity of doing something every year on or around the same date is important. It benchmarks our children’s growth and also allows them to see themselves growing from one year to another. They can watch past videos and have a giggle at their answers. Later, when they are older, I’m quite sure they’ll find their childhood answers rather inspiring.
Either way, I believe this is the best way to record my child growing up, learning, exploring and discovering the world. I think I’ll be discovering them at the same time.
On the Badoo’s birthday last year I tried out my new idea and it was a hit. I’ll include the video for you to see how it all works after showing you my questions.
21 questions to ask your kids
1. What do you like most about yourself right now?
2. What do you think your job will be when you grow up?
3. What is the funniest thing you’ve ever done?
4. How do you like to spend your time?
5. What’s your favourite subject at school?
6. What do you think will be different about the world when you are grown up?
7. Who are your best friends and why do you like each other?
8. What do you think mum and dad do at work all day?
9. What’s the most important rule that you know of?
10. What do you know how to do that you could teach me?
11. Why do you think kids go to school?
12. What is your favourite outfit to wear?
13. What makes you really cross?
14. What do you think is the worst thing that could happen?
15. What makes you feel proud?
16. What makes you happy?
17. Which of your nicknames do you like the most?
18. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you lately?
19. Why do you think women wear make up?
20. What do you do when you feel sad?
21. What’s a question you’d like to ask me?
Have you ever interviewed your kids?
