Questions to Ask Your Grandparents

What should you ask your grandparents about their life? Start with their childhood, how they met, the work they did, and the lessons they'd pass on, then follow whatever makes them light up. Below are 100 questions to ask your grandparents, grouped by stage of life, plus tips for the conversation and an easy way to record their answers in their own voice.

Your grandparents have lived through things you've only read about. Most of those stories never get told, simply because no one thought to ask. The good news: grandparents usually love being asked. A few good questions are all it takes.

If you're looking for questions for your mom or dad too, start with our full guide to questions to ask your parents.

Why Ask Your Grandparents Questions?

Asking your grandparents questions is the simplest way to keep your family's story from being lost. Their memories hold where your family came from, how they lived, and what they learned, and once those stories are gone, no one can get them back.

It's also good for them. Telling their story helps grandparents feel heard and valued, and it gives you something to talk about beyond "How are you feeling?"

What we see at LastingMind. [The families who capture the most stories don’t do it in one big interview. They ask their grandparents a question about once a month, and keep it going. A steady habit beats one long sit-down.]

Questions About Their Childhood

• 1. Where were you born, and what was your home like?
• 2. What did your parents do for work?
• 3. What's your earliest memory?
• 4. What did you do for fun as a kid?
• 5. Who was your best friend growing up?
• 6. What was your favorite meal growing up, and who made it?
• 7. What chores did you have?
• 8. What were holidays like in your family?
• 9. Were you ever in big trouble? What for?
• 10. What was your neighborhood like?
• 11. What did you want to be when you grew up?
• 12. What's something kids today would never believe about your childhood?

Questions About School and Growing Up

• 13. What was school like for you?
• 14. Who was your favorite teacher, and why?
• 15. What subject did you love, and which did you dread?
• 16. What did you and your friends do on weekends?
• 17. What music were you listening to as a teenager?
• 18. What was your first job, and how much did it pay?
• 19. When did you first feel like an adult?
• 20. What did your parents teach you that you still think about?
• 21. What were you most afraid of when you were young?
• 22. What big events in the world do you remember from those years?

Questions About Love and Marriage

• 23. How did you meet Grandma (or Grandpa)?
• 24. What was your first impression of them?
• 25. What was your first date?
• 26. How did the proposal happen?
• 27. What was your wedding day like?
• 28. Where was your first home together?
• 29. What's the secret to staying together?
• 30. What was the hardest time in your marriage, and how did you get through it?
• 31. What's your favorite memory of the two of you?
• 32. What advice would you give me about love?

Questions About Work and Career

• 33. What jobs have you had?
• 34. What work were you proudest of?
• 35. Did you have a boss or mentor who changed things for you?
• 36. What was the hardest job you ever had?
• 37. If you could have done any job, what would it have been?
• 38. How did you balance work and family?
• 39. What did you learn about money the hard way?
• 40. What did retirement feel like?

Questions About Raising a Family

• 41. What was it like when my mom (or dad) was born?
• 42. What was my parent like as a kid?
• 43. What's a funny story about my parent they'd rather I didn't hear?
• 44. What was the hardest part of raising kids?
• 45. What family traditions did you start?
• 46. What did you do differently from your own parents?
• 47. What were dinners like in your house?
• 48. What's something you wish you'd known as a new parent?
• 49. What did you feel when you first held a grandchild?
• 50. What do you hope our family never loses?

Questions About Family History

• 51. Where did our family come from?
• 52. What do you know about your grandparents?
• 53. Are there any family stories that have been passed down for generations?
• 54. Were there family members who moved far away or came from another country? Why?
• 55. Who in our family was the real character?
• 56. Are there family recipes, heirlooms or photos with a story behind them?
• 57. What languages were spoken in your home growing up?
• 58. What hard times did our family get through?
• 59. Is there anyone in our family I should know more about?
• 60. What do you want your great-grandchildren to know about where they come from?

Funny Questions to Ask Your Grandparents

• 61. What's the most trouble you ever got into?
• 62. What's the worst fashion trend you ever followed?
• 63. What's the silliest thing you ever believed?
• 64. What's a slang word from your day that no one uses anymore?
• 65. What's the most embarrassing thing that happened on a date?
• 66. What technology confused you most when it came out?
• 67. What's the strangest gift you ever received?
• 68. What's a habit of Grandma's (or Grandpa's) that drives you crazy?
• 69. What prank did you pull that you're still proud of?
• 70. If you had your own TV show, what would it be about?

Questions About Values and Beliefs

• 71. What matters most to you in life?
• 72. What role has faith or spirituality played in your life?
• 73. What's a value you tried hardest to pass on?
• 74. What's a belief you changed your mind about?
• 75. Who do you admire most, and why?
• 76. What does a good life look like to you?
• 77. How do you get through hard times?
• 78. What makes you proud of our family?

Deeper Questions About Life and Legacy

• 79. What's the hardest thing you've been through?
• 80. What are you most proud of?
• 81. What do you wish you'd done differently?
• 82. What did you learn late that you wish you'd known early?
• 83. What do you want to be remembered for?
• 84. What do you worry about for the next generation?
• 85. What are you still hoping to do?
• 86. What would you tell your 20-year-old self?
• 87. Is there anything you've never told anyone that you'd like to share?
• 88. What do you want each of your grandchildren to know? If your grandparents want to think about these questions on their own, our guide on how do you want to be remembered walks through them step by step.

Questions for the Holiday Table

Holidays are often the one time everyone is in the same room. These work well with the whole family listening:

• 89. What was Thanksgiving (or Christmas) like when you were a kid?
• 90. What's a holiday you'll never forget?
• 91. Which family recipe should we never lose, and where did it come from?
• 92. What tradition do you hope we keep going?
• 93. What's the best gift you ever gave?
• 94. Who would you invite to dinner if you could invite anyone from the past?

Quick Questions to Get Them Started

If a big question feels like too much, start small:

• 95. What's your favorite song?
• 96. What's the best meal you've ever had?
• 97. What's your favorite place you've ever been?
• 98. What's the best advice you ever got?
• 99. What's something that always makes you laugh?
• 100. What's one thing you'd like me to remember about you?

How Do You Get Your Grandparents to Open Up?

The best way to get grandparents talking is to ask about specific moments, not big topics. "Tell me about the day you met Grandpa" works better than "Tell me about your marriage."

A few tips:

• Pick a few questions, not all 100. Five good questions can fill an afternoon.
• Follow the story. The best answers come from "What happened next?" and "How did that feel?"
• Use photos. An old photo album is the easiest way to spark memories.
• Let silences sit. Give them time to remember; the details often come after a pause.
• Go back for more. Stories come back over time. A second or third conversation is often richer than the first.

How Do You Record Your Grandparents' Answers?

The best way to save your grandparents' stories is to record them in their own voice. Notes capture the facts; a recording keeps their laugh, their pauses and the way they tell it.

You can use your phone's voice memo app. Or use LastingMind, which is built for exactly this, in two ways:

• Record together. Download the app, sit down with your grandparent and ask the questions. They never have to touch a phone; they just talk to you.
• Let them record on their own. Your grandparent downloads the app, and it guides them with questions like these. They just talk; no writing. Then the whole family gets involved. Anyone can send your grandparents a question to answer, and their stories are saved in their own voice on one platform the whole family can access. Years from now, instead of flipping through a notebook, your kids can chat with their great-grandparents' LastingMind and hear the answers in their own words.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are good questions to ask your grandparents?

Good questions ask about specific moments: where they grew up, how they met their spouse, their first job, a family tradition, and the best advice they ever got. Questions that start with "Tell me about the time..." usually get the best stories.

What should I ask my grandparents before they die?

Ask what they're most proud of, what they wish they'd done differently, what they want to be remembered for, and what they want each grandchild to know. Record the answers so you can hear their voice later.

How do I interview my grandparents?

Pick five to ten questions, find a quiet time, and record the conversation. Ask follow-ups like "What happened next?" and use old photos to spark memories. Plan for more than one conversation.

What are funny questions to ask grandparents?

Ask about the most trouble they got into, their worst fashion trend, an embarrassing date, slang from their day, or the technology that confused them most. Funny questions are a great way to warm up before deeper ones.

What's the best way to record my grandparents' stories?

Record them in their own voice, either with your phone or with an app like LastingMind, which guides the conversation with questions, saves the stories, and lets the whole family listen and keep asking questions later.

Start With One Question

You don't need a plan or all 100 questions. Pick one, ask it at the next visit or phone call, and press record. With LastingMind, your grandparents just talk, the whole family can send them questions, and their stories stay with your family for generations.

Start their story →