Thanksgiving Conversation Starters: Questions That Get Grandparents Talking

What are good questions to ask grandparents at Thanksgiving? Ask about the Thanksgivings they remember, the family recipes on the table, how they met, and the advice they'd pass down, starting with light questions and saving the deeper ones for when everyone's lingering over pie. Below are 75 Thanksgiving conversation starters that get grandparents talking, plus how to record their answers so the whole family can keep asking later.

Thanksgiving is one of the few days a year when every generation sits at the same table. It's also the easiest time to hear the stories that never come up on a quick phone call. All it takes is the right question.

Want more ideas for the rest of the year? See our full lists of questions to ask your parents and questions to ask your grandparents.

What Makes a Good Thanksgiving Conversation Starter?

A good Thanksgiving conversation starter is an open question about a specific memory that anyone at the table can enjoy hearing the answer to. "What was Thanksgiving like when you were ten?" beats "Did you like Thanksgiving as a kid?" because it invites a story, not a yes or no.

The best ones:

• Start easy. Light, funny questions warm the table up before deeper ones.
• Involve everyone. Questions the kids can ask, and the grandparents want to answer.
• Ask for moments. "Tell me about the time…" gets the best stories.

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. Thanksgiving is a great place to start the habit.

Thanksgiving Memories

• 1. What was Thanksgiving like when you were a kid?
• 2. Where did your family celebrate, and who was always there?
• 3. Who did the cooking, and what was always on the table?
• 4. What's the most memorable Thanksgiving you've ever had?
• 5. Was there a kids' table? How old were you when you graduated from it?
• 6. What's a Thanksgiving that went completely wrong?
• 7. What did your family do after the meal?
• 8. Did you ever spend Thanksgiving away from home? What was it like?
• 9. What was the first Thanksgiving you hosted?
• 10. Which Thanksgiving tradition do you miss the most?

Family Recipes and Food

• 11. Which dish on this table has a story behind it?
• 12. Who taught you to cook?
• 13. What's a family recipe we should never lose? Where did it come from?
• 14. What's the worst kitchen disaster you've ever had?
• 15. What did you eat growing up that no one makes anymore?
• 16. What's your secret to the perfect stuffing, pie or gravy?
• 17. What meal reminds you most of your mother?
• 18. What dish did you bring to your first potluck as a newlywed?

Gratitude Questions

• 19. What are you most thankful for this year?
• 20. Who is someone you're grateful for that we never met?
• 21. What's the best thing that ever happened to you?
• 22. What's a hard time you're now grateful you went through?
• 23. Who helped you most when you were starting out?
• 24. What simple pleasure do you appreciate more now than when you were young?
• 25. What's something about our family that makes you proud?
• 26. What are you grateful your parents taught you?

Growing Up

• 27. Where did you grow up, and what was your house like?
• 28. What did you do for fun as a kid?
• 29. What were your chores?
• 30. Who was your best friend, and what trouble did you get into?
• 31. What was school like for you?
• 32. What was your first job, and what did it pay?
• 33. What music did you listen to as a teenager?
• 34. What's something kids today would never believe about your childhood?

Love and Family

• 35. How did you and Grandma (or Grandpa) meet?
• 36. What was your first date?
• 37. What was your wedding day like?
• 38. What's the secret to a long marriage?
• 39. What was my mom (or dad) like as a kid?
• 40. What's a story about my parent they'd rather I didn't hear?
• 41. What was it like when your first grandchild was born?
• 42. What do you hope our family never loses?

Funny Questions for the Whole Table

These work well when the kids are asking:

• 43. What's the most trouble you ever got into?
• 44. What's the worst haircut or outfit you ever had?
• 45. What slang did you use that no one says anymore?
• 46. What's the silliest thing you believed as a kid?
• 47. What technology confused you most when it came out?
• 48. What's the most embarrassing thing that happened on a date?
• 49. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
• 50. What would surprise us most about you at 20?

Family History

• 51. Where did our family come from?
• 52. What do you remember about your grandparents?
• 53. Did anyone in our family move here from far away? Why?
• 54. Who in our family was the biggest character?
• 55. What's a family story that's been passed down for generations?
• 56. Is there a family heirloom with a story behind it?
• 57. What hard times did our family get through?
• 58. Who in our family should I know more about?

Advice and Life Lessons

• 59. What's the best advice you ever got?
• 60. What do you know now that you wish you'd known at my age?
• 61. What's the most important thing in a good life?
• 62. How do you get through hard times?
• 63. What would you tell your 20-year-old self?
• 64. What's a mistake you're glad you made?
• 65. What advice would you give about money?
• 66. What do you hope each of your grandchildren knows?

Deeper Questions for After Dinner

When the table has settled in, these lead to the stories families remember:

• 67. What are you most proud of?
• 68. What's the hardest thing you've ever been through?
• 69. What do you wish you'd done differently?
• 70. What do you want to be remembered for?
• 71. Is there a story you've never told us?
• 72. What tradition do you hope we keep going after you're gone?
• 73. What do you worry about for the next generation?
• 74. What are you still hoping to do?
• 75. What's one thing you'd like us to always remember about you?

If your grandparents enjoy these, our guide on how do you want to be remembered has more questions to think through.

How Do You Get Grandparents Talking at the Table?

The easiest way to get grandparents talking is to ask about one specific memory and let the rest of the table follow up. A few tips:

• Pick three to five questions, not all 75. One good story can fill the whole meal.
• Let the kids ask. Grandparents often open up most to their grandchildren.
• Pass the question around. Ask everyone the same question, ending with the oldest generation.
• Bring photos. An old photo album after dinner sparks memories instantly.
• Follow up. "What happened next?" and "How did that feel?" turn answers into stories.

Want the questions ready to go? Pass It Down by LastingMind is a card game that brings these conversations to the table. Each card is a question, everyone takes turns sharing stories. If you want to keep the answers, scan a card and record them to LastingMind. It also makes a meaningful holiday gift for the grandparents in your life.

How Do You Record Your Grandparents' Answers?

The best way to keep the stories from Thanksgiving is to record them in your grandparents' own voice. The details fade by Christmas; a recording keeps their laugh, their pauses and the way they tell it.

With LastingMind, there are two ways to do it:

• Record at the table. Open the app, set your phone down, and ask the questions. Your grandparents never have to touch a phone; they just talk.
• Let them keep going at home. Your grandparents can download the app and answer guided questions on their own whenever they feel like talking.

Then the whole family can join in. Anyone can send your grandparents a question to answer, and their stories are saved in their own voice on one link everyone can open. Next Thanksgiving, the grandkids can chat with their grandparents' LastingMind to hear the stories again, or ask something new.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are good questions to ask grandparents at Thanksgiving?

Ask what Thanksgiving was like when they were young, which family recipe has a story behind it, how they met their spouse, what they're most thankful for, and the best advice they ever got. Start light and save deeper questions for after dinner.

How do you start a conversation at Thanksgiving dinner?

Ask one open question about a specific memory, like "What was the most memorable Thanksgiving you ever had?", and let others follow up. Passing the same question around the table gets everyone involved.

What are fun Thanksgiving questions for the whole family?

Try "What's the most trouble you ever got into?", "What's the worst haircut you ever had?" or "What slang did you use that no one says anymore?" Funny questions warm up the table before deeper ones.

How do I get my grandparents to share their stories?

Ask about specific moments instead of big topics, let the grandkids do the asking, bring old photos, and follow up with "What happened next?" Then keep it going: the families who capture the most stories ask about once a month.

How can I save my grandparents' stories from Thanksgiving?

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

Start With One Question This Thanksgiving

You don't need a plan. Pick one question, ask it while the pie is going around, and press record. With LastingMind, your grandparents just talk, the whole family can send them questions, and this year's stories will still be there next Thanksgiving.

Start their story →