Printable family conversation cards
Draw a question about something small you noticed, something you can imagine, or something you’d like to share. These 24 family conversation cards each have one open question and an optional follow-up. Anyone can pass, and there’s no answer key.
Download the cut-apart cards or read from the matching numbered list. Both include all 24 questions in US Letter and A4 PDFs, with no email or account. You can also read every question on this page.
Cards to draw, or a list to read
US Letter: 8.5 × 11 inches. A4: 210 × 297 mm. Fixed printable text, without editable fields. Choose the list if you’d rather skip cutting; the card numbers and wording match.
Look inside both versions
The cards have six questions per sheet, with dashed cutting lines. The list puts twelve numbered questions on each page. Black text carries all the instructions, so the themes don’t depend on color.
Start with one question
Choose one card or one number from the list and read the main question aloud. A person can answer in a few words, tell a longer story, or pass. The smaller follow-up is there if you want to keep talking about that answer; you don’t need to read both lines.
At a table, you can leave a few cards face up so people can choose. If you’re using the list, circle a few numbers before you start. Stop after a question or two if that’s enough for the moment. There’s no score, round count or need to finish the set.
For example, an imagined answer to the question about a museum of silly hats might be “a hat shaped like a stack of pancakes.” A follow-up can stay with that idea rather than moving everyone to the next card. These are conversation prompts, so answers don’t need to be clever or factual.
All 24 questions and optional follow-ups
Read these aloud from your phone if you don’t have a printer. The numbers below are the numbers on both PDF versions.
Everyday discoveries
What tiny detail would you add to a drawing of this room?
Optional follow-up: Where would you put it on the page?What sound would you like to hear through an open window?
Optional follow-up: What would be making that sound?What ordinary object has a shape you like?
Optional follow-up: What else does its shape remind you of?What food would you choose for a picnic on a windy day?
Optional follow-up: How would you keep it from blowing away?What color would you look for on a short walk?
Optional follow-up: Where might you spot it?What could make a rainy afternoon indoors more fun?
Optional follow-up: What would you need to get started?What small thing would you stop to look at closely?
Optional follow-up: What detail would you look for first?What would you put beside a comfy reading chair?
Optional follow-up: What would you reach for first?
Imagine this
What job would a robot do in a bakery?
Optional follow-up: What tool would it need?What would you name a boat shaped like a shoe?
Optional follow-up: What would its flag look like?What would a squirrel sell in a tiny shop?
Optional follow-up: What would go in the front window?What would you grow in a garden on the moon?
Optional follow-up: What would it look like when it was ready to pick?What new button would you add to a toy car?
Optional follow-up: What would happen when you pressed it?What would a cloud keep in its pockets?
Optional follow-up: When would it take one out?What would you put in a museum of silly hats?
Optional follow-up: What would you call your hat?What would a dragon bring to a beach picnic?
Optional follow-up: How would it carry everything?
Things to share
What game would you teach a visitor from another planet?
Optional follow-up: What would you explain first?What would you put in a basket of things to make with?
Optional follow-up: What could someone make with two of them?What animal would you choose to draw on a postcard?
Optional follow-up: What would the animal be doing?What snack would you invent for a pretend cafe?
Optional follow-up: What would you call it on the menu?What would you put on a map of an imaginary park?
Optional follow-up: Where would you start exploring?What could you show someone how to build with blocks?
Optional follow-up: Which piece would you place first?What would you choose for the first picture in a shared sketchbook?
Optional follow-up: What could the next person add?What funny movement would you add to a made-up dance?
Optional follow-up: What would you call that move?
Print only what you want to use
Choose the PDF that matches your paper and print single-sided at 100% or actual size. The cut-apart set is four pages; you can start with just its first page. Cut along the dashed lines. Ordinary printer paper works, while heavier paper makes the cards sturdier for repeated use.
The two-page list is ready to read as printed. Page one has questions 1–12; page two has questions 13–24. Keep it whole, with no cards to gather afterward.
For quick choices instead of open questions, try the Would You Rather cards for kids. Each of those asks you to choose between two imaginary options.
Keep a question for later
Published October 29, 2026.