90+ Family Dinnertime Conversation Starters – PDF Printable Cards

Inside: I love family dinnertime conversation starters because it’s a great way to learn about others and myself too.

I love family dinnertime conversation starters because it’s a great way to learn about others and myself too. They build good communication skills in our children and help us (and our children) to formulate and verbalize our moral and spiritual beliefs. These are some great questions for all ages, and not every question will work with every age group, so use your judgment.

We have a mason jar that we keep questions in on the table, and I print out the questions below on paper, cut them out, fold them, and put them in the jar. When those moments come to sit and chat a bit, each person picks a question from the jar, or we all answer the same question. 

Communication is so important in our relationships. These questions are often just springboards for deeper discussions, so if one question sparks a great conversation, just stick with it. 

We gave these jars out filled with questions one year as a Christmas gift to friends, and they were a big hit. I think they would make great gifts any time of the year. Wonderful for a hostess gift.

These are great to do with dinner guests too. Sometimes I like to write the questions on the back of place cards for everyone to answer as our meal is winding down.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

~ Colossians 4:6

One piece of advice I loved came from Michael Hyatt’s article, How to Have Better Dinner Conversations:

“Have only one conversation at a time. We learned this from Luci Swindoll. We went to her home for dinner one night. As we were sitting down to eat, she graciously said, ‘I only have one rule, and that is that we have one—and only one—conversation at a time. We can talk about anything you like. I really don’t care. But just one conversation.’ This one rule transformed our dinner conversations.”

I have two posts on the importance of family dinners I’d love you to take a visit to:

Creating a Lifegiving Table 

7 Simple Steps to Making the Most of Family Dinners

And  a podcast to listen to on the Family Dinner Table:

Podcast EP 25: The Family Dinner Table

If you’d like to purchase printable cards, you can do that here. Below are a few sample questions: 

1 . What is your idea of a perfect morning?

2. If you could play a musical instrument at a professional level, what would it be?

3. What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you today?

4. If someone said to you, “I don’t believe in God.” how would you answer?

5. What is your favorite room in our house and why?

6. What was the nicest thing someone ever said to you? How did it make you feel?

7. If you could only listen to one type of music for a year, what type would it be?

8. What is your favorite book of the Bible and why?

9. If you were given a day to do anything you would like, what would you do?

10. If you were going to be a missionary, what country would you like to serve the Lord?

“Attentive listening entails an eagerness to hear everything with regard to (another’s) thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It’s more than just keeping our mouths shut. Listening means making full eye contact, not looking around with a blank stare. We don’t interrupt, yawn, or prematurely formulate an answer. Careful listening will encourage (others) to bare their souls to us and share their innermost thoughts.”

~ Carolyn Mahaney

Related Resources:

7 Steps to Making the Most of Family Dinners

Creating a Lifegiving Table

20 Questions to Help Build Intimacy in Your Marriage

The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time  by Sally Clarkson

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