201 Questions to Ask Your Kids: 201 Questions to Ask Your Parents

By Pepper Schwartz

201 Questions to Ask Your Kids

Do you have trouble talking to your kids?

Does a successful conversation with your child consist of one-word responses or abrupt physical acknowledgments?

Does your son or daughter get upset at the most innocent questions?

Join the club.

Unfortunately, communicating well with kids is something every parent desires but few achieve. We love our children, but talking to them in a meaningful manner isn't always easy.

The questions in this book are designed to help. No matter what age or sex your children, no matter how many children you have, no matter how good or bad your current parent/child relationship, this simple game will get your family talking more. And when you're talking--really talking about emotions and fears and attitudes--you'll be learning about each other as individuals and growing closer together as a group.

An Introduction For Kids

Wouldn't it be fun to find out more about what your father or mother was like when he or she was a kid? Or get to tell your parents which of their friends you think looks dorkiest? Wouldn't conversation be more interesting if you and your family traded unexpected questions and answers at dinner rather than just talked about what homework did or didn't get done?

There are a lot of great things to talk about that no one ever brings up because we usually think conversation is serious rather than a way of being playful. Of course, conversation should be about serious things some of the time--some of the questions in this book are about very serious topics. But other times, questions should be asked just to create new ways to think about things, look back on our lives, or imagine what life would be like if we could design in any way we wanted. In fact, I wrote this book because I think talking can be terrific fun, and even talking to your parents and brothers or sisters can be a kind of great game. Everyone can get to know each other and laugh a lot--and be amazed from time to time. No one wins or loses, but there is an element of surprise in finding out personal information about parents--and sharing some of your ideas, daydreams, and opinions with them.

My idea is to think of some of the world's most interesting questions that parents and kids could talk about and give everyone the chance to pick the ones they'd like to hear about. Each person picks a question to ask and then answers a question when his or her turn comes around. All you have to do is choose from the list under 201 Questions to Ask Your Parents and ask any question you want. Your parents can take as long or as short a time they want to answer. Any you can all discuss the topic if you like. But then they go into their section of the book and ask you questions. Some of them might not be so interesting, but others--like asking you who is the meanest kid you know--might be cool to think about and share with them. They'll learn a lot about what you think are ways kids act nasty!

You can wiggle out of any two questions that don't interest you or are embarrassing--but no more than that. It's good if a question makes you squirm a little; that means you either haven't thought about it before, or you have but you haven't wanted to deal with it. But why not try out and answer? Pick a set length of time to play for--and my guess is you'll want to extend it. These questions get addictive! You can play them at the dinner table, or after dinner, or on a car trip, or anytime you feel like hearing what your parents say about something.

So, this is a book about how to have intesting and often funny conversations with your family. It's a way to avoid dead, boring silences and fill the time instead with questions and answers that everyone will enjoy thinking about. I know that in my family, it is too easy for us to get stuck talking about praqctical things like who has to be taken where the next day. That isn't particularly fun. It doesn't let me in on what my kides are thinking, and it doesn't help my two teenagers learn things that might help them understand me a little better.

An ingenious book that speaks to both parents and their kids. 201 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR KIDS/201 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR PARENTS is two books in one. Open it from one side, and it provides parents with 201 questions for their children intended to spark discussion, help reveal who their children really are, and help children think about themselves and the world in new and useful ways. Turn it over, and there are 201 questions children can ask back to their parents. Devised as an interactive game, this is a book that can get any family talking-really talking about facts and fears and attitudes.An ingenious book that speaks to both parents and their kids. 201 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR KIDS/201 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR PARENTS is two books in one. Open it from one side, and it provides parents with 201 questions for their children intended to spark discussion, help reveal who their children really are, and help children think about themselves and the world in new and useful ways. Turn it over, and there are 201 questions children can ask back to their parents. Devised as an interactive game, this is a book that can get any family talking-really talking about facts and fears and attitudes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380805251
• ISBN13: 9780380805259
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Talk to your Kids

This book has lived at our kitchen table for the last year. Me and my son pick it up all the time - he loves answering the questions. As well as I know my son I am still astounded by some of his repsonses. Reading through this book has been a great excercise in communication.

Fun for Everyone

We keep this book on our nightstand or in the kitchen and will simply pick it up for a moment of fun and interaction. My 8-year old loves to ask parent questions and is learning to answer questions more thoroughly and thoughfully as a result of being asked the kid questions. This book is a lot of fun!

Teen won't talk?

Our communication with our teen usually consists of her blaming us for her life and then storming off to her room. So I was a little doubtful when I bought this book, not to mention desparate. One day after dinner I announced we were playing the question game. My daughter spent half an hour asking us questions from the book, and even answered a few. It was a nice break from the usual communication and gave us some interesting insights into her thoughts. I recommend it for even the worst cases.

A Fantastic Tool for Communicating with Your Child!

My 10-year old son and I LOVE this book. He is eager to answer the great and varied questions. You really find out things you DID NOT know about your child before. And my son loves to ask me the questions for parents. This is a MUST HAVE book for parents eager to communicate more fully with their children. I'm buying this for Christmas for my friends who have children.

An Entertaining Way to Revive Family Conversations!

My brother-in-law pulled this book out after a family dinner, with three generations present: grandparents, two sets of parents, two kids (teen through college-age) and a friend. We passed the book around several times with each person picking anyone at the table to ask a question to.It proved to be a highly entertaining evening, ranging from the hilarious to the historic to true confessions.In this day when our culture seems to have lost the art of conversation, this book would be an excellent way to revive meaningful interaction within families. I recommend this book, but be careful, you might be asked an embarrassing question or two!