Questions to ask about their school days

A grandparent may describe two rooms, a wood stove and a long walk on a gravel road. A parent may describe a crowded bus, a locker that never opened and a best friend who lived two streets away. Either way the stories are light, often funny and full of names you have never heard, which makes them a good choice for a first conversation or for a relative who says there is nothing much to tell.

School questions work especially well when children are part of the conversation. A grandchild who has just come home with a backpack is the perfect person to ask what recess used to be like. The questions below are a short sample. The linked ones open a full guide with tips on how to ask, different wordings, follow-ups and an example answer. A class photograph or a yearbook on the table will do the rest.

School days questions to try

• What was your school like, and how did you get there each morning?
• Tell me about a teacher you still remember.
• Who was your best friend growing up?
• What were you like as a teenager?
• What did you do during summer vacation?
• Which subject did you love, and which one did you dread?
• What was the naughtiest thing you ever did at school?
• Did you play any sports or music?
• What did you and your friends do after school?
• What were you most proud of in your school years?
• What is one thing you learned at school that you still use today?

Ask for numbers and sizes: how many children, how many rooms, how far the walk. Concrete questions bring back concrete memories.