100 Conversation Starters For Teens to Foster an Amazing Relationship

Teens can be amazing to talk to until they aren’t! Whether you are driving in the car, hiking, or sitting at home, these conversation starters for teens are sure to get your teen talking, sharing, and communicating and are great conversation starters for families.

Sometimes it’s about breaking the ice, sometimes kids need us to show that we are truly interested in them, and sometimes it’s an opportunity for deeper conversations. The list of 100 teenage conversation starters is sure to get your family talking!

You can also purchase these conversation starters for teens questions in a printable list to take with your on your next adventure.

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Conversation starters for Teens: Travel and Adventure

1. Where would you like to visit and why?
2. If you had to live in another country, where would you live?
3. If you could see one animal in the wild which animal would you choose?
4. Are you a warm weather or cold weather person?
5. If you could go on a trip tomorrow, where would you go?
6. What 3 items would you take with you to a deserted island?
7. What was the best vacation you ever had?
8. If you could be amazing at any epic outdoor sport, which would you choose?
9. Would you rather stay in your hometown for the rest of your life or move to a new country every month?
10. If you had to live in one city for a month which would you choose?

Conversation starters for Teens: Life Goals

1. What is your greatest skill?
2. Where would you like to be in 10 years?
3. If you could sell something and start your own business tomorrow, what would you sell?
4. What is the greatest accomplishment in life?
5. Where do you want to go to college?
6. What 3 words describe yourself?
7. What are the 3 things that are most likely lead to success?
8. Would you rather be happy, rich, or popular?
9. What is a secret passion that most people don’t know you have?
10. If you could work for a charity for a year, what charity would you choose?

Conversation starters for Teens: Friends and Family

1. What’s the most important trait you look for in a best friend?
2. If you could choose one person in history to be your friend, who would you choose?
3. If you could choose one celebrity to be your friend, who would you choose?
4. In a zombie apocalypse, who would you want on your team and why?
5. If someone in your family was going to become famous, who would it be and why?
6.  If you could ask anyone for help, who would it be and why?
7. What is your favorite family tradition?
8. What are 3 words that describe your family?
9. Do you think you will be more or less strict than your parents if you have kids?
10. Would you rather time-travel into the past to meet your ancestors or into the future to meet your descendants?

Conversation starters for Teens: Silly

1. What is something that across the board, everyone looks stupid doing?
2. If a fox could talk do you think it would have a really high voice or a really low voice?
3. What old person tendencies do you have?
4. If money wasn’t an issue, what would be one of your goals in life?
5. Would you rather be able to fly in the air or swim underwater?
6. What is a magical power that you wish you had?
7. If you could break any world record what record would you want to break?
8. If you could live in a movie, which one would you choose?
9. What would be the worst thing for the government to declare illegal?
10. If you could create a new country, who would you choose to rule it?

Conversation starters for Teens: Big Thoughts

1. Which of the 5 senses would you give up if you had to give up one?
2. Would you rather be five years younger or five years older?
3. If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
4. If you could be an animals which one would you be?
5. Is it ever ok to lie?
6. If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
7. Is it ever okay to lie?
8. If you had to survive in the wild, what 5 things would you want to have with you?
9. If you were given the chance to become immortal, would you take it? Why or why not?
10. If it were up to you, how would you change the world?

Conversation starters for Teens: Dreams

1. How many kids do you want?
2. If you knew you could accomplish a specific goal, what would you choose for your goal?
3. If you were 50 years old, would you rather grow older or younger?
4. What is a dream you can remember?
5. Would you rather dream every night or never dream again?
6. What is your biggest dream in life?
7. If you could snap your fingers and learn a new skill, which skill would you want to learn?
8. If you had $1,000,000 what would you do with it?
9. What do you hope other people say about you?
10. What would your dream house be like?

Conversation starters for Teens: Personality

1. Can a person change their personality?
2. What personality traits make a good person?
3. What personality traits in other people do you hate?
4. Where do our personalities come from? How much is genetic and how much is from the environment?
5. If you could change your personality to someone’s from a movie or book who would you be?
6. Do opposites attract?
7. If you could do anything illegal without getting caught, what would you do?
8. If someone gave you an envelope with your death date inside of it, would you open it?
9. What motivates you most in life?
10. In what ways are you most similar to me?

Conversation starters for Teens: Everyday Life

1. What is your idea of the perfect day?
2. What book had a big influence on you?
3. What do you most like about yourself?
4. Is there anyone at school you’d like to know better?
5. Do you have any pet peeves?
6. Would you want to live on a boat, a mountain or an island?
7. Who’s your biggest hero?
8. If your pet could talk, what would their voice sound like and what would they say about you?
9. What gives you goosebumps?
10. What is your favorite season?

Conversation starters for Teens: Memories

1. What’s your biggest regret?
2. What was your most embarrassing moment?
3. What is your earliest memory?
4. What moment in your life are you most proud of?
5. What is the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you?
6. If you could relive one year of your life, which year would you choose?
7. Who is someone you knew when you’re young that you’ve lost touch with?
8. What was your favorite toy growing up?
9. If you could only live in one memory for the rest of your life what memory would you choose?
10. What is the best thing that has ever happened to you?

Conversation starters for Teens: General

1.  What do you hope never changes?
2. What song lyrics speak to you?
3. What job would you be terrible at?
4. What would you rate 10 / 10?
5. What fad or trend do you hope comes back?
6. What one thing do you really want but can’t afford yet?
7. Would you rather have a dog or a cat?
8. If you were invisible, where would you go?
9. What is the longest you’ve ever stayed awake?
10. What is the most annoying question that people ask you regularly?

3 Books/Cards for Starting Conversations with Teens

Looking for more great conversation starters for family and teens? Check out these cards and book below.

Set the Stage for Conversation Starters for Teens

Communicating with teens is important for the teen, for the parents and for the strength of the relationship as teenagers move on to becoming an adult. Sometimes the easiest way to have a meaningful conversation is not just to ask the right questions, but to create the right environment for meaningful conversations starters with teens. These topics are also great as conversation starters for tweens and older kids.

The right environmental for family conversation starters depends on your family. For some, an uninterrupted 1 on 1 time is needed, while other times a family dinner is the perfect time to get your teen talking. I’ve found my teens love to open up in the car or when we’re away from electronics like on a hike or outdoor adventure. If you’re looking for more benefits about getting your teens outside, check out the post:

Why Getting Your Teens Outdoors is so Important

In addition to selecting the right environment to talk to your teens, it’s important to start the conversation in the right way. Hopefully, you already have a good rapport with your teenager, but consider asking the questions casually to avoid making the conversation awkward. Don’t forget to adapt these questions specifically to your teen!

Another trick is to answer the questions first yourself. Putting yourself out there makes it easy to for your teen to open up. They may also be surprised with some of your answers which opens the door to deeper conversations. If you’re looking for something you can carry with you, print this post, or you can also purchase these questions in a printable list to take with your on your next adventure.

Top Tips for Talking with Teens

1. Active Listening: Show genuine interest in what they’re saying and teens are more likely top open up. Listen without interrupting, and provide feedback that indicates you understand their perspective.
2. Respect Their Opinions: Acknowledge their thoughts, even if you disagree. Respectful disagreement can encourage healthy discussions and critical thinking.
3. Open-Ended Questions: Use questions that can’t be answered with a “yes” or “no.” This encourages them to share more about their feelings and experiences. It helps to focusing on interesting topics for teenagers
4. Empathy: Try to understand their emotions and experiences from their point of view. Empathetic responses can make them feel heard and validated.
5. Avoid Judgment: Keep conversations non-judgmental. This helps them feel comfortable sharing both positive and challenging aspects of their lives.
6. Share Experiences: Share your own stories from your teenage years. This can create a sense of connection and demonstrate that you’ve been through similar situations. Some of our favorite conversation topics for teens start with sharing our own experiences.
7. Be Patient: Teens may not always open up immediately. Be patient and let conversations develop naturally over time.
8. Offer Guidance, Not Lectures: Instead of telling them what to do, offer guidance and advice. Let them make decisions while understanding that mistakes are part of learning.

Inspire your Kids with Over 60 Adventure Quote for Kids

Looking for More on Traveling with your Teens? Check out:

• 100 Incredible Adventures with Kids: Have Amazing Family Travel Experiences
• Why Traveling with Your Teen is One of the Best Things You’ll Ever Do
• 10 Ways to Plan the Best Adventure for Teens
• A Complete Guide to the Best Road Trips with Teens, Kids, and Tweens