You know how it goes. You ask your kid how her day was at school and she says, “Fine.”
You ask him what he learned in Sunday School today and he says, “Bible stuff.”
I’d like to offer a helping hand so that dinnertime might be a bit more fun and a whole lot more engaging. I’ve come up with a list of downloadable questions you can use around the dinner table, in the car on vacation, or while waiting for the pharmacist to fill a prescription. Here are two samples:
- If you could have one superpower for 27 minutes, what would it be, and how would you use it?
- If you could call and talk to God on the phone right now, what would you ask Him?
The goal of these questions is not just to get an answer but to spark a conversation. However, this game has some rules:
- Do not try to guide the answers they give nor judge the answers. Just listen. The win here is that you get to listen to your kids.
- Ask follow-up questions. “What if you could give that superpower to someone else tomorrow? Who would it be?”
- There are no right or wrong answers. If things get nuts, just enjoy the ride. We want to hear how our kids think and feel. Make it safe for them to use their imagination and share their heart.
- Don’t give an answer to any of the questions until they are finished. Your measured, proper, and thought-through answer may limit theirs. We want fun and even crazy answers here, so sit back and enjoy the flow of words.
Hopefully, you will have lots of opportunities for fun conversations this summer. Let’s turn off the devices and dream, imagine, and enjoy some great conversations together. Oh, and I have it on good authority that all summer conversations are 27% more fun while eating a frozen treat of some kind. (I’m all about the fudgesicle, but you decide for yourself. Or banana-flavored popsicles—those are my favorite. Oh, bomb pops are my favorite too . . .)
Dave Carl
Creator, Paws & Tales