Questions to ask grandparents, by life stage, Grandtell

Childhood

The house, the street and the people of the first years.

What is the earliest thing you can remember?Add to my book
Describe the house you grew up in, room by room if you can.Add to my book
Who lived in your house when you were small, and what was each of them like?Add to my book
What did your street or village look like when you were a child?Add to my book
What games did you play outside, and who did you play them with?Add to my book
What was your favourite toy, and where did it come from?Add to my book
What did a normal school day look like for you at 7 or 8 years old?Add to my book
Who was your best friend as a small child, and what did you get up to together?Add to my book
What did your family usually eat for dinner, and who cooked it?Add to my book
What was your favourite meal as a child, and do you still make it?Add to my book
What chores did you have to do at home?Add to my book
What did you want to be when you grew up?Add to my book
Which grown-up outside your family did you look up to, and why?Add to my book
What is a smell that takes you straight back to being a child?Add to my book
What did you do on a rainy day when you could not go outside?Add to my book
Tell us about a time you got into trouble as a child.Add to my book
What did your parents do for work when you were small?Add to my book
What was the best present you remember getting as a child?Add to my book
Did you have a pet or an animal you loved? Tell us about it.Add to my book
What were summers like when you were young?Add to my book
Was there a place you were not allowed to go, and did you go anyway?Add to my book
What is a story your parents used to tell about you as a baby?Add to my book

Growing up

School, friends, first jobs around the house and leaving home.

What were you like as a teenager?Add to my book
Which teacher do you remember best, and what did they teach you?Add to my book
What was your favourite subject at school, and which one did you dread?Add to my book
Who were your closest friends at secondary school?Add to my book
How did you spend your weekends when you were 15?Add to my book
What did you and your friends wear that your parents disliked?Add to my book
What was your first paid job, and how did you get it?Add to my book
What did you buy with the first money you earned yourself?Add to my book
What rules did your parents set that you thought were unfair?Add to my book
Tell us about a time you were really proud of yourself as a young person.Add to my book
What was the bravest thing you did before you turned 20?Add to my book
How did you learn to ride a bike, swim or drive?Add to my book
What was a big worry for you when you were growing up?Add to my book
What did you think adult life would be like, and how close was it?Add to my book
Where did young people go to meet each other in your town?Add to my book
What books or comics did you love as a young person?Add to my book
Tell us about the day you left school.Add to my book
When did you first feel grown up?Add to my book
What trips did you take with friends when you were young?Add to my book
What is a mistake you made as a young person that taught you something?Add to my book
Who gave you the best advice when you were growing up?Add to my book
What was the hardest goodbye of your younger years?Add to my book

Work

The jobs they held, the people they worked with and what they were proud of.

What jobs have you had, from the first to the last?Add to my book
How did you choose the work you ended up doing?Add to my book
Describe a normal working day in the job you did longest.Add to my book
Who was the best boss you ever had, and what made them good?Add to my book
Who was the most memorable person you worked with?Add to my book
What was the hardest part of your working life?Add to my book
What are you most proud of from your working years?Add to my book
What skill did you learn at work that you still use?Add to my book
Tell us about a day at work you will never forget.Add to my book
What did you wear to work, and what did you carry with you?Add to my book
How did you get to work each day?Add to my book
What was the funniest thing that ever happened at work?Add to my book
Was there a job you wanted but never got? What happened?Add to my book
What did you learn from the worst job you ever had?Add to my book
How has your line of work changed since you started?Add to my book
What would you tell a young person starting out in your trade?Add to my book
Did you ever work with your hands? What did you make or mend?Add to my book
What did you do on your lunch break?Add to my book
How did you feel on your last day of work?Add to my book
Which piece of work would you like the family to know about?Add to my book
How did you balance work with the rest of your life?Add to my book
What did you do for work that the family might not know about?Add to my book

Love and family

Meeting a partner, making a home and raising a family.

How did you meet the person you shared your life with?Add to my book
What did you notice first about them?Add to my book
What was your first date like?Add to my book
How did you know this was the person for you?Add to my book
Tell us about your wedding day or the day you set up home together.Add to my book
Where was your first home together, and what was in it?Add to my book
What did you argue about in the early years, and how did you make up?Add to my book
What was the day your first child was born like?Add to my book
What did you find hardest about being a parent?Add to my book
What did you love most about your children when they were small?Add to my book
What family traditions did you start, and why?Add to my book
What did a family weekend look like when the children were young?Add to my book
Tell us about a family trip that went wrong but turned out fine.Add to my book
What is a meal that everyone in the family remembers?Add to my book
What did your own parents teach you about raising a family?Add to my book
What do you wish you had known before having children?Add to my book
Which family member are you most like, and how?Add to my book
Tell us about your brothers and sisters, or the cousins you grew up with.Add to my book
What is the kindest thing a family member ever did for you?Add to my book
What did your home sound like on a busy evening?Add to my book
What do you hope the family remembers about your home?Add to my book
Who in the family made you laugh the most?Add to my book

Places

The towns, rooms and journeys that stayed with them.

Which town or city feels most like home to you, and why?Add to my book
Tell us about every place you have lived, in order.Add to my book
What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?Add to my book
What was the first journey you made on your own?Add to my book
Describe a room you loved, anywhere in your life.Add to my book
Was there a shop, cafe or market you went to again and again?Add to my book
What was the longest journey you ever made, and how did you travel?Add to my book
Is there a place you always wanted to visit and never did?Add to my book
Where did your family go on holiday when you were a child?Add to my book
Tell us about a place that has changed beyond recognition.Add to my book
What did your first car, bike or bus route take you to?Add to my book
Which walk or view do you never get tired of?Add to my book
Have you ever moved somewhere new and felt lost? What helped?Add to my book
What place would you take the family to if you could take them anywhere?Add to my book
Describe the kitchen you remember best.Add to my book
What was the view from your bedroom window as a child?Add to my book
Tell us about a garden, park or field that mattered to you.Add to my book
Where were you when you heard some big news you still remember?Add to my book
What did a trip to the seaside or the countryside look like for you?Add to my book
Which place do you think about when you cannot sleep?Add to my book
Where did you go to get away from it all?Add to my book
Which place in your life smelled the best?Add to my book

Later years

Retiring, grandchildren and the everyday of recent years.

What did you do in the first year after you stopped working full time?Add to my book
What did it feel like the day you became a grandparent?Add to my book
What do you enjoy doing with your grandchildren?Add to my book
What is a normal week like for you these days?Add to my book
What have you taken up in later years that you never had time for before?Add to my book
What is something you are better at now than when you were young?Add to my book
Who are the friends you see most these days, and how did you meet?Add to my book
What has surprised you most about getting older?Add to my book
What everyday thing do you still enjoy the most?Add to my book
Which change in the world over your lifetime amazes you most?Add to my book
What did you do on your last birthday?Add to my book
What is a small daily habit that makes your day better?Add to my book
What would you like to do in the next few years?Add to my book
What is something you have let go of and feel lighter for?Add to my book
Tell us about a recent day that made you happy.Add to my book
What do you like to cook these days?Add to my book
What is your favourite time of day, and why?Add to my book
Which of your own grandparents do you think about now, and why?Add to my book
What do your grandchildren do that reminds you of yourself?Add to my book
What has become more important to you over the years?Add to my book
What are you looking forward to this year?Add to my book
What do you wish the family asked you about more often?Add to my book

Wisdom

What they learned and would like the family to keep.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?Add to my book
What would you tell your 20 year old self?Add to my book
What do you know now that you wish you had known at 30?Add to my book
What makes a good friend?Add to my book
What makes a happy home?Add to my book
How do you get through a hard time?Add to my book
What is worth spending money on, and what is not?Add to my book
What is something you changed your mind about?Add to my book
What does it mean to be a good neighbour?Add to my book
What is the most useful thing you know how to do?Add to my book
What should every young person learn to cook?Add to my book
How do you mend a falling out with someone you love?Add to my book
What is a saying or phrase you use all the time, and where does it come from?Add to my book
What are you most grateful for?Add to my book
What do you hope the grandchildren will remember about you?Add to my book
What would you like each of your grandchildren to know?Add to my book
What is the secret to a long partnership?Add to my book
What is the kindest thing you have ever seen a stranger do?Add to my book
What did you learn from the hardest year of your life?Add to my book
What makes you laugh, even now?Add to my book
If you could pass one family custom on to every generation, which would it be?Add to my book
What would you like this book to say about you?Add to my book

Asking well

One question at a time works better than a list: it gives room to remember.
Open questions (what, how, tell us about) bring stories; yes or no questions bring one word.
Follow-ups are often the best part. Under each story on the family link there is room to ask one.
Leave out anything that would be hard to answer in front of the whole family.

How the questions reach the storyteller, one at a time, is on how Grandtell works.