Family stories guide

25 questions to ask grandparents about their life

Choose two or three questions, ask permission to record, and let the conversation take its own course.

Good questions open doors

What was your first home like?
What did your family do on an ordinary Sunday?
Which recipe reminds you most of home?
What did you believe you would be when you were young?
What do you hope the family remembers?

I chose one person to interview.I asked permission to record or write down the story.I saved the date, people, and place with the story.I shared the finished memory with relatives.

Download 25 story prompts

25 conversation prompts

What was your first home like?
What did an ordinary Sunday look like?
Who made you feel safe as a child?
What game or song did you love?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What was your first job?
What purchase felt important when you were young?
What world event do you remember most clearly?
How did you meet your partner or closest friend?
What advice did your parents give you?
Which family tradition is worth keeping?
What recipe tastes most like home?
What place from your childhood do you miss?
What is a family story people get wrong?
What risk are you glad you took?
What work are you proud of?
What made you laugh hardest?
What difficult season changed you?
What family quality do you see in younger relatives?
Which photo tells an important story?
What do you wish you had asked your own grandparents?
What lesson took you a long time to learn?
What small thing brings you joy?
What should the family remember about this time?
What question should we ask you next?

Name, date, and place of this conversation

Example: turn one answer into a family memory

Start with “What did an ordinary Sunday look like?” If your relative mentions a meal, ask who cooked it, what the kitchen sounded like, and whether anyone has a photo. Let them skip questions or stop recording at any time.

Afterward, save a short caption with the person’s preferred name, the interview date, who asked the questions, and whether the story may be shared with the wider family. Offer to let them review it before posting.

Download the editable interview notes (.txt)

Prepared by the Ohana Chat team. Ask permission before recording or sharing someone’s story.

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