Questions · Grandparents Day
Grandparents Day questions for grandkids to ask
Questions for National Grandparents Day in September, written so a grandchild can ask them: at a school event, at a weekend visit, or on a video call with grandparents who live far away.
- 16 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
When you were younger, what got you excited quickly?
Nung bata ka, ano yung madaling maka-excite sa'yo?
Early excitement can be fun to remember. It can also show what kind of wonder came naturally to you.
Nakakatuwang balikan yung madaling ika-excite mo dati. Minsan pinapakita rin nito kung anong klaseng wonder ang natural sa'yo.
The questions
16 Grandparents Day questions
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
Easy ones for little interviewers
6 questions
Short enough for a five-year-old to read, fun enough for Grandpa to answer.
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Back when you were a kid, what game or activity could keep you busy for hours?
Nung bata ka, anong laro o activity ang kaya mong pagkaabalahan nang ilang oras?
Back of the card
Childhood focus has its own sweetness. It remembers a time when getting lost in play was enough.
May sariling saya yung focus nung bata tayo. Naalala nito yung panahon na sapat na ang maglaro nang maglaro.
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When you were younger, what got you excited quickly?
Nung bata ka, ano yung madaling maka-excite sa'yo?
Back of the card
Early excitement can be fun to remember. It can also show what kind of wonder came naturally to you.
Nakakatuwang balikan yung madaling ika-excite mo dati. Minsan pinapakita rin nito kung anong klaseng wonder ang natural sa'yo.
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What day from the past would you like to watch?
Anong araw sa nakaraan ang gusto mong mapanood?
Back of the card
Pause on one scene from that day. Which detail would you want to look at longer?
Huminto muna sa isang eksena ng araw na iyon. Anong detalye ang gusto mong tingnan nang mas matagal?
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Tell us the funny memory your friends or family still bring up.
Ikuwento yung funny memory na binabalikan pa rin ng friends o family mo.
Back of the card
Some stories become part of a group's archive. If people still bring it up, it probably earned its place.
May stories na parte na ng group archive. Kapag binabalikan pa rin, malamang deserve niya yung spot.
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Which everyday invention from the future would you most want to see?
Anong pang-araw-araw na gamit mula sa future ang gusto mong makita?
Back of the card
Give the invention a name people could remember.
Bigyan ang imbensiyon ng pangalang madaling tandaan.
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If your old phone could save only one, would you keep the photos or the messages?
Kung isa lang ang mase-save sa lumang phone mo, photos o messages ang ititira mo?
Back of the card
Imagine giving the saved memories a title. No need to show any photos or messages.
Isipin na bibigyan mo ng pamagat ang natirang mga alaala. Hindi kailangang magpakita ng photos o messages.
How it used to be
5 questions
Places, meals and mistakes from when they were young.
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Tell us about a place that left a memory or feeling you still carry.
Ikuwento yung lugar na may iniwang memory o feeling na dala mo pa rin.
Back of the card
Some places stay with us quietly. You may not notice it right away, but later you realize you carried something from there.
May mga lugar na tahimik lang ang iniiwan sa atin. Hindi mo agad napapansin, pero may dala ka pala mula roon.
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Tell us about a time someone was fair to you in a way you still remember.
Ikuwento yung time na naging fair sa'yo ang isang tao, at natatandaan mo pa rin.
Back of the card
Fairness can be memorable because it gives people room to breathe. It says, I see the whole situation, not only the mistake.
Natatandaan ang fairness kasi nakakahinga ang tao. Parang sinasabi nito, nakikita ko yung buong situation, hindi lang yung mali.
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As you got older, which habit at home started to make more sense to you?
Habang tumatanda ka, anong habit sa bahay ninyo ang mas nagme-make sense na sa'yo ngayon?
Back of the card
Getting older can change the way you see home. A habit may look different once you know more of the story.
Habang tumatanda, nag-iiba rin minsan ang tingin natin sa bahay. May habit na mas naiintindihan kapag alam mo na ang kuwento.
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Share one time your timing was really off and it became funny later.
Mag-share ng time na sobrang sablay ng timing mo at naging funny later.
Back of the card
Bad timing can be annoying in the moment and hilarious later. It has a way of turning itself into comedy.
Yung bad timing, nakakainis sa moment pero funny later. Parang kusa siyang nagiging comedy pag binalikan.
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Share a small mistake or awkward moment that feels funny now.
Mag-share ng small mistake o awkward moment na funny na ngayon.
Back of the card
A small fail gets lighter once it becomes a story. Sometimes the best part is realizing everyone survives awkward little moments.
Gumagaan yung small fail kapag naging kuwento na. Minsan best part yung ma-realize na nakakalusot naman tayo sa awkward moments.
What they want you to know
5 questions
For older grandkids, or the end of a long visit.
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Who is someone you respect for the way they live, even in small things?
Sino yung taong nirerespeto mo sa paraan ng buhay niya, kahit sa maliliit na bagay?
Back of the card
Respect often begins with small, steady things. A simple habit can show a lot about how someone moves through life.
Madalas nagsisimula ang respeto sa maliliit pero consistent na bagay. May simpleng habit na maraming sinasabi tungkol sa isang tao.
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What is one thing you like that you no longer feel the need to explain?
Ano yung isang bagay na gusto mo na hindi mo na kailangang i-explain?
Back of the card
Some preferences do not need a courtroom defense. They can simply be yours, confidently and without a long speech.
May preferences na hindi kailangan ng courtroom defense. Sa'yo lang siya, confident, walang mahabang explanation.
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If a friend asked what matters to you lately, what is the first thing you would mention?
Kung tanungin ka ng friend kung ano ang importante sa'yo lately, ano yung una mong sasabihin?
Back of the card
You do not have to list everything. Starting with one honest thing is already enough for a real answer.
Hindi mo kailangang ilista lahat. Sapat na magsimula sa isang honest na bagay para maging totoong sagot.
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If you could tell your younger self one piece of good news, what would it be?
Kung may isang good news kang masasabi sa batang ikaw, ano yun?
Back of the card
This is a gentle way to name progress. Not everything is fixed, but maybe there is something younger you would smile about.
Gentle way ito para makita yung progress. Hindi man ayos lahat, baka may isang bagay na ikakangiti ng batang ikaw.
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What can you do now that would have surprised you a few years ago?
Ano ang kaya mo na ngayon na hindi mo inakalang magagawa mo ilang taon na ang nakaraan?
Back of the card
Picture showing your younger self how you do it. What might surprise them first?
Isipin na ipinapakita mo sa mas batang sarili mo kung paano mo ito ginagawa. Ano kaya ang una niyang ikagugulat?
How to use them
Before you ask
Grandparents Day questions work best when a grandchild asks them, because grandparents answer a grandchild differently than they answer anyone else. A simple question about a favorite childhood game or a day they’d like to watch again can turn into a story the family has never heard.
Many schools invite grandparents in around the second Sunday of September, and kids often freeze when it’s time to “interview” someone. Give them the first group of questions on a card. They’re short, easy to read aloud, and they start with things kids are curious about anyway.
For older grandkids and adults, the later questions go further, into how things used to be and what your grandparents want you to remember. If you only see them a few times a year, this is the day to ask. For more questions any day of the year, see questions to ask your grandparents.
Good for
Tips
- Let the grandchild hold the card and ask; the grandparent will sit up and answer properly.
- Record the answers on a phone, with permission. Those voice notes become treasures.
- Ask one follow-up for every answer: “and then what happened?”
- With a grandparent who has memory loss, start with old memories, which often stay clearer than recent ones.
- Bring old photos and ask about the people in them.
Decks for this
Grandparents Day
Frequently asked questions
What questions can kids ask their grandparents on Grandparents Day?
Simple ones about childhood and the past: what game kept them busy for hours, what got them excited when they were little, which day from the past they’d like to watch again, and the funny family story everyone still tells.
When is Grandparents Day?
In the United States, National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day in September. Many schools hold grandparent events in the days around it.
How can grandkids interview grandparents for a school project?
Prepare five or six questions on cards, start with easy ones, record the answers with permission, and ask a follow-up each time. Old photos make great prompts.
Bring a better question to the table.
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