Tips · Family history
How to interview your grandparents and keep their stories
One afternoon with a phone recorder and a box of old photos can save stories nobody else knows. Here’s how to plan it, what to ask and what to do with the recordings.
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.
Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.
The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.
Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.
In short
The idea
To interview your grandparents, sit somewhere comfortable, bring old photos, record on your phone with their permission, and ask about specific places and objects rather than big life lessons. “What did the kitchen in your first house look like?” gets a richer story than “What was your childhood like?”
Keep each session short, about an hour, and plan on several. The best stories rarely come on the first day; they come when a question from last week has had time to bring something back.
Good for
Tips
- Ask permission and test the recorder for 30 seconds.
- Bring old photos and point at one at a time.
- Ask about places and objects, not “your life”.
- Keep sessions to about an hour and plan several.
- Label the files with date and topics, and back them up.
Decks for this
Before you start
- Ask permission to record, and explain it’s for the family. Most grandparents are flattered.
- Use your phone’s voice recorder. Video is lovely but makes some people self-conscious. Do a 30-second test for sound.
- Pick a quiet, familiar spot: their kitchen table, their favorite chair. Turn off the TV.
- Bring prompts: old photos, a map, a recipe card, an object from their house.
- Plan an hour, not an afternoon. Energy runs out faster than you’d expect.
Ask about places and things, not “your life”
Big questions get summaries. Specific questions get stories. Instead of “Tell me about growing up,” ask what was on the walls of their childhood bedroom, what their mother cooked on Sundays, the route they walked to school, the name of the dog.
Photos are the best prompt of all. Point at one and ask who took it, what happened right before, and who is just out of frame. You’ll hear names you’ve never heard.
A rough order that works
You don’t need to follow it strictly, but this sequence moves from easy to deeper:
- Home: where they grew up, the house, the neighborhood.
- Family: their parents and siblings, what dinners were like.
- School and work: first jobs, bosses, what they earned (if they want to say).
- Love: how they met your grandparent, the wedding, the first home together.
- Looking back: what changed most, what they’re proud of, what they want you to remember.
Let them wander
Your list of questions is a map, not a script. If a question about school turns into twenty minutes about a cousin who ran off to join a band, follow the cousin. Ask for names and rough dates as you go (“About what year was that?”), and write down anything you want to come back to next time.
Some memories will be painful. If they go quiet or tear up, slow down. You can say “We don’t have to talk about that” and move on, or simply stay with them. Let them decide.
Keep and share the recordings
Rename each file with the date and the main topics (“2026-11 Grandma, farm and the flood”). Back them up in two places. Share a few highlights with the rest of the family, and consider transcribing a favorite story to print with a photo.
Kids make great interviewers, by the way. A grandchild asking the questions gets different answers than an adult does, and the kids remember them.
The questions
Questions to ask your grandparents
Real cards from the app that tend to start long stories. They work for great-aunts and old family friends too.
Home and childhood
5 questions
The house, the games, the sounds and smells.
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Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.
Back of the card
The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.
Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.
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Tell us about a small habit at home that you thought was normal for everyone.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na habit sa bahay na akala mo normal sa lahat.
Back of the card
Every home has its own normal. Sometimes you only notice it when another house does things differently.
Bawat bahay may sariling normal. Minsan doon mo lang napapansin kapag iba pala ang style sa ibang bahay.
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Which everyday sound reminds you of home right away?
Anong everyday sound ang nagpapaalala agad sa'yo ng home?
Back of the card
Home is not always a place first. Sometimes it is a sound you recognize before you even think about it.
Hindi laging lugar agad ang home. Minsan sound siya na kilala mo na bago mo pa isipin.
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At home, who usually notices the chores, mess, or little things first?
Sa bahay ninyo, sino yung madalas unang nakakapansin ng chores, kalat, o maliliit na kailangan gawin?
Back of the card
Every home has someone who notices first. That kind of attention can be quiet, but it keeps many things moving.
Sa bawat bahay, may taong unang nakakapansin. Tahimik minsan yung ganung attention, pero marami siyang napapaandar.
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Describe your favorite quiet moment at home in one sentence.
I-describe in one sentence yung favorite mong tahimik na moment sa bahay.
Back of the card
Quiet at home can be its own kind of treat. Sometimes the best part is that nothing needs to happen.
Yung tahimik sa bahay, treat din minsan. Minsan best part na yung walang kailangang mangyari.
Food and the people around the table
4 questions
Recipes are the easiest door into family history.
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Tell us about a food that reminds you of someone taking care of you.
Ikuwento yung pagkain na nagpapaalala sa'yo ng alaga ng isang tao.
Back of the card
Food can carry care without needing big words. Sometimes the simple act of feeding someone well becomes a memory by itself.
Kayang magdala ng care ang pagkain kahit walang malaking salita. Minsan yung simpleng pag-alaga sa pagkain, nagiging memory na.
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What meal with a friend became memorable for something besides the food?
Anong kainan ninyo ng friend ang tumatak dahil sa nangyari, hindi lang dahil sa pagkain?
Back of the card
If this meal's story had a title, what would it be?
Kung may pamagat ang kuwento ng kainan na ito, ano iyon?
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Think of someone who makes simple meals more fun. What do they do?
Isipin yung taong nagpapasaya kahit simpleng kain lang. Ano yung ginagawa niya?
Back of the card
A meal does not need to be fancy to feel full of life. Sometimes one person's energy changes the whole mood.
Hindi kailangang fancy ang kain para maging masaya. Minsan energy lang ng isang tao, nag-iiba na yung mood.
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What is a recent act of kindness that caught you by surprise?
Anong magandang ginawa sa'yo lately ang hindi mo inaasahan?
Back of the card
Keep names private if you like. Picture the instant you realized what they had done for you.
Puwedeng itago ang mga pangalan. Balikan ang sandaling naisip mo kung ano ang ginawa nila para sa'yo.
Looking back
7 questions
For the second or third session, when they’re warmed up.
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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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Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.
Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."
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What helped you feel welcome in a new place?
Ano ang nakatulong para maramdaman mong welcome ka sa isang bagong lugar?
Back of the card
Would you do something similar for someone new? You can also leave it as a good memory.
Gagawin mo rin ba iyon para sa bagong dating? Puwede ring magandang alaala na lang muna ito.
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Tell us about something you used to avoid that feels less scary now.
Kuwento mo yung dati mong iniiwasan pero hindi na ganun ka-scary ngayon.
Back of the card
Less scary is still movement. You do not have to be fearless to know something has changed.
Movement pa rin ang less scary. Hindi mo kailangang maging fearless para malaman na may nagbago.
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What detail do you notice first in an old photo with a friend?
Anong detalye ang una mong napapansin sa lumang photo kasama ang friend?
Back of the card
No need to show it. Would you keep that detail in a photo taken today?
Hindi kailangang ipakita. Gusto mo bang makita pa rin ang detalyeng iyon sa photo ngayon?
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Which song takes you back to a particular time with friends?
Anong kanta ang nagpapaalala sa'yo ng isang panahon ninyo ng friends mo?
Back of the card
Picture where everyone was when the song came on.
Isipin kung nasaan ang lahat noong tumugtog ang kanta.
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What is something you can handle better now than before?
Ano yung mas kaya mo nang i-handle ngayon kaysa dati?
Back of the card
Growth is often noticed in comparison. What used to shake you may now take less from you.
Madalas napapansin ang growth kapag may comparison. Yung dati kang kinakabahan, baka ngayon mas kaya mo nang harapin.
How to interview your grandparents
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask my grandparents?
Specific ones about their childhood home, their parents, what they ate, their first job and how they met their partner. Old photos are the best prompt for new stories.
How do I record an interview with my grandparents?
Your phone’s voice recorder is enough. Sit somewhere quiet, turn off the TV, test the sound first, and label each file with the date and topics afterward.
How long should a grandparent interview be?
About an hour per session. Older people tire faster than we expect, and stories often come back between sessions, so several short interviews work better than one long one.
Bring a better question to the table.
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