Youth Conversation Starters
Here's a family activity to help you initiate some important dialogue with your child. Create strips printed with the words below. Photocopy these strips. Fold them in half and put them in a small plastic storage bag. Use and reuse them at meals, at family meeting times, during a long trip, while you're waiting on the pizza delivery or while you're in line for concert tickets. Draw one strip as a round-robin discussion topic or let each person select an individual strip. (Better yet, hold the pizza as ransom until the strip is discussed!)
- In ten years, I want to be...
- The toughest decision I've had to make lately was...
- The last time I told the truth when it was tough was...
- The last time I kept a promise that was hard to keep was...
- The last time I used candor (gave someone information necessary for a wise choice even though they didn't know I had it) was...
- "Every lie is a time bomb waiting to go off," like the time...
- Is it OK to lie to a liar? Why or why not?
- Is it OK to steal from a thief? Why or why not?
- The "doctrine of relative filth" says, "I'm not so bad as long as others are worse." A real-life example of that philosophy would be...
- Real loyalty to a friend is doing what is in his truly best interest long-term, even if I lose his friendship. Being truly loyal means I'd...
- Integrity means walking my talk and talking my walk. One-way I can make my words and actions better match my beliefs is...
- One of my all-time heroes is...
- A person who has had a positive, strong impact on my character is...
- For me, the hardest part of trustworthiness is...
- I trust people who...
- I don't trust people who...
- The way I treat others shows more about who I am, than it shows about others, like the time...
- A test of character is how we treat people who (we think) can't help or hurt us. For example...
- Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. For example...
- Responsibility means doing your part, trying for excellence, using self control, and taking responsibility for words and actions. Some of my recent stellar moments have been when I showed responsibility by...
- At home, we could share responsibilities better if we...
- This family couldn't function without me because...
- We could make things fairer in this family if we...
- Equity and equality are two different things. For example...
- I know you love me because you've...
- A special trait I like in each family member is...
- It will always make me smile to remember the time...
- The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me was...
- Something kind I did today was...
- To be better, this community needs...
- Five things I could do to make this community better are...
- A model citizen in this community is...
- One thing that helps me make a good decision is to think about...
- Stakeholders are people who can be affected by a decision you make. A decision I've made recently that affected or will affect others now or in the future is...
