For your grandmother
- What is the very first thing you can remember?
- What did the kitchen of your childhood smell like?
- Who was your first crush?
- How did you meet your husband?
- What do you remember of your wedding day?
- How did becoming a grandmother change you?
- What is the biggest lesson life has taught you?
- If you could speak to your younger self, what would you say?
- What was your favorite summer as a child?
- What music felt like it belonged to you?
- What tradition did you start in your family?
- What do you miss about the way life used to be?
- When did you feel most fully alive?
- What do you hope I never forget?
- What quality in me do you admire?
For your grandfather
- What was the first job you ever had?
- What mischief did you get into as a boy?
- What was your first paycheck, and what did you do with it?
- How did you meet your wife?
- What was it like the first time you held your child?
- What do you love most about being a grandfather?
- What have you learned about love?
- What are you most grateful for?
- What games filled your days as a boy?
- Did you serve, and what did it teach you?
- What craft did you love with your hands?
- What is genuinely better about the world today?
- What is the secret to a long and happy life?
- What should I do when I am afraid?
- What do you most want me to know about who you are?
How to use the list
Ask one question per visit, not thirty. Write the answer down in her or his own words, or record it on your phone with permission. Most questions work for both: swap grandma and grandfather as you like.
Common questions
What should I ask my grandmother about her life?
Start with a memory she can see: what is the very first thing you can remember, or what the kitchen of your childhood smelled like. Then ask how she met her husband, what she is most grateful for and what she hopes you never forget.
How do I get my grandfather to open up?
Ask about a thing he did with his hands or a first: his first job, his first paycheck, the mischief he got into as a boy. Concrete questions get stories. Abstract ones get a shrug.
Is there a book where my grandparent can write the answers down?
Yes. Grandma, Tell Me More and Grandpa, Tell Me More are fill-in books, in hardcover and paperback, with a question on each page and room to write the answer by hand.