Conversation Starters For Teens

Having trouble starting a conversation with your teenager? Or maybe your teenager themselves is having trouble initiating and/or keeping a conversation going with their peers or other adults. Whatever it is that has made you search for some conversation starters for teens, we think you’ll be pleased with the list of ideas we’ve created for you down below.

As teenagers navigate the ups and downs of adolescence, developing strong social skills and building positive relationships becomes increasingly important. However, initiating and maintaining meaningful conversations can be a challenge for many teens.

Whether it’s talking to someone new or finding common ground with a friend, starting a conversation can feel daunting. That’s where conversation starters come in – they provide a helpful framework for initiating and maintaining a conversation.

Whether you, or your teenager, are looking to improve your communication skills, broaden your perspective, or simply make new connections, this resource is for you.

Tips For Using Conversation Starters

Here are some tips for using conversation starters effectively:

• Start with open-ended questions: Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”. Instead, ask open-ended questions that encourage the other person to share more information, such as “What do you think about…?” or “Tell me more about…”.

• Listen actively and show interest in the other person’s response: Engage in active listening by maintaining eye contact, nodding, and asking follow-up questions. Avoid interrupting or talking over the other person.

• Be respectful and mindful of differences in opinions: Everyone has their own perspective and experiences, so be respectful of differences in opinions and beliefs. Avoid judging or dismissing someone’s viewpoint.

• Consider the setting and context: The type of conversation starter you use may depend on the setting and context of the conversation. For example, a conversation starter that’s appropriate for a classroom discussion may not be appropriate for a first date.

• Have a few conversation starters in mind: If you’re nervous about starting a conversation, it can be helpful to have a few conversation starters in mind ahead of time. This can help you feel more prepared and confident in social situations.

Remember, the goal of using conversation starters is to build connections and improve communication skills. By being thoughtful and considerate in your approach, you can use conversation starters to create engaging and meaningful conversations.

Conversation Starter Ideas For Teens

There are many different conversation starters that can be used to get the conversation rolling, you’re limited only by your setting and your imagination. We’ve broken these teenager inspired conversation starters down into two different broad categories, there’s your general good or fun conversation starters and then there’s the more interesting deep conversation starters.

Which ones you use is totally up to you and the situation you are using it for. If time is limited, stick to the fun convo starters, but if you’ve got the time and an interesting person or two, try delving into the deep conversation starters and discover where that conversation might take you!

Good Fun Conversation Starters For Teens

• What’s something you’re looking forward to this week?

• What’s a book or movie you’ve recently enjoyed?

• What’s something that always makes you laugh?

• What’s a place you’ve always wanted to visit?

• Have you ever travelled far? Where did you go?

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

• What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

• What’s your favourite hobby or activity to do in your free time?

• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

• What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this week?

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

• If you could learn any language fluently, which one would you choose and why?

• What’s something you’re looking forward to in the next year?

• If you could invite anyone in the world to dinner (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

• Are you a cat person or a dog person? Why?

• Do you know, or have you ever met any famous people?

• If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

• What’s the best holiday/vacation you’ve ever been on, and what made it so great?

• What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten, and did you like it?

• If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would you choose and why?

• What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re bored?

• If you could have any pet, what would it be and why?

• What’s the funniest joke you know?

• What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?

• What’s your favourite way to relax after a stressful day?

• If you could have any talent, what would it be and why?

• If you could switch lives with any celebrity for a day, who would it be and why?

• What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled on someone, or that someone has pulled on you?

• If you could time travel to any era or period, where and when would you go?

• What’s your favourite meme or internet trend right now?

• If you could have any vehicle, real or fictional, what would it be?

• What’s the most interesting fact you know?

• If you could be any character from a TV show or movie, who would you be and why?

• What’s the craziest dream you’ve ever had?

• What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?

• What’s your favourite type of food?

• What’s your favourite way to spend a lazy day?

• If you could live in any fictional world, where would you choose and why?

• What’s the best concert or live performance you’ve ever seen?

• What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever been, and what made it so memorable?

• If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be and what would you ask them?

• What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever made or built?

• If you could learn any skill or hobby, what would it be and why?

• If you could be a famous author, what would your book be about?

• What’s your favourite way to stay active, and do you play any sports or participate in any physical activities?

• Tell me about your ideal, perfect day – what would you do? Who would you meet?

Interesting Deep Conversation Starters For Teens

• If you could have any job in the world, what would it be and why?

• If you could have been born in a different country, which one would you choose?

• If you could switch lives with any fictional character, who would it be and why?

• What’s a goal you have for the future, and how do you plan to achieve it?

• What do you think is the meaning of life, and what gives your life purpose?

• What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome in your life so far, and how did you do it?

• How do you define success, and what do you want to achieve in your life?

• What’s a belief or value that’s really important to you, and why?

• If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?

• What’s something you’re afraid of, and how do you try to overcome that fear?

• What’s something you’ve learned about yourself in the past year?

• How do you deal with difficult emotions like sadness, anger, or fear?

• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?

• What’s a book or movie that’s had a big impact on your life, and why?

• What do you think is the biggest problem facing our society today, and how can we address it?

• Do you think our lives are real, or are we all just a part of the matrix or some kind of game for a higher being?

• What’s something you wish you could tell your younger self?

• How do you think social media is affecting our generation, and what can we do to use it more responsibly?

• What’s a mistake you’ve made in the past, and what did you learn from it?

• How do you think we can build a more inclusive and equitable society?

• What’s something you’re passionate about, and how do you hope to make a difference in that area?

• What’s a topic or issue that you’ve changed your mind about over time, and what led to that change?

• What’s a quality or characteristic that you admire in others, and how do you try to embody that in your own life?

• How do you cope with disappointment or setbacks, and what helps you stay motivated?

• What’s a moment in your life that’s taught you the most about yourself, and why?

• How do you think we can balance our individual needs and desires with the needs of our communities and the world at large?

• What do you think happens to us when we die? Is there an afterlife?

• What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you?

• How do you define happiness, and what makes you truly happy?

• What is your biggest regret, and what did you learn from it?

• What is the most important quality you look for in a friend, and why?

• What is something you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t had the opportunity to do yet?

• What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned from a failure or mistake?

• What is your personal philosophy on life, and how do you live it out?

• If you had the power to cure cancer but you could only treat one person a day, where would you start?

Conversation starters are a great tool for connecting with others, building stronger relationships, and developing important communication skills – all important skills for a teenager to start to develop. 

In case you need anymore evidence that conversation starters are a great tool for teenagers, here’s a reminder of just what they can do:

Help break the ice: Conversation starters can help break the ice and make it easier to start a conversation with someone, especially if you don’t know them very well.

Promote deeper connections: By asking thought-provoking questions and actively listening to each other, conversation starters can help build stronger and more meaningful connections with others.

Encourage communication skills: Using conversation starters can help develop communication skills, including active listening and effective speaking, which are valuable skills in all areas of life.

Boost confidence: Having conversation starters can make it easier to initiate conversations and engage with others, which can boost confidence and social skills.

Provide opportunities for learning: Conversation starters can provide opportunities for learning about new topics, cultures, and perspectives, which can broaden one’s understanding of the world.

Help navigate difficult topics: Deep conversation starters can help navigate difficult or sensitive topics by providing a safe and respectful space for discussing them.

Knowing about and using conversation starters is a great tool for any teenager, but they have to also know when and where to use them.

Not all of the above conversation starters are intended to be the first thing you would say to a stranger – they might think it’s a bit weird if you say “Hi, I’m Kelly, what’s your biggest regret in life?” So, it’s also important to learn when and where to use these conversation starters.

Get to know a person a little bit first before delving into some of the deeper conversation starters, these are intended to help you develop a deeper, closer relationship. Stick to the fun conversation starters for someone you’ve just met and then progress to the more interesting, deeper ones.

Hopefully we’ve given you a few ideas for some conversation starters to add to your toolbox ready to pull out the next time you need some help to get a conversation started or flowing with a teenager.