Would You Rather Questions for Kids: 100 by Age

The best would you rather questions for kids offer two choices a child can picture at once, with no right answer, followed by "why?". Below are 100, sorted by age and place: easy ones for 3 to 5, funny ones for 5 to 8, dinner-table ones, car ones, a round you answer by moving, and one where children ask the grown-ups.

Would you rather is a talking game. One person offers two choices, everyone picks one, and everyone says why. It needs no board, no pieces and no screen, which is why it works in queues, in waiting rooms and on long car journeys.

How do you play would you rather with a young child?

Three rules keep it working.

1. You have to pick. No "both" and no "neither". The fun is in choosing between two things you'd rather not choose between.
2. You have to give a reason. One sentence is enough. "Because ducks are funny" counts.
3. Take turns asking. Children love being the one with the question, often more than answering.

Under five, make the choices concrete. A three-year-old can picture a tractor and a fire engine; "fame or fortune" means nothing. Hold up one hand for each option so they can point, and say the question twice.

The "why" is the part worth hanging on to, and it's the part that grows with them. The early years guidance from the Department for Education, Development Matters, says three and four-year-olds are learning to "understand 'why' questions", and that children in reception are learning to use talk "to explain how things work and why they might happen". So at three, a pointed finger and "because" is a good answer. By six, expect an argument.

20 easy would you rather questions for 3 to 5 year olds

Two familiar things, no tricks. Read them slowly and let them point.

1. Would you rather have a bath full of bubbles or a bath full of rubber ducks?
2. Would you rather ride on a fire engine or a tractor?
3. Would you rather eat breakfast in bed or breakfast in the garden?
4. Would you rather have pyjamas with dinosaurs on or pyjamas with rockets on?
5. Would you rather jump in a puddle or kick a pile of leaves?
6. Would you rather have a pet snail or a pet ladybird?
7. Would you rather be as tall as a giraffe or as small as a mouse?
8. Would you rather wear wellies to bed or slippers in the rain?
9. Would you rather have a sandwich shaped like a star or shaped like a heart?
10. Would you rather go on a train or on a boat?
11. Would you rather have a blue nose or green hair?
12. Would you rather sleep in a tent or in a castle?
13. Would you rather have a teddy that can talk or a teddy that can fly?
14. Would you rather paint with your fingers or with your toes?
15. Would you rather be a bumblebee or a butterfly?
16. Would you rather have jelly for every meal or toast for every meal?
17. Would you rather hold a baby chick or stroke a pony?
18. Would you rather roar like a lion all day or quack like a duck all day?
19. Would you rather live next door to a farm or next door to a playground?
20. Would you rather have a snowman in the garden or a sandcastle in your bedroom?

20 funny would you rather questions for 5 to 8 year olds

This is the age of the slightly disgusting and the completely impossible. Expect them to ask you these back.

1. Would you rather have spaghetti for hair or sausages for fingers?
2. Would you rather sneeze glitter or burp bubbles?
3. Would you rather have a dog that talks only about bones or a cat that talks only about naps?
4. Would you rather have a nose that whistles when you breathe or feet that squeak when you walk?
5. Would you rather swap places with your teacher for a day or with your pet for a day?
6. Would you rather have to hop everywhere or walk backwards everywhere?
7. Would you rather wear a hat made of jelly or shoes made of toast?
8. Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to sing?
9. Would you rather have a pet dinosaur the size of a mouse or a pet mouse the size of a dinosaur?
10. Would you rather hiccup every time you laugh or laugh every time you hiccup?
11. Would you rather live in a house made of cake or a house made of pillows?
12. Would you rather have a seagull steal your chips every day or a squirrel steal your socks every night?
13. Would you rather have eyebrows that dance when you talk or ears that wiggle when you eat?
14. Would you rather be followed everywhere by a marching band or by a flock of pigeons?
15. Would you rather wear a swimming costume to school or pyjamas to a party?
16. Would you rather have a bath full of custard or a paddling pool full of gravy?
17. Would you rather your bed was a trampoline or your stairs were a slide?
18. Would you rather be the size of a pea for a day or the size of a bus for a day?
19. Would you rather your burps sounded like a trumpet or your sneezes sounded like a doorbell?
20. Would you rather have a toothbrush that tells jokes or a pillow that sings lullabies?

15 dinner-table questions that need a proper reason

These suit six and up, and they work best when the grown-ups answer too. There's no daft option to hide behind, so the reasons get longer. The Department for Education's guidance on communication and language says children's "back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development", and a question with no easy answer is a good way to start one.

1. Would you rather be able to talk to animals or understand every language in the world?
2. Would you rather be the best player in a team that loses or the worst player in a team that wins?
3. Would you rather have one best friend or lots of good friends?
4. Would you rather visit the past or the future?
5. Would you rather be really brave or really kind?
6. Would you rather know how to fix anything or how to grow anything?
7. Would you rather live where it snows every winter or where it's sunny every day?
8. Would you rather have a day with no rules or a day where you make the rules for everyone?
9. Would you rather explore the bottom of the sea or the surface of the moon?
10. Would you rather be famous or be brilliant at something nobody knows about?
11. Would you rather get a present you love or give a present someone else loves?
12. Would you rather be the oldest child in a family or the youngest?
13. Would you rather have more time to play or more time to sleep?
14. Would you rather be able to pause time or rewind it by one minute?
15. Would you rather invent a machine that tidies bedrooms or one that makes vegetables taste like pudding?

Numbers 42 and 51 are good for starting an argument. Let it run.

15 quick questions for the car or a queue

Fast ones, some tied to what's outside the window.

1. Would you rather drive a bus or a lorry?
2. Would you rather count red cars or blue cars for the rest of the journey?
3. Would you rather live in the next house we pass or the one after it?
4. Would you rather have a car that flies or a car that swims?
5. Would you rather stop for a picnic or stop at a play park?
6. Would you rather be a cow or a sheep in the next field we pass?
7. Would you rather have a window seat on a plane or the front seat on the top deck of a bus?
8. Would you rather this queue moved twice as fast or had a bouncy castle in it?
9. Would you rather our car was the size of a shoebox or the size of a house?
10. Would you rather be a seagull at the seaside or a pigeon in the city?
11. Would you rather sing the next song or choose the next song?
12. Would you rather eat a sandwich that's all crust or all filling?
13. Would you rather live in a caravan or on a canal boat?
14. Would you rather have a bike with a basket or a scooter with lights?
15. Would you rather every traffic light was green or every roundabout had a slide?

For longer trips, our long car journey activities has games that need a bit more setting up.

15 "show me" questions you answer with your body

In this round nobody says their answer. They show it. Clear a bit of floor, and the grown-up asks while everyone moves. It's a good one for the moment a child has been sitting still too long, and it's a listening test too: the DfE's page on listening and understanding points out that "listening is different to simply hearing", and here you have to hold both choices in your head before you move.

1. Would you rather be a flamingo or a frog? Stand on one leg, or crouch low and hop.
2. Would you rather be a tree or a rock on the beach? Balance on one leg with your palms together, or curl into a tight ball.
3. Would you rather be a snake or a starfish? Slither on your tummy, or lie on your back with arms and legs wide.
4. Would you rather be a jack-in-the-box or a sleeping cat? Crouch and spring up, or curl up and purr.
5. Would you rather be a rocket or a jellyfish? Crouch and blast off, or float your arms slowly.
6. Would you rather be a crab or a kangaroo? Walk sideways, or take three big jumps.
7. Would you rather be an eagle or a penguin? Spread your arms wide and glide, or waddle with your feet turned out.
8. Would you rather be a robot or a ballerina? Move in stiff, jerky steps, or tiptoe and turn slowly.
9. Would you rather be a bear or a mouse? Walk on hands and feet, or make yourself as small as you can.
10. Would you rather be ice melting or popcorn popping? Sink slowly to the floor, or jump on the spot.
11. Would you rather be a windmill or a washing machine? Circle your arms, or swish side to side.
12. Would you rather be a tortoise or a cheetah? Crawl in slow motion, or run on the spot.
13. Would you rather be a star or a dancer? Sit tall with your legs wide apart, or stand on one leg and hold the other foot behind you.
14. Would you rather be a gorilla or a giraffe? Stomp with bent knees, or stretch up tall on your tiptoes.
15. Would you rather be a candle or a firework? Stand tall and perfectly still, or whoosh up and burst.

If you have one of our mats, some of these are numbered on it: on the Sun Salutation design the tree is number 14 and the dancer number 15, and on Freedom Flow the star is number 3. Ask the question, then point to the number. More moving games are in our list of yoga games for kids.

15 questions children ask the grown-ups

Turn the game round. Children choose a question from this list, or make up their own, and the adults have to answer honestly.

1. Would you rather do my homework for a week or go to my school for a week?
2. Would you rather eat fish fingers every day or never eat chocolate again?
3. Would you rather be a child again for a day or a grandparent for a day?
4. Would you rather tidy my bedroom every day or play my favourite game every day?
5. Would you rather go down the big slide at the park or push me on the swings?
6. Would you rather wear my school uniform to work or your pyjamas to work?
7. Would you rather have a day off work to play with me or a day off to sleep?
8. Would you rather sing in front of my class or dance in front of the whole school?
9. Would you rather swap jobs with a firefighter or a zookeeper?
10. Would you rather have no phone for a week or no cups of tea for a week?
11. Would you rather be my age for a day or ninety for a day?
12. Would you rather watch my favourite film ten times or hear my favourite song a hundred times?
13. Would you rather build a den with me or bake a cake with me?
14. Would you rather go to bed at my bedtime or get up when I wake up?
15. Would you rather choose my clothes for a week or let me choose yours?

Helping them write their own

Sooner or later, children want to write their own. Give them the formula and step back: take two things they love, or two things they'd hate, and join them with "or".

Two that are equally good, or equally silly, make the best questions. If one choice is obviously better, nobody has anything to say, and that's worth pointing out kindly the first time it happens. Development Matters suggests activities that "encourage talk about feelings and their opinions" for children in reception, and a home-made would you rather is exactly that, with a laugh attached.

A few children freeze when asked to choose, especially if an older sibling is watching. Go first, give a silly reason, and let them copy your choice the first time. Choosing gets easier once they've seen that nobody gets marked down for a silly reason.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good would you rather question for kids?

One with two choices a child can picture straight away, where either answer can be defended. "Would you rather have a seagull steal your chips every day or a squirrel steal your socks every night?" works because both are daft and both are easy to imagine. Avoid choices where one is obviously better, because then there's nothing to argue about.

How do you play the would you rather game?

One person asks a question with two choices. Everyone picks one, and nobody is allowed to say both or neither. Then each player gives one reason for their choice. The next player asks the next question. With a three-year-old, hold up one hand for each choice so they can point, and accept "because I like it" as a reason.

What are some easy would you rather questions for kids?

Ones built from things a small child already knows. Would you rather ride on a fire engine or a tractor? Jump in a puddle or kick a pile of leaves? Have a pet snail or a pet ladybird? Be a bumblebee or a butterfly? Two familiar things and no trick is all a three to five-year-old needs.

What are some funny would you rather questions for kids?

Would you rather sneeze glitter or burp bubbles? Hiccup every time you laugh or laugh every time you hiccup? Have a nose that whistles when you breathe or feet that squeak when you walk? Five to eight-year-olds like the ones that are slightly disgusting or slightly impossible, and they like asking them to adults even more.

Is would you rather good for children's language?

It practises things the early years guidance lists. Development Matters says three and four-year-olds are learning to understand why questions, and that children in reception are learning to explain why things might happen. It also suggests activities that get young children talking about their feelings and opinions. A daft choice with a reason attached does all of that.

One more question for the road

Would you rather play this tonight or tomorrow? Either way, our screen-free activities hub has plenty more for the gaps in the day, and our family game night ideas turn a few rounds of this into a whole evening. For the "show me" round, a mat with numbered poses gives everyone a spot to land on. You can see ours, and the two designs, on our kids' yoga mats page.

Sources

• Department for Education: Development Matters, non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage
• Department for Education, Help for early years providers: Communication and language
• Department for Education, Help for early years providers: Listening and understanding