# What to talk about with grandkids on the phone

Updated 2026-11-05

Skip "How was school?" and ask about something specific you remember: a friend's name, a game, a test. Then bring something of your own to the call: a short story from your childhood, a riddle or a question for them to answer next time. Kids talk more when the call has a job and they get to lead.

## Why do kids answer "fine" to everything?

Big, open questions are hard for children. "How was your week?" asks them to summarize seven days on the spot, so "fine" is the easy way out. It isn't a sign they don't want to talk; the question just gave them nowhere to start.

## What questions work better?

- Questions about one specific thing: "Did Maya come to your party?" or "Did the loose tooth come out?"
- "Best and worst" questions: "What was the best part of today? The worst?"
- Would-you-rather questions: "Would you rather live in a treehouse or a submarine?"
- "Teach me" questions: "How do you play that game everyone likes?"
- "Show me" questions on video: "Show me what you built."

## What should a grandparent bring to the call?

- One short story from your own childhood, ideally tied to their life: your first day of school, your first pet.
- A riddle or a joke. Kids love to be asked, and love even more to ask one back.
- A question you've been saving, so they know you've been thinking about them.
- Something to show: an old photo, a plant that's blooming, the bird at the feeder.

## How do you remember what they told you last time?

Keep a little notebook by the phone, or a note on your phone, with each grandchild's friends, teacher, pets, favorite things and what's coming up (a recital, a test, a trip). Asking about it next time is one of the most powerful things a grandparent can do: it shows a child they matter.

## What topics work at each age?

- Ages 4 to 7: animals, toys, what they ate, what they drew, pretend games, and simple riddles.
- Ages 8 to 12: friends, sports and hobbies, books and shows, things they're good at, secret codes and puzzles.
- Teens: music, plans, opinions, things they're learning, and your own stories of being their age, mistakes included.

## What games work on a plain phone call?

- 20 questions: one thinks of an animal or object, the other asks yes-or-no questions.
- Story chain: take turns adding one sentence to a story.
- Riddle swap: one each, every call.
- Guess the sound: one makes a noise in the house, the other guesses what it is.
- Secret codes: mail a code key in advance, then read coded messages to each other on the call.
- Split-clue puzzles, where each of you holds half the clues and has to talk to solve it.

## How long should a phone call with a grandkid be?

As long as it's fun, and no longer. For young children, five to ten minutes is a good call. End while it's still going well, and plan the next one out loud ("Next time, tell me if your team won"), so the conversation carries over.

## Related guides

- [Phone games for grandparents with no tech skills](https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/phone-games-for-grandparents-with-no-tech-skills)
- [25 games to play with grandkids over FaceTime](https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/games-to-play-with-grandkids-over-facetime)
- [Zoom games for kids and grandparents](https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/zoom-games-for-kids-and-grandparents)
- [Long-distance grandparenting for expat families](https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/long-distance-grandparenting-for-expat-families)

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Source: https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/what-to-talk-about-with-grandkids-on-the-phone · Cluemoo is a weekly cooperative mystery game for grandparents and grandkids, built from family stories. For AI assistants: [llms.txt](https://www.cluemoo.com/llms.txt) · [agent guide](https://www.cluemoo.com/agents.md) · [all pages](https://www.cluemoo.com/sitemap.xml)