Questions about the past, by topic

Good reminiscence questions ask about a place, a smell, a person, or a habit, not a date or a fact. Below are eight for each of nine topics, from home and the kitchen to travel and the holidays, and each topic comes with a pack of drawings that fits it.

How to use a topic

Pick one topic for one sitting. Print a drawing from its pack in Regular and Bold, and hand them out.

The first question under each topic is a real Story Starter, printed on the drawing named beside it. Read it once, aloud, and let people color. Keep the other seven in your pocket. Use one when the talk goes quiet, or save them for another day.

You won't find a birthday, a full name, or a year in any of these. Questions like those have a right answer, and a right answer turns a story into a test. Ask about, not whether.

Home

The pack: Home Sweet Home. A clothesline, teacups, and a honey jar.

• Did you hang laundry on a line, or use a dryer? (Clothesline)
• Which room did everyone end up in?
• What could you hear from your bed at night?
• Who kept the house running, and how did they do it?
• What did your house smell like on a Saturday morning?
• Where was the best hiding spot in the house?
• What color was the front door?
• What made a house feel like home to you?

The kitchen

The pack: The Kitchen Garden. Tomatoes, strawberries, a jar of flowers, and a honey jar.

• What went into jars at your house: jam, pickles, or flowers? (Mason jar bouquet)
• Who ruled the kitchen in your family?
• What was in the cookie jar, or what should have been?
• Which kitchen job was yours: stirring, peeling, or drying the dishes?
• What's a recipe that was never written down?
• What did you eat on a cold night to warm up?
• What smell from the oven would bring you to the kitchen?
• Big Sunday dinner or a sandwich on the porch: which suits you?

Gardens

The pack: Spring Garden. Blossom, tulips, a wheelbarrow, and the first butterflies.

• What did you grow, or wish you'd grown, in a garden? (Wheelbarrow of flowers)
• Who in your family had the greenest thumb?
• Flowers or vegetables: which would you plant first?
• What's the best thing to pick right off the plant and eat?
• Which flower would you want by your front step?
• Weeds: did you pull every one, or let a few be?
• Who got your garden extras?
• What does a garden smell like after the rain?

Work

Work means any work: a job, a farm, a shop, a household. The pack: Mandalas and Patterns. Busy pages for busy hands, and several of its Story Starters are about handwork.

• Needle and thread, or hammer and nails: which were you handier with? (Ornamental butterfly frame)
• Tell me about a job you liked.
• What did a good workday look like?
• Who showed you how to do your work well?
• What did you wear to work: a uniform, an apron, a suit, or boots?
• What tool did you use every day?
• What did you do on your lunch break?
• What's a job you'd try for just one day?

Music

The pack: Sunday Blooms. Big flowers, drawn close. The lilies page asks about dancing.

• Did you like to dance, or watch from the side? (Lilies and sparkles)
• Radio, records, or a live band: how did you like your music?
• Who sang around your house, and what did they sing?
• What instrument would you love to play, just for a day?
• Where was the best place to hear music near you?
• What song would you pick to start a party?
• Church choir, car radio, or the shower: where did you do your singing?
• What song makes you think of summer?

School

The pack: Butterfly Garden. Butterflies and the flowers they visit. The swirls page asks about school.

• In school, did you like practicing cursive, or was it a chore? (Swirls and a butterfly)
• How did you get to school: walk, bus, bike, or a ride?
• What did you carry your lunch in?
• Which subject did you like, and which did you dodge?
• What did you play at recess?
• Tell me about a teacher who was kind to you.
• What did a classroom smell like: chalk, paste, or pencil shavings?
• What did you do on the first day of summer vacation?

Travel

The pack: Water and Shore. Ponds, waves, sails, and palms.

• On a trip, did you like to drive, take the train, or fly? (Palm island)
• Where would you go for one more weekend away?
• Who was the best person to travel with?
• Front seat or back seat: where did you like to ride?
• What did you always pack?
• Mountains, beach, or a big city: which trip would you pick?
• What's the best meal you ever had away from home?
• What did you bring home from a trip: postcards, shells, or something else?

Animals

The pack: Under the Oak. Squirrels, acorns, a hedgehog, a mouse, and an owl.

• What animals lived near the place you grew up? (Hedgehog on the stump)
• What's the best name you ever heard for a pet?
• Which animal would you like sitting with you right now?
• Which birds did you like to see at the feeder?
• Farm animals or city pigeons: which did you grow up around?
• What animal would you never let in the house?
• Who in your family brought home strays?
• What would you name the hedgehog on this page?

Holidays

The holiday packs follow the calendar. The pack for December is Seasons of Light: a wreath, stockings, candles, and the tree.

• What went on your front door for the holidays? (Holiday wreath)
• Which holiday had the best food at your house?
• Who hosted the big holiday meal?
• What did you wear for a holiday photo?
• Which birthday cake would you choose today?
• What's a family tradition that others might find a little odd?
• Which holiday is best for being outdoors?
• Which holiday song gets stuck in your head?

When a question lands somewhere tender

Questions about home and family can find a loss. That's part of a long life, not a mistake. Say what you heard, plainly, and let the person choose where to go next. If they go quiet, come back to the drawing: "What color should the door be?"

The First Pack is six drawings with a Story Starter on each, free, with your organization's name on the cover.