Conversation Starters

Conversations provide opportunities to share ideas, teach new concepts and connect with others in meaningful ways. During National Families Week, we would like families and communities to make time to share in conversation with family members, friends and neighbours. Classrooms can use conversation starters for large or small group discussion which could become inspiration for a presentation or Rostrum speech.

We are providing you with conversation starters around the ten top tips of National Families Week and other subjects that can help families and communities connect, ponder and make positive changes to their lives.

Conversation Starters for classroom or home:

• Share generational stories of family – “when I was six” – presenting an opportunity to learn some family history and compare life activities over generations
• What’s good about getting old? What’s not good? How can we address that and offer help to older members of family and community?
• Forming good habits – what life skills can we share to show manners, respect, patience?
• How would life be different without the internet or small screens? When was life like that and who remembers that time?
• What different sorts of families are there?
• What are the basic needs of families? Compare with the animal world – address shelter, protection, nourishment, love, child rearing
• What Indigenous history and culture can we explore in our local community?
• How can we practise sustainability around our home and community?
• Why do families from different backgrounds hold different beliefs? – this can encompass exploring world maps, dress, customs etc. Schools could invite family members of students to share a customary practice with the class
• What would we put into a family time capsule? Consider items that have meaning to family members and would tell a story to future generations.
• Sport: competition and participation – How do the reactions of spectators, your team and the opposing team affect you or your team mates? Address capability: Ethical understanding – to develop an awareness of the influence that values and behavior have on others.
• Top Ten Tips Conversation starters (download document)