131 Conversations That Engage Kids: How to Get Kids Talking, Grow Their Friendships, and Inspire Change (Creative Conversation Starters)

My kids love these questions for car rides! Age 6 and 11. Def good for car rides after the technology wears off.Questions are for white, upper class kids. Idk how much other ethnicities will identify with the questions. I keep it in the glove box and the kids beg for the questions once they're an hour into the ride and bored looking for interaction. Far more fun than the alphabet game or when eye spy runs out of interest.

I recently moved with my sister and her tween. Conversing with a 12 year old girl who is shy is challenging. She only shrugs her shoulders when I ask the usual "how was school" type questions. With this book I have regained confidence that I can have an engaging conversation with her. I'll ask a question every day at dinner. I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I have a grown son who was always full of lively conversation. This is the first time I have to try to bring a shy kid out of her shell. I'm so happy for this book!

I really enjoyed reading this book. Some of the questions are funny and stimulating. I am a school social worker and I will start putting some of these questions into practice with some modifications. More questions are needed to engage children from low income background and with history of trauma. This a great book.

I am voluntarily reviewing a complimentary copy of this book, 131 Conversations That Engage Kids by Jed Jurchenko.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to put the excellent suggestions into practice with my son. He has been dealing with some issues at school and I didn't even learn about it from him. I found out through the guidance counselor at his school. He doesn't communicate with me about important issues and I really hope this book will help me change that.I am very thankful to Jed for writing this book. I think it would/will be helpful to anyone with children in their lives that want better communication between them. I think children want to share with their parents and other important adults in their lives but aren't sure how to or are afraid of the adults reaction and maybe reading this book will give the adult insight into how to be open, welcoming and encouraging when the child does come to them.Excellent Book!! I highly recommend this book to parents, caregivers of children/teens, teachers, guidance counselors, anyone that has interactions with kids.

Jed Jurchenko has written a brilliant book to jumpstart conversations and create memories with kids. I'm not a kid but I was completely engaged while reading and thinking about the questions the author posed to get into the minds and values of kids without them realizing what is happening.Some questions are fun but others can reveal the character of kids as they begin to grow. Thought provoking and smart, I cannot recommend this book with more enthusiasm. The author calls his work a small book with big goals. I predict it will spur big results and create memories for families who need to get away from the TV and social media and just talk.With the summer upon us, this is a must-bring book for road trips, vacations, and anytime. I'll be recommending it to friends and families, no matter how small or big the kids are! Looking forward to see what Jed writes next!

This is a great short book that is easy reading. Great to refer back to when you need a quick engagement topic. The only down side was that my book was damaged in the shipping process which resulted in a tear thru the center area of the book. I did not report it or ask for replacement as it wasn't worth the hassle to send it back. The damage is why I'm giving it only 3 stars, otherwise I would give it 5.

This book worked perfectly for me. I am spending time with my granddaughter due to the pandemic. It has helped me get to know her better. She is bright and enjoyed answering my questions and I had a different question every day. I also found questions to ask the teenage grandkids where inquisitiveness can be a challenge.

It works, I tried it! Scenario: visiting granddaughter glued to phone and laptop. Grandmother tearing her hair out, feeling resentful and wondering why either of them bother. Enter Jeb. Quick look at questions. Grandmother: 'If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?'Granddaughter, face alight, and accompanying theatricals 'well we have this principal see, and he really shouldn't be principal of a school full of teenagers because .......' there followed half an hour of laughter. We went on to play game of Settlers of Catan which granddaughter was delighted to win for the first time. But the casual question from Jeb's book opened the door ... Dr Denise A Nisbet (and as a Clinical Psychologist you would think that I might be the one with the answers).

"A car cruising down the highway in the wrong direction can easily get back on track with a few turns of the steering wheel. On the other hand, a car stuck in the mud, or at a broken standstill, requires a great deal effort to reach its destination − even if that car is pointed in the right direction. Similarly, preteens, who are actively engaged in conversations with positive adults can be gently guided in the right direction." Love it! Pre-teens / tweens are in a special phase wherein they are no longer a child, yet not an adult. It takes time and effort for an adult to figure out the person and engage with them in meaningful ways. The author is passionate about connecting with those around him on a deeper and significant level and this shines through in this book.. The 131 conversation starters and engagers are great for getting to know and understand the child and their thoughts and ideas.. In this age, where kids are more connected to their devices than people, this book is definitely needed for parents, teachers and others engaged in working with kids and young adults.. In fact, I feel the questions can also be modified a bit for adults to bring out the long-lost child in them and relieve some stress :)

`I LOVE this book! It begins with the four main reasons behind why having good conversational skills is so important. Jed Jurchenko is clearly more than just an experienced father.He tells us how good conversations improve connection, attachment and intimacy – which is "… the act of allowing another person to peer into one's inner world while simultaneously sharing one's own heart."We are reminded that what were once basic social skills seem to be becoming a lost art."Today's kids are simultaneously more connected and more disconnected than any prior generation. Long-distance friendships come easily, while face-to-face connections can be scary."I loved the way he encourages talking for fun (the fourth reason why conversation is a great skill), providing 131 discussion starters, which are great for the dinner table, classroom, youth groups and more. These questions can be used by parents, teachers or by children with their friends: I thought the idea of playing the wooden block game JENGA, with numbered tiles each associated with a different question, was fantastic!Even though this book is aimed at children, parents and those who work with children - I fancy personally using it with my life story writing group, several of whom are in their eighties. I'm sure we'll have lots of laughs and find heaps of inspiration not only for speaking, but writing too.This is an engaging book on engaging kids in good conversations, and will be dipped into many times.

This is a book full of very good ice-breakers - offering a plethora of topics and angles to come at unqiue and meaningful exchanges with children. Jed stresses that the challenges of the electronic and digital era have imposed on relationships and the ability to positively communicate are specific to this generation. This book is therefore a timely read. The games suggested at the beginning shift it from a notion of 'questions' to 'fun and thought-provoking' conversations. What it also really makes you think is not just the art of getting a good conversation going, but the opportunity to really listen to what children and tweens think and how they express it. It's the ability to not just be a clever adult that engages a kid in conversation, but the chance to really connect and gain insight into the minds and lives of children. As a result, it engages kids and makes adults better understand. Highly recommend it.

This is a great book, full of ideas for conversation starters with kids. I have neices and nephews and always struggle, especially with the nephews, now I can strike up a conversation more interesting to them than - "How's school?"

These are sometimes odd but we had fun