Kept Stories

Free ยท interview guide

Grandparent interview questions, and how to ask them.

Start with an easy question, then ask a follow-up. Here are 12 interview questions for a grandparent, each with the follow-up that turns an answer into a story. Draw one, or print them all.

See the book

Draw an interview question

Where did you grow up? Follow up: What could you see from the front door?

How to interview your grandparent

  1. Pick a quiet timeSit somewhere comfortable with the TV off. Plan on 30 to 45 minutes, and stop when they tire.
  2. Ask before you recordIf you want to record on your phone, ask first. Some people talk more freely with only a notebook on the table.
  3. Start easyBegin with where they grew up. Places and people are easier than feelings.
  4. Follow upAfter each answer, ask one more thing: who, what it looked like, what happened next.
  5. Write it downWrite the best answers in their words the same day, before the details fade.

Opening questions

  1. Where did you grow up? Follow up: What could you see from the front door?
  2. What did your parents do for work? Follow up: Did you ever go with them?
  3. Who was your best friend as a child? Follow up: What did you two get up to?
  4. What was your first job? Follow up: What did you spend your first pay on?

The middle of the interview

  1. How did you meet Grandma, or Grandpa? Follow up: What did you think of them that first day?
  2. Where was your first home? Follow up: Walk me through it, room by room.
  3. What was the hardest year you remember? Follow up: Who helped you through it?
  4. What did a normal Sunday look like when my parent was little? Follow up: What did you cook?

Closing questions

  1. What has changed most in your lifetime? Follow up: What do you miss about how it was?
  2. What are you proudest of? Follow up: Who else knows that story?
  3. What is the best advice anyone gave you? Follow up: Did you take it?
  4. What do you want your great-grandchildren to know about you? Follow up: Can I write that down word for word?

Questions people ask next

How many questions fit in one interview?

About 4 to 6 with follow-ups in 45 minutes. These 12 make two or three visits.

Do these work for a school family-history assignment?

Yes. The opening questions suit a short class interview; pick 4 and add your own follow-ups.

Where do the answers go?

Anywhere you keep them. The Kept Stories book has these subjects with wide lines, so your grandparent can also write answers in their own hand.

The full book

  • All 44 letter-size pages in one PDF
  • Grandma and Grandpa covers in the same file
  • 62 questions with wide lines, 5 photo pages, a family tree and a letter to the grandchildren
  • Print as many copies as your family needs

The free sample and the question list stay free. The book adds every chapter with room to write. Printing and binding are up to you.

Kept Stories book

$9

One payment, PDF download
Buy the book
Format
PDF, 44 letter-size pages
Delivery
A download after payment; nothing is shipped
Refunds
If the file doesn't work or isn't what this page describes, write to us within 14 days for a full refund.

Related