This set of science-themed conversation starters for kids teaches interesting facts about animals while inspiring a personal discussion!
As a homeschooling family, we spend a lot of time together. The result? Great connection, but… there are certain times when we struggle coming up with fresh and inspiring topics of conversation!
It is especially noticeable in situations where activity isn’t possible, but conversation could be welcome, like long car rides or waiting in line. It is hard to come up with a fun topic to discuss on cue.
One of the solutions we’ve discovered is playing trivia games. The kids and adults are all engaged, time is passing, and there are extra educational bonus points. We’ve even made our own trivia games like Earth trivia game or Animal trivia game.
Our newest invention follows similar lines of mixing conversation with education, while having fun. We have put together a set of conversation starters that combine interesting scientific facts with questions for discussion. Unlike the facts, the questions are not related to science. Instead they attempt to create a link between the fact and the personal experience of the participants in the discussion, making the facts more memorable.
The idea for our conversation starters for kids is based on the evidence that “activities that both engage students emotionally and connect with what they already know are what help build neural connections and long-term memory storage”.
Animal Facts for Kids
For the first set of conversation starters, we chose to focus on the topic of animals. The animal world of our planet is truly fascinating. Did you know that some wood frogs spend the winter in a frozen state? Their body water freezes, their blood stops flowing, and their hearts stop beating. But come spring? They thaw out and hop away!
That’s probably my favourite fact from this set of conversation starters. The personal question for this fact is, “What do you do in the cold weather when you cannot go outside?”
In response to that, my son (8) said, “Play video games.” My daughter (5) answered, “Listen to ‘Pippi Longstocking’.”
Another fact is about coral reefs and rainforests that cover a surprisingly small amount of Earth but provide habitat to many of the world’s animal species. For instance, coral reefs take only 1% of the ocean floor, but host 25% of its animals!
The question for discussion is, “What can you think about in your life that takes little to no space but means a lot to you?”
My son (8) answered, “Mommy. Daddy. My sister.” My daughter (5) answered, “My little ponies. They’re small, but they mean a lot to me.”
All in all, there are twenty facts and twenty questions. They touch on different aspects of the animal world – mammals, insects, birds, amphibians; habitats, colourations, diets, and specific behaviours.
Beside a fact and a question for discussions, each card includes a little watercolour painting. Depending on the number of participants and the level of engagement, this set of conversation starters for kids should generate entertainment for a couple of hours. And it is free! You can download it below.
The animal conversation starters would couple well with our animal drawing prompts. There are facts about animals is paired with creative drawing prompts. Kids will design butterfly wings, engineer a treehouse worthy of a sloth, dream of discovering new insects, and much more.
Get the Conversation Starters for Kids!
Also Try These Animal-Themed Activities!
Learn about ten animals and the houses they build, then complete the engineering challenges and build your own versions of these amazing dwellings!
Learn how to make paper insects and study insect anatomy with this printable insects kit!
Share your answers to the prompts with us on Instagram! Thanks for reading.
