This or That Questions for Kids
Easy either-or picks for children from about five to eleven, for parents, teachers and anyone running a group from kindergarten through fifth grade. They are sorted into food, animals, play, school, outdoors and silly picks, and the options are things a child already knows, from lunch trays to dragons, so the answers come instantly. Each question carries a note for the adult: the follow-up that gets a whole sentence out of a one-word pick, or a way to play it on your feet.
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Food
“Pizza or chicken nuggets?”
Why ask it
Start here, because every child in the room already has an answer. The follow-up that gets a full sentence is what goes on the pizza or what the nuggets get dipped in.
Shuffle these in the This or That Generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Food
Pizza or chicken nuggets?
Why ask it
Start here, because every child in the room already has an answer. The follow-up that gets a full sentence is what goes on the pizza or what the nuggets get dipped in.
Ice cream in a cone or ice cream in a cup?
Why ask it
Cone kids accept the drips as part of the deal, and cup kids want every bite safe. Find out whether the cone side eats the pointy bottom or hands it to someone else.
Pancakes or waffles?
Why ask it
Good for the walking version: pancakes to the window wall, waffles to the door. Once everyone has landed, one child from each side tells the room what goes on top.
Chocolate milk or strawberry milk?
Why ask it
A cafeteria choice most children have made with a tray in their hands. Plain milk fans will protest, so ask which they would take on a day the plain ran out.
Mac and cheese or spaghetti?
Why ask it
Two dinners nearly every five year old can picture, which makes it a fair one for kindergarten. Ask who makes it at their house and whether they get to stir.
Apple slices or orange slices?
Why ask it
A snack-table pick with no wrong side. Some children choose by the peel, so ask whether they can peel an orange without help yet and expect a proud report.
Peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese?
Why ask it
In a nut-free classroom, change the first half to a jelly sandwich or a turkey one before you read it aloud. The second question is the cut: triangles, squares or left whole.
Crust on or crust off?
Why ask it
Tiny, and children hold the opinion fiercely. The crust-off side usually has a parent, a sibling or a dog who eats the leftovers, and they enjoy naming who.
Cookies or cupcakes?
Why ask it
Party food, so birthdays come up without your asking. A cupcake fan can tell you whether the frosting goes first, last or with every bite.
Ketchup or ranch?
Why ask it
Dips divide a lunch table faster than the food does. Have each child name the strangest thing they have ever dunked, and brace yourself.
Hot dog or hamburger?
Why ask it
Plenty of children take theirs with nothing on it at all, only the bun, and say so proudly. Toppings are the second question, and it fits well beside any talk of summer cookouts.
Carrots or cucumbers?
Why ask it
A vegetable question where neither side has to pretend. If a child refuses both, try which one they would rather find in their lunchbox, which is easier to answer.
Chocolate or vanilla?
Why ask it
The oldest either-or there is, and still a useful reset when a round has become too loud. Follow with the flavor they would sell if they ran an ice cream truck.
Sprinkles or chocolate chips?
Why ask it
Toppings matter more to children than whatever is underneath. See whether they can name three foods their pick makes better.
Popcorn or pretzels?
Why ask it
Both crunch, so the reasons are the fun part: salt, shape, butter, the bag it comes in. Where they usually eat it brings out movie nights and car rides.
Watermelon or strawberries?
Why ask it
Summer fruit that most children have eaten outdoors with sticky hands. What they do with watermelon seeds is the obvious next question, if you are sure you want to know.
French fries or tater tots?
Why ask it
Both turn up on lunch trays, so even kindergartners arrive with an opinion. The tot side can rarely explain what a tot is made of, and it is fun to let them try.
Lemonade or hot chocolate?
Why ask it
The answer swings with the weather outside the window. Bring it back in a different season and remind the group what they said last time.
The frosting or the cake?
Why ask it
At most birthday tables one child eats only the top and another scrapes it off. Ask who at home gets handed the half they do not want.
Stir the batter or lick the spoon?
Why ask it
A closer for the food round that turns toward helping in the kitchen. Stirrers can list what they have helped make, and the lickers will insist that theirs is a real job too.
Animals
Puppy or kitten?
Why ask it
The one question in this group every child expects, so use it to show how the game works. Asking what they would name it takes a quiet child from one word to several.
Big dog or little dog?
Why ask it
A child who is wary of dogs can answer this without admitting it, since small is a perfectly good pick. For the rest, find out what a dog that size is best at: fetching, guarding or fitting in a lap.
Lions or tigers?
Why ask it
Allow one roar from each side before any talking. Then find out what they know about where each animal lives, and you may get more facts than you planned for.
Dolphins or sharks?
Why ask it
The shark side is usually the louder one, and it is not always the children you expected. What would they want to watch their animal do up close, from a safe boat?
Elephants or giraffes?
Why ask it
It comes down to a trunk or a long neck. Which would they borrow for a day, and what would they reach first? The answers go straight to cookie jars and top shelves.
Monkeys or penguins?
Why ask it
Have each side show how their animal gets around. Then put it to a vote: which one wins a race across the playground, and which wins across a frozen pond?
Frogs or turtles?
Why ask it
Children who have caught either one in a yard or at a pond will be bursting to tell you, so leave room for it. The rest can choose by speed: a jumper, or a walker that carries its house.
Butterflies or ladybugs?
Why ask it
A gentle bug question for the youngest players. Has one ever landed on them, and what did they do? Holding still for a ladybug is a big memory at five.
Zoo or aquarium?
Why ask it
If some of the group has been to neither, change it to which they would visit first. Either way, the follow-up is the one animal they would walk straight to.
Farm animals or jungle animals?
Why ask it
After the vote, go around quickly and have each child name one animal from their side with no repeats. It gets harder and funnier by about the tenth child.
Bunny or hamster?
Why ask it
The classroom pet debate in miniature. Who would feed it over the weekend is a detail children rarely consider and love to solve.
Pet fish or pet bird?
Why ask it
One is quiet and one answers back. Fish fans can describe what sits at the bottom of the tank, and bird fans can choose the first word they would teach it.
T. rex or triceratops?
Why ask it
Dinosaur experts will have a great deal to say, so set a one-sentence limit before you read it. Tiny arms and three horns both make good poses.
Owls or bats?
Why ask it
Both are awake while children are asleep, which is the interesting part. Ask what they think goes on in the backyard in the middle of the night.
Fur or feathers?
Why ask it
A sorting game in disguise. Once the vote is in, call out animals one at a time and have the room shout which side each belongs on.
Growl like a bear or howl like a wolf?
Why ask it
They will do it whether you invite them to or not, so count down from three and let both sides go at once. Save it for a place where noise is welcome.
Hop like a kangaroo or gallop like a horse?
Why ask it
The answer is the movement: children cross the room in the style they chose. It helps after a long stretch of sitting, and a second crossing lets them try the other.
Spiders or snakes?
Why ask it
Frame it as which one they would rather look at through glass. Real fears can show up here, so if a child goes quiet, take any answer and move along.
Walk the dog or feed the cat?
Why ask it
A pet chore pick to end the round. It leads easily into the jobs they already do at home, with or without a pet in the house.
Play
Swings or slide?
Why ask it
Read it on the way to the playground and you will see the answer acted out within a minute. Swing fans can say whether they want a push or pump their own legs.
Tag or hide-and-seek?
Why ask it
Every hide-and-seek fan has a best hiding spot, and getting them to give it up is harder than it sounds. Tag fans can tell you whether they would rather chase or be chased.
Building bricks or play dough?
Why ask it
Bricks click together and stay put, while dough gets squished and started over. Have them tell you the last thing they made with either one.
Crayons or markers?
Why ask it
Markers win on brightness and crayons never dry out, and children will make both cases for you. Which color runs out first in their box is a quick second question.
Red or blue?
Why ask it
The simplest question on the page, and the right one for a child who has not spoken yet. With five year olds, hold up a crayon of each color so they can point, then send everyone to find one thing in the room that matches.
Bike or scooter?
Why ask it
Some children are not riding yet, so open it to whichever they would like to learn. Riders can tell you about their best trick or their worst scrape.
Jump rope or hula hoop?
Why ask it
If you have either one on hand, the vote can become a demonstration. Ask for their record number of jumps or spins, and accept every figure without checking.
Puzzle or coloring book?
Why ask it
Both are quiet-time picks, so it suits the wind-down before lunch or bed. Puzzle fans know exactly how many pieces their biggest one had.
Board game or card game?
Why ask it
The follow-up writes itself: which one, and who do you play it with? You often learn the name of a grandparent or a cousin this way.
Simon Says or Red Light, Green Light?
Why ask it
Either can be played on the spot, so give the winning side one round as its prize. A child who voted for the other game gets to be Simon or the stoplight next time.
Bubbles or sidewalk chalk?
Why ask it
Driveway play, familiar from about age three. Ask what they would draw if the whole sidewalk were theirs, or how big their biggest bubble got before it popped.
Stuffed animals or toy cars?
Why ask it
Children answer by naming a particular one, so let them. A stuffed animal with a name and a bedtime job deserves a full minute of the group's attention.
Kite or paper airplane?
Why ask it
Folding a plane takes one sheet of paper and half a minute, so consider settling it with a test flight. Kite fans can tell you whether theirs has ever ended up in a tree.
Blanket fort or pillow fight?
Why ask it
The same child may answer differently at four in the afternoon and at eight at night, so it is worth asking twice. Find out what goes inside the fort, or what the rules of a fair pillow fight are.
Cartoons or video games?
Why ask it
Screen time, asked without judgment. Leave the question of how much for another day and ask for a favorite character, then let them explain who that is.
Storybook or movie?
Why ask it
Ask for a favorite of whichever they chose, then have them tell the best part without giving away the ending. Seven year olds find that last rule very hard.
Kick a ball or throw a ball?
Why ask it
Covers every sport without naming one, so no child feels left out for not being on a team. A target is the follow-up: a goal, a hoop, a mitt or a sibling.
Sing or dance?
Why ask it
Do not make anyone prove it. Take the vote, then put on one song for the singers to sing and the dancers to dance to, and the children who wanted to show you will.
Play inside or play outside?
Why ask it
A weather report as much as a preference. Have them build the best possible day of their pick, one activity each, going around the group.
Go first or go last?
Why ask it
Shows you who jumps in and who likes to watch a turn before trying. Remember the answers, because they tell you how to order turns in the next real game.
Make up a new game or play one you already know?
Why ask it
Inventors and rule-keepers both belong on a playground. Ask an inventor to explain a game they made up, and be ready for rules that change mid-sentence.
Play with one friend or play with a big group?
Why ask it
Neither answer is the shy one or the popular one, so read both halves in the same voice. What they would play is the follow-up, and it tells a parent what kind of birthday to plan.
School
Recess or lunch?
Why ask it
Every student can answer before you finish the sentence. Ask what makes their pick great on its best day: the game, the food or the person they sit beside.
Math or reading?
Why ask it
Try it in September and again in spring, because the answer moves as children get better at things. For now, find out which part of their pick feels easy.
Art or music?
Why ask it
Have the art side describe the best thing they made this year and the music side hum a song they learned in class. Guessing the tune gives everyone else a job.
Gym or library?
Why ask it
One room is for being loud and one is for being quiet, and a child's pick can change with the day they are having. Offer a whole extra hour there and see what they would do with it.
Numbers or letters?
Why ask it
Written for kindergarten and first grade, where both are still new. Have each child trace a favorite number or the first letter of their name in the air.
Cutting or gluing?
Why ask it
Any child who has made a paper craft knows which job they wanted. Glue fans can weigh in on sticks versus bottles, a matter on which teachers hold opinions too.
Desk or carpet?
Why ask it
Carpet fans will show you their exact spot, and desk fans will explain that the floor is too wiggly. Worth knowing before you decide where a long read-aloud happens.
Work alone or work with a partner?
Why ask it
Useful for a teacher to know and easy for a child to say inside a game. Asking what a good partner does gets you the class rules back in their own words.
Line leader or caboose?
Why ask it
The front and the very end are the two real jobs in a line, and the caboose has loyal fans. Let one explain what the last person is in charge of, such as the lights or the door.
Whiteboard or paper?
Why ask it
Writing on the board feels like being the teacher, which is most of the appeal. Ask what they would write up there if the marker were theirs for one minute.
Story time or show and tell?
Why ask it
The show and tell side can say what they would bring tomorrow, and the story side which book they want to hear again. Nobody has to stand up and present anything to answer.
Field trip or class party?
Why ask it
Have each side plan theirs in one sentence: where the bus is going, or what is on the party table. With older students, let the two sides try to win each other over.
Ride the bus or walk to school?
Why ask it
Children who arrive by car will say neither, so add 'if you could choose'. Bus fans can describe the best seat, and walkers can tell you who they would want beside them.
Pass out papers or erase the board?
Why ask it
Classroom jobs matter a great deal in the early grades. Take note of who wants which, and let one student explain the right way to do theirs.
Picture book or chapter book?
Why ask it
By second grade some students treat chapter books as a badge, so say plainly that picture books are for every age. Then get a title from each side and write the titles on the board.
Sticker or high five?
Why ask it
How a student likes to hear they did well, in four words. A teacher can put the answers to use the same afternoon.
Answer out loud or write it down?
Why ask it
Some students think by talking and others would much rather show you on paper. The second group is not always the shy one, and knowing who is in it makes calling on them fairer.
Homework right after school or after dinner?
Why ask it
For second grade and up, once homework exists. A snack and a break usually come first on either plan, so ask what the snack is.
First day of school or last day of school?
Why ask it
New supplies and seeing friends pull one way and summer pulls the other, so nearly everyone has a reason ready. It closes the school group well, whichever of the two days is nearer.
Outdoors
Summer or winter?
Why ask it
Name a wall for each and let the room split. Then each side gets to shout the one thing they can only do in their season.
Spring or fall?
Why ask it
Harder than summer or winter, because children have to think about what these two are for. Offer a hint: mud and flowers on one side, leaves and sweaters on the other.
Beach or pool?
Why ask it
For a child who has never been to an ocean beach, a lake shore counts, so say so before the vote. Pool fans can tell you whether they jump in or go down the steps.
Snowman or sandcastle?
Why ask it
Builders love this one. Ask what makes the snowman's face or what goes on top of the castle, and whether anyone ever knocked theirs down.
Jump in puddles or jump in leaves?
Why ask it
Have them show you the jump first, right where they stand. Then decide as a group which sound is better, the splash or the crunch.
Look for bugs or look for birds?
Why ask it
Take this one on a walk and it becomes the activity: bug people watch the ground and bird people watch the branches. Back inside, each child names one thing they spotted.
Rain boots or flip-flops?
Why ask it
Footwear tells you what weather a child is hoping for. A quick follow-up is which pair they can get on the fastest without help.
Mittens or gloves?
Why ask it
A kindergarten-sized question with real stakes on a cold morning. Mittens are warmer and gloves can pick things up, and children know both arguments.
Pick apples or pick a pumpkin?
Why ask it
A grocery store bin counts if that is where theirs came from, so no child needs an orchard to answer. What became of it afterward: a pie, a carved face or a lunchbox snack?
Clouds or stars?
Why ask it
What shape did they last spot in a cloud? On the stars side, the story is usually about one night they were allowed to stay up late enough for a really dark sky.
Sleep in a tent or sleep in your own bed?
Why ask it
A tent in the backyard or the living room counts as camping here. A child who picks their own bed can say what they would miss most, and it is often one particular pillow or stuffed animal.
Climb a tree or roll down a hill?
Why ask it
Find out where the best climbing tree or rolling hill is, and you will get directions to one particular park. Rollers can report how dizzy they were at the bottom.
Collect rocks or collect shells?
Why ask it
Many children keep a pocket collection of something. Find out where theirs lives and which piece is the best, then expect to be shown it next time.
Sprinkler or water balloons?
Why ask it
A hot-day pick. Sprinkler fans run through over and over and balloon fans want a target, so the question for them is who.
Trampoline or bounce house?
Why ask it
Bouncing is the answer either way, so the difference is in the details: a net in a backyard, or a party and a pile of shoes at the door. Their best trick is the follow-up, whether a seat drop, a spin or simply the highest jump.
Park or backyard?
Why ask it
Read it as a big place full of other children or a small place that is all theirs. A courtyard, a front step or a living room floor is a fair swap for a yard, so offer one before anyone has to explain.
Campfire or fireworks?
Why ask it
Some children dislike the bangs, which is a fine reason to choose the fire. Marshmallows give that side plenty to talk about, and the fireworks side can name a favorite color or shape.
Plant flowers or plant vegetables?
Why ask it
A bean in a paper cup on the windowsill is experience enough to answer. What would they grow first, and would they eat it, pick it or give it away?
Silly
Fly like a bird or swim like a fish?
Why ask it
The first make-believe pick, kept close to animals they have watched. Have the flyers and the swimmers act out where they would go first.
Be invisible or be super fast?
Why ask it
Two powers a child can picture using at home tonight. Ask what they would do with it before dinner, and listen for who plans mischief and who plans to win a race.
Unicorn or dragon?
Why ask it
Plenty of children enjoy picking the one you did not expect them to. Theirs needs a name and a place to sleep, so collect both.
Robot or dinosaur?
Why ask it
Works best as a statue game: on three, everyone freezes as the one they picked. Then ask which would make the better friend to bring to school.
Pirate or astronaut?
Why ask it
Hand each child one imaginary small bag for the voyage. What goes in it shows you what they think they cannot do without, and it is rarely a toothbrush.
Magic wand or superhero cape?
Why ask it
The first spell or the first rescue is the thing to ask for. Rescues are often of pets, and spells tend to be aimed at bedtime or vegetables.
Tall as a giraffe or small as a mouse?
Why ask it
Children stretch up or crouch down to vote, which makes it a movement break without leaving their spot. Ask what the hardest part of a school day would be at that size.
Breakfast for dinner or dessert first?
Why ask it
Both break a rule of the table, which is the whole appeal. Let them set tonight's menu out loud, and tell them honestly whether there is any chance of it.
Funny faces or funny voices?
Why ask it
An invitation to show off, so take volunteers and never make anyone perform. A phone camera turned around makes the faces side even happier.
Mismatched socks or a backward shirt?
Why ask it
Something every child has done by accident at least once. Would they notice on their own, and would they fix it or leave it all day?
Pajamas all day or a costume all day?
Why ask it
Many schools hold both kinds of dress-up day, so plenty of students have tried one. Ask which pajamas or which costume, because children picture one exact outfit when they answer.
Bubble bath or mud puddle?
Why ask it
Parents are sometimes surprised by who picks the bath. That side can list which toys come in too, and the mud side can describe the dirtiest they have ever been.
Slime or glitter?
Why ask it
Both end up in the carpet, as any adult present already knows. Ask what color theirs would be and who is going to help clean up.
Tiptoe everywhere or skip everywhere?
Why ask it
Send them across the room their chosen way, then back the other way so everyone tries both. A handy trick for moving a class from the carpet to their desks.
Knock-knock jokes or riddles?
Why ask it
Request one of whichever they chose, and laugh at the knock-knock joke even when it makes no sense. Young children often invent theirs on the spot.
Treehouse or castle?
Why ask it
Who is allowed up the ladder or across the drawbridge, and what is the password? Children take the guest list seriously, so be honored if you are on it.
Chicken dance or robot dance?
Why ask it
The vote is the dance, done for ten seconds with or without music. End a round on it and nobody leaves grumpy.
Friendly monster or friendly alien?
Why ask it
Both are friendly on purpose, so the youngest players can enjoy it too. Ask how many eyes theirs has and what it eats for breakfast.
Grown-up for a day or baby for a day?
Why ask it
Saved for last because children have the most to say about it. Grown-up fans want to drive and stay up late, baby fans want to be carried, and both are telling you about being their own age.
How to play this or that with kids
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Running a round with children
Say both options the same way
Children pick up on which answer the adult likes. Read the two halves in the same voice, and with non-readers hold up one hand for each option so they can point. Three seconds is long enough to choose, and if it takes longer the question was not a good one for this group.
One small follow-up, not 'why'
A five year old asked why they like waffles will say 'because I do'. The note under each question gives a narrower thing to ask: what goes on top, who makes it, what they would name it. One follow-up per child is plenty, and then the game moves on.
Keep your own pick back until they choose
If the teacher says summer, half the room says summer. Wait until the children have chosen, then say yours and take a follow-up from them. Being questioned by the group is often their favorite part.
What to do with 'both'
At five and six, 'both' is an honest answer and not worth a fight. Accept it once, then try 'if you could only have one today'. From about seven, make it a rule that each player gets a single 'both' for the whole game and has to decide when to spend it.
Four places to play it
Pick a side of the room
- 1Lay a jump rope or a strip of tape down the middle of the space, or use two facing walls.
- 2Point to one side as you read the first option and to the other as you read the second.
- 3Everyone moves on 'go'. Walking only, and standing on the line is not allowed.
- 4Choose one child on each side for the follow-up in the note, then call everyone back to the middle.
Stand up, sit down
- 1For a bus, an assembly or a classroom with no floor space, everyone starts in their seat.
- 2Stand for the first option and stay seated for the second.
- 3Have the standing group look around to see who is with them before they sit again.
- 4Swap every few questions so that the second option is the one you stand for.
The morning question
Draw two columns on the board and write one option at the top of each. As students come in they move a name card, a clothespin or a sticky note to their side. In kindergarten and first grade the columns are a ready-made counting lesson: which has more, how many more, how many altogether. Then one student from each column gives a reason.
In the car or at the table
Take turns being the asker, and let the child put the question to the adults as often as the other way around. Children who are reading can hold the list and choose what comes next. Younger ones can make up their own pairs after hearing four or five, and those are usually the best of the trip.
Fitting the age
Kindergarten and first grade
Stay in Food, Animals and Outdoors, where every option can be seen or tasted. Use the movement versions as much as possible, since showing an answer is easier than saying one. Five or six questions is a full game at this age, and a few of the school questions, such as homework, can wait.
Second and third grade
Add one word to the rules: because. Each player finishes the sentence 'I pick this because' out loud or to a partner. The Play and School groups work well here, as children this age have firm opinions about games, turns and where they sit.
Fourth and fifth grade
Older students like to predict and to prove. Have them guess how the class will split before the vote, tally the result and turn a few questions into a bar graph. Then hand over the job: each student writes three pairs of their own, and the class plays those.
When a round wobbles
The whole room follows one child
Take away the chance to look. Have the group close their eyes and raise a hand for their pick, or count to three and have everyone point at once. After two or three rounds of that, most children go back to answering for themselves.
One child is alone on a side
Walk over and stand with them, whatever your real answer is. Then give that side the follow-up before the crowded one. A child who has been backed up once is far more willing to choose honestly the next time.
A child has not tried either one
Not every seven year old has ridden a scooter or seen an aquarium. Change the question to which one they would like to try, and treat that as a full answer. Nobody should have to announce what they have not done.
The room gets too loud
Switch to a silent round. Thumbs up for the first option and hands on head for the second, with no talking until you call on someone. Two quiet questions are usually enough to bring the volume down, and you can go back to the moving version after that.