Truth or Dare Questions for Kids
Truth or dare for children of about six to twelve, written so a grown-up can read it aloud without checking ahead. Truths come first, then dares, and each half starts easy and gets braver. The dares are silly and physical, stay indoors and on the floor, and need nothing you would have to go and find.
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Truth
“If one food had to be the only thing on the menu for a whole week, what would you pick?”
Why ask it
An easy first truth with no wrong answer. Ask on which day they think they would get sick of it, and watch them insist they never would.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Truth
If one food had to be the only thing on the menu for a whole week, what would you pick?
Why ask it
An easy first truth with no wrong answer. Ask on which day they think they would get sick of it, and watch them insist they never would.
What is the funniest word you know, and can you say it without laughing?
Why ask it
The second half is a small dare hiding inside a truth. Once one child says their word, the rest will need a moment to say theirs.
If you could have any animal as a pet with no rules, what would you choose and where would it sleep?
Why ask it
Where it would sleep is the part that makes them think. A giraffe is easy to choose and surprisingly hard to put to bed.
Which vegetable would you ban forever if you were in charge of the world?
Why ask it
Children enjoy being handed absolute power over dinner. Expect a heated debate, and at least one brave defender of the banned vegetable.
What superpower would you use just to get out of tidying your room?
Why ask it
Narrowing the superpower to one dull chore produces better answers than asking for a favorite power. Freezing time comes up a lot.
Which cartoon or storybook character do you think you are most like?
Why ask it
Shows you how a child sees themselves: the brave one, the funny one, the one who is always hungry. Friends may politely disagree.
What do you think your teacher does on the weekend?
Why ask it
Younger children half believe teachers live at school, which is what makes the guesses so good. Works best when the players share a teacher.
If you could rename yourself for one week, what name would you pick?
Why ask it
Harmless and oddly revealing. Be ready to use the new name for the rest of the game, because they will check that you do.
What is the weirdest food combination that you actually like?
Why ask it
Every child has one and defends it fiercely. It gets a chorus of delighted disgust, which is exactly the reaction they were hoping for.
What is the strangest dream you can remember?
Why ask it
Dream stories can run long, so give a gentle time limit. Good for the quieter child who would rather tell a story than confess anything.
What is the weirdest thing you have ever found at the bottom of your backpack?
Why ask it
Old fruit, lost notes and a single glove are typical. Parents in the room will learn something they may wish they had not.
What job did you want when you were really little that seems silly to you now?
Why ask it
Even a seven-year-old enjoys looking back on their younger self as a baby. Dinosaur, princess-firefighter and garbage truck are all real answers.
What is the latest you have ever stayed up, and what were you doing?
Why ask it
Staying up late is a badge of honor at this age, so expect some exaggeration. Let it go: the boasting is part of the fun.
What is the best hiding spot in your home that you have never told anyone about?
Why ask it
Giving up a hiding spot is a real sacrifice for a child. If they would rather describe it in riddles than reveal it, allow that.
What is one thing you can do better than the grown-ups in your house?
Why ask it
A chance to brag with permission. Video games, cartwheels and remembering where things are tend to win, and the grown-ups rarely argue.
What do grown-ups do that makes no sense to you at all?
Why ask it
Brace yourself if you are the grown-up. Drinking bitter coffee, talking about the weather and choosing to go to bed early all come up.
What rule at your house would you erase if you could?
Why ask it
You will hear which rule actually bothers them, which is useful to know. No promises need to be made, and it helps to say so.
What would you change about school if the principal asked for your ideas?
Why ask it
Longer recess is the opening bid. Push past it with 'and what else' and you often get a thoughtful answer about something that is bugging them.
If you had to eat lunch with one teacher every day, who would you choose and why?
Why ask it
The 'why' tells you what they value in an adult: funny, kind, or lets them talk. Skip it with children from different schools.
Who is the funniest person in your family, and what is the funniest thing they ever did?
Why ask it
Children love telling stories about relatives, especially grandparents. If that person is present, they get to defend themselves afterward.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened in your class?
Why ask it
Classmates playing together will all shout the same story at once. Let one tell it and the others correct the details.
Have you ever laughed so hard that a drink came out of your nose, and what drink was it?
Why ask it
Asking which drink is what turns a yes or no into a story. Milk is the classic, and the telling usually comes with a reenactment.
What is the worst thing you have ever tasted, and who got you to try it?
Why ask it
There is usually a guilty party, often an older sibling or an adventurous aunt. The face they pull while remembering is worth the question.
What is the grossest thing you have ever stepped in?
Why ask it
Gross-out truths are gold with this age group, and this one stays on the right side of polite. Bare feet make the story much worse.
What show for little kids do you still secretly enjoy?
Why ask it
Lands hardest with ten to twelve-year-olds, who are busy being too old for things. One honest answer frees the whole room to admit theirs.
What word did you say wrong for years before somebody told you?
Why ask it
Families often still use the wrong version as a pet word. Ask them to say it the old way, and see if a parent joins in.
Have you ever called a teacher Mom or Dad by accident, or said something else silly to them?
Why ask it
It has happened to nearly every child, and each one believes they are the only one. Hearing the others confess is a real relief.
What were you scared of when you were little that does not scare you anymore?
Why ask it
Safely in the past, so it is easy to admit. The vacuum cleaner, the bathtub drain and one particular puppet are all common answers.
What toy did you love so much that you wore it out or lost it?
Why ask it
A softer question for the middle of the game. Be prepared for real feeling about a rabbit with one ear, and treat it with respect.
Who in this room would you pick for your team in a pillow fight, and why?
Why ask it
Naming someone here is a compliment, and the reason is always funny. Follow with who they would least like to face.
What is the most annoying thing a brother, sister or cousin does?
Why ask it
With the sibling present, give them the right of reply. For an only child, swap in a classmate, with no names mentioned.
What is the biggest mess you have ever made, and who cleaned it up?
Why ask it
Glitter, flour and paint lead the field. The 'who cleaned it up' part tends to produce a guilty look toward a parent.
What did you think was a great idea until it went wrong?
Why ask it
Children tell these stories with real comic timing. Cutting their own hair is a frequent entry, and the photos usually still exist.
Have you ever told a grown-up you brushed your teeth when you did not?
Why ask it
A small confession that almost every child can make. Keep your reaction light, or the rest of the truths will dry up fast.
What is the best excuse you have ever used for not doing homework?
Why ask it
Inventive children shine here. If a parent is hearing this for the first time, the rule is that game confessions carry no punishment.
What food do you sneak off your plate when nobody is looking, and where does it go?
Why ask it
The destination is the real story: a napkin, a pocket, the dog. Dog owners in the room may finally understand a few things.
What do you do when you are supposed to be asleep?
Why ask it
Reading under the covers is the respectable answer. Others build elaborate games in the dark, and they are proud to explain the rules.
Have you ever blamed something on a brother, sister or pet, and what was it?
Why ask it
Pets take a great deal of blame in most homes. If the wronged sibling is in the room, a quick apology makes a sweet ending.
What is the sneakiest thing you have ever done to get a treat?
Why ask it
You are asking a child to reveal their methods, so expect some hesitation. Asking one grandparent after the other said no is a standard.
What is the most trouble you have ever been in at school?
Why ask it
Better for older children, who can tell it as a story. For most the crime is talking too much, and they are secretly pleased about it.
What makes you grumpy faster than anything else?
Why ask it
Useful knowledge for any parent or babysitter. Children are often very precise about it: being hurried, being hungry, or losing at the last second.
What secret talent do you have that hardly anyone knows about?
Why ask it
Follow it with a demonstration if the talent allows. Ear wiggling, armpit noises and perfect animal calls have all been revealed this way.
What do you find hard that everyone else seems to find easy?
Why ask it
Save this for a small group of good friends. It helps a great deal if the grown-up answers it too, honestly, before the child does.
What do you act like you are not scared of, even though you are, a little?
Why ask it
The words 'a little' give them room to admit it. Do not let anyone tease the answer: one laugh here and nobody tells the truth again.
What is the hardest thing about being your age?
Why ask it
Children are rarely asked this, and they have views. Listen without fixing, and you may hear about bedtimes, friendships or being the youngest.
What kind thing did you do that nobody knows about?
Why ask it
Turns the idea of a secret on its head. Some children will need a minute to think, and the answers are usually small and lovely.
Who do you wish you could spend more time with?
Why ask it
A gentle truth to end on. The answer is often a grandparent, a cousin who lives far away or a busy parent, so receive it kindly.
Dare
Hop around the room like a kangaroo who has just won a prize.
Why ask it
A first dare should be pure movement with nothing to get wrong. The prize is what lifts it: ask afterward what the kangaroo won.
Make the silliest face you can and hold it while everyone counts to ten.
Why ask it
The group counting aloud makes everyone part of it. Counters will slow down on purpose around seven, which is fair play.
Walk like a penguin to the door and back without smiling.
Why ask it
Not smiling is the hard part, and it is what makes everyone else laugh. Heels together, arms pinned and tiny steps give the best waddle.
Wiggle like a piece of cooked spaghetti from your head down to your toes.
Why ask it
Impossible to do with dignity, so nobody tries. Young children love it, and older ones can be talked into it if an adult goes first.
Do five of the slowest jumping jacks the world has ever seen.
Why ask it
Slowness is funnier than speed and much safer indoors. The pause at the top of each jump is where the giggles start.
Be a frog and catch ten invisible flies around the room.
Why ask it
Counting to ten gives the dare a clear finish line, which helps children who otherwise never stop. Tongue sound effects are encouraged.
Pretend to be a snowman melting on the warmest day of the year.
Why ask it
Ends with the child in a puddle on the floor, so it doubles as a way to calm a wild room. The slower the melt, the better.
Pretend you are a popcorn kernel slowly heating up, and then pop.
Why ask it
All the fun is in the wait. Have the others make a sizzling sound and let the child decide exactly when the pop arrives.
Say good morning like a giant, then like a tiny mouse, then like a sleepy bear.
Why ask it
A voice dare for a child who does not feel like leaping about. Three quick characters keep it short, and the bear usually yawns.
Crab-walk across the room while humming a spooky tune.
Why ask it
Moving and humming at once is just hard enough to be absorbing. Check that the path is clear of toys before they set off backward.
Cross the room as if the carpet were covered in sticky chewing gum.
Why ask it
Every step becomes a slow struggle, which children act out with total seriousness. A shoe left behind in the gum is a nice touch.
Pretend to ride a very bumpy horse around the room and back to your seat.
Why ask it
Coming back to the seat gives it a tidy ending. Ask the horse's name as they dismount, since there is always a name ready.
Be a rooster waking up the whole farm, starting sleepy and ending very loud.
Why ask it
Agree on how loud is allowed before this one, especially in an apartment. The sleepy beginning is what makes the ending funny.
Talk like a robot whose batteries are running out, slower and slower until you stop.
Why ask it
Has a built-in ending, which many silly-voice dares lack. The final drooping pose tends to be held for a long and dramatic time.
Be a balloon slowly blowing up, then zoom around the room as the air rushes out.
Why ask it
Two halves, one still and one fast. Point out the zooming route first so the flight path avoids table corners and other children.
Show everyone how a T. rex would make a bed with those tiny arms.
Why ask it
Elbows tucked in is the only rule. Children who know their dinosaurs will add roaring frustration, and that part is accurate enough.
Act like a monkey who has just discovered a mirror for the first time.
Why ask it
Gives the monkey something to do beyond jumping around. Suspicion, then surprise, then showing off is the usual and correct order.
Act like an elephant trying to be very quiet in a library.
Why ask it
Big animal, small noise: the contrast does the work. It is also a sneaky way to lower the volume when the game has grown loud.
Pretend to walk a very big dog that keeps pulling you toward the door.
Why ask it
Mime comes naturally to children when the story is clear. Dog owners will recognize the braced legs and the one outstretched arm.
Be a waiter carrying a huge invisible tray that keeps nearly tipping over.
Why ask it
Slow-motion disasters that never quite happen are a staple of clowning. Ask what was on the tray once it is safely delivered.
Tiptoe across the room like a burglar who keeps stepping on squeaky toys, and make the squeaks yourself.
Why ask it
The frozen look of horror after each squeak is the joke. Younger children may need you to demonstrate one step, and then they are away.
Pretend your arms are glued to your sides, then sit down on the floor and stand up again.
Why ask it
A real physical puzzle, safe on carpet. Children are often better at it than adults, and they enjoy finding that out.
Pat your head and rub your tummy while counting backward from ten.
Why ask it
The old coordination trick with a counting twist added. Older children like it because it is a test of skill, not of silliness.
Do the biggest, most dramatic fake sneeze in history, with a very long wind-up.
Why ask it
The wind-up can last as long as they dare. False starts are the secret, and the audience will flinch every single time.
Do your best impression of a washing machine on its fastest spin.
Why ask it
An odd request, and that is why it works: there is no correct way to be a washing machine. Expect shaking, humming and one lost sock.
Pretend to swim across the carpet to rescue a cushion that has fallen overboard.
Why ask it
A floor-level dare with a mission, so it has a beginning and an end. The rescued cushion generally gets a hug and a telling-off.
Act out brushing the teeth of a very grumpy crocodile.
Why ask it
Every child knows the routine from the other side. Notice how much they sound like you when they tell the crocodile to open wide.
Be a caterpillar turning into a butterfly: crawl, curl up in a cocoon, then fly.
Why ask it
Three stages give it a shape, and the quiet cocoon in the middle builds suspense. It suits gentle children who dislike loud dares.
Pretend you are stuck inside an invisible box and find the way out.
Why ask it
Classic mime that children pick up at once. Flat palms pressed on the walls sell it, and the escape route is always surprising.
Be a knight fighting a dragon, then switch sides and be the dragon.
Why ask it
Playing both parts means nobody else gets poked with a pretend sword. The dragon nearly always wins, if you were wondering.
Strike your best superhero landing pose and announce your superhero name.
Why ask it
The pose is from the floor up: no jumping off furniture, and say so first. The names are the treasure here. Captain Bedtime has appeared before.
Bow to every person in the room, one by one, like a very fancy butler.
Why ask it
Calmer than most dares, so it suits a moment when things need settling. Children tend to add a posh voice without being asked.
Give each toe on one foot a name and introduce them to the group.
Why ask it
Pure invention, no running around. The little toe always has the grandest name, and someone will ask to meet the other foot.
Spell your first name with your whole body, one letter at a time.
Why ask it
Children with long names will complain, and children with short names will gloat. Let the others shout each letter as they recognize it.
Say 'six sleepy sloths slide sideways slowly' three times as fast as you can.
Why ask it
By the third time it turns to mush, as intended. Everyone will want a go afterward, so allow a group attempt before moving on.
Sing 'Happy Birthday' in your lowest, growliest monster voice.
Why ask it
A song everyone knows, so there are no words to forget. Decide whose birthday the monster is celebrating before the singing starts.
Tell a joke while pretending to be a very old, very slow tortoise.
Why ask it
A terrible joke told slowly is funnier than a good one told well. If they cannot think of a joke, a knock-knock from the group will do.
Take off your socks, put them on your hands and give a very serious puppet show.
Why ask it
The only dare here that uses anything, and it is already on their feet. Keep it to thirty seconds: sock puppets have a lot to say.
Be a mirror and copy everything the person across from you does for thirty seconds.
Why ask it
A dare for two, so pair a shy child with a kind one. The leader should move slowly, which is a hard lesson for some leaders.
Keep a totally straight face while everyone else makes animal noises at you for twenty seconds.
Why ask it
Noises only, no touching and no getting in their face. Hardly anyone lasts the full time, and the chicken is usually what breaks them.
Do your best impression of a grown-up who cannot find their keys.
Why ask it
Prepare to see yourself. Children have been studying this performance for years, down to the pocket patting and the muttering.
Pretend to be a teacher telling off the class for something silly, like too much smiling.
Why ask it
Children love borrowing authority for half a minute. The class should play along by looking sorry, which they find very hard.
Do your best impression of how someone in your family laughs.
Why ask it
Affectionate by nature, since you only copy a laugh you know well. If the owner of the laugh is present, ask them to laugh for comparison.
Be a cat who refuses to get off the sofa while the person next to you tries to coax you down.
Why ask it
The second child has to persuade using words alone, no pulling. Cats in this game can be bribed only with imaginary fish.
Play air guitar while the rest of the group hums a rock song for you.
Why ask it
Being backed by a band makes performing feel less lonely. A big finish on the knees is traditional, carpet permitting.
Invent a dance called the Wobbly Jellyfish and get everyone to do it with you.
Why ask it
Put this near the end, when even the shy ones are ready to join in. It finishes with the whole room dancing, a good place to stop.
Running truth or dare with kids
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Getting ready
Put one person in charge of reading
A grown-up or the oldest child holds the list and reads each truth or dare aloud. The reader can quietly skip anything that does not fit the room, like a question about siblings when a player has none. Children accept a card that is read to them far more readily than a dare made up by a friend.
Clear a patch of floor
Most of these dares involve hopping, crawling or wobbling, so move the coffee table and anything breakable before you start. Call the clear space the stage. On slippery floors, bare feet are safer than socks.
Make one rule: silly, never mean
Say it before the first turn and repeat it if needed: we laugh with the person doing the dare, not at them. It helps if the grown-up does the first dare. Once an adult has been a melting snowman, nobody minds looking daft.
Allow trades
If a child does not like what they drew, ask whether anyone wants to trade. Someone nearly always does, because other people's dares look more fun than your own. The reluctant child gets a fresh one, and nobody has had to refuse anything.
Ways to play
Sleepover circle
- 1Sit in a circle on the floor with the reader holding the list.
- 2The child whose turn it is says truth or dare, and the reader reads the next one from that half.
- 3After a dare, everyone claps. After a truth, one follow-up question is allowed, and only one.
- 4Go around the circle until each child has had the same number of turns.
Everybody does it
- 1Use this with younger or shyer children, or a large party.
- 2The reader picks a dare and the whole group does it at the same time.
- 3For a truth, the reader asks the question and each child answers in turn, with the reader going first.
- 4Nobody performs alone, so nobody has to be brave before they are ready.
Two kids and a grown-up
- 1On a rainy afternoon with only a couple of children, the grown-up plays as a full player.
- 2Take turns in order, and let the children read the grown-up's truths and dares.
- 3Answer your own truths honestly and do your dares properly. They are watching how you do it.
- 4Stop after a set number of rounds and let the children choose the final dare for you.
When things wobble
A child will not take a turn
Give them a job instead: counting out loud during timed dares, or judging the best performance of the round. Offer the option of doing a dare together with a friend. Most children who start as the counter ask for their own turn within a few rounds.
The giggles turn into chaos
Physical dares wind children up, and a run of them can tip a calm room over. Alternate: after every dare, the next player takes a truth. Agree on a freeze word at the start that means everyone stops and sits, and use it without sounding cross.
A truth turns out to matter
Now and then a child answers a light question with a real worry. Thank them, keep the game moving, and come back to it later when the two of you are alone. In front of friends is the wrong place to look into it, and they will be glad you waited.
Siblings use the game to tell on each other
Set a simple rule: your truth is about you. If an answer starts with a brother's or sister's name and ends with something they did wrong, the reader says 'your own truth, please' and the child tries again.
Ending without tears
Announce the last round before it begins, not after it ends. Finish with one dare that everybody does together, so the game stops on a shared laugh and no single child has the final turn.