Weird Questions to Ask Middle Schoolers
These weird and silly questions to ask middle schoolers are for the teachers, youth leaders and parents of eleven to fourteen year olds who keep getting one word answers. The 60 questions run the way a session does: quick ones anyone can answer, what-ifs, pointless debates and school itself, then the questions about them and about adults, which belong later and often one to one. Nothing here asks about bodies, crushes or money.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Quick ones
What's the weirdest food combination you actually like?
Why ask it
Pickles with peanut butter, chips inside a sandwich, ketchup on something it should never touch: an odd answer earns status here and costs none. Somebody will claim a combination nobody believes, and the group can do the challenging for you.
What's the weirdest thing in your backpack right now?
Why ask it
They can look instead of think, so it works even with a group that has decided not to cooperate. Whatever comes out, a single sock or a permission slip from last year, tends to arrive with a story, and the story is what you were after.
Which word gets funnier the more times you say it out loud?
Why ask it
Somebody will start chanting a word before you have finished asking, and the room will join in. Give it thirty seconds, then ask for the next word so the chant does not become the only thing that happens today.
What would be the worst possible flavor of gum?
Why ask it
Nothing personal can leak into an answer about gum, so the kid who never speaks first can risk one. Take a vote on the worst flavor at the end, so the quiet suggestions get a second hearing.
What's the worst name you could give a goldfish?
Why ask it
The best answers are ordinary adult names said in a serious voice. A goldfish called Gary is fine; one named after the kid in the third row is not, so rule out real people before you start.
Which vegetable looks the most suspicious?
Why ask it
It needs no memory and no opinion about anything real, only a vegetable and a grudge. Ask what the vegetable is guilty of, and the case against the cauliflower gets built by the whole room.
What's the weirdest noise you can make, and will you do it right now?
Why ask it
Volunteers only, and it will be loud. Use it at the start with a restless group, because it spends the energy you would otherwise be fighting for the next ten minutes.
What's a completely useless fact that lives in your head?
Why ask it
Kids this age collect facts about sharks, space and world records and are rarely asked for them. Skip the fact check and ask where they learned it, which keeps them talking and tests the claim on the quiet.
What's the most random thing you can quote from memory?
Why ask it
An ad jingle, a whole scene from a film, the safety announcement on the bus: this one belongs to the kids who would sooner perform than share. Somebody will recite for a full minute, and letting them reach the end is the point.
What's the weirdest thing you believed when you were little?
Why ask it
Middle schoolers enjoy being clearly older than their younger selves, so they will tell this one on themselves. The classics, such as a swallowed seed growing into a tree or teachers living at the school, bring out a chorus of kids who believed the same thing.
What if
If you could swap lives with an animal for one day, which one and what would you actually do?
Why ask it
The second half is what saves this from being a childish question, because the plan is where the personality shows. A kid who picks a house cat in order to sleep in a patch of sun all day may be telling you something about their week.
If a goose followed you everywhere for a week, what would you name it and which class would it ruin first?
Why ask it
The goose is the trick: a slightly menacing bird writes its own trouble. Listen to the reason for the class they choose, which is sometimes the room with the most to knock over and sometimes the lesson they would most like interrupted.
If your pencil case could talk, what would it complain about?
Why ask it
The complaints come out honest: chewed pens, a leaking highlighter, crumbs from last term. A student without a pencil case can answer for a bag, a desk or a phone.
If you had to swap your hands for two kitchen tools, which two would you pick?
Why ask it
They will reason it through aloud, because every choice ruins something: tongs cannot type and a whisk cannot hold a fork. Ask how they would open a door and the planning starts over.
If you could only say one word for the rest of today, which word gets you through?
Why ask it
It sounds silly and turns into a puzzle about what a person really needs to say in a day. With a class, try it for two minutes afterwards and see who lasts.
If your sneeze could sound like anything other than a sneeze, what would it be?
Why ask it
Nobody can answer this without doing the sound. It takes ten seconds a person, which makes it useful late in a session when attention is going.
If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil in this room, where would you hide?
Why ask it
Suddenly the group is looking around the real room, which wakes up anyone who has been staring at a desk. How they would get somebody's attention from there is the follow-up that makes it a story.
If a penguin walked in right now wearing a backpack, what's in the backpack?
Why ask it
It makes no sense, and that is the appeal for a group tired of being asked sensible things. Go round fast and let each answer add to the last until the backpack is impossibly full.
If you had to be famous for something completely pointless, what would it be?
Why ask it
Listen for the small odd things they can already do, such as balancing a pen on one finger or naming every flag. A kid who would never claim a talent will happily claim a pointless one.
If aliens landed on the field and asked for our leader, which teacher should we send out?
Why ask it
Limiting it to teachers means no classmate gets volunteered as a joke. The reasons are affectionate more often than not, and worth passing on to the teacher who gets picked.
If every hallway had to be travelled some way other than walking, what should the school choose?
Why ask it
Slides, conveyor belts and scooters arrive within seconds, followed by an argument about traffic between classes. Let the argument run: they are designing a system and defending it.
Debates
Are there more doors or more wheels in the world?
Why ask it
There is no settled answer, and the definitions do all the work: does a cupboard have a door, does a toy car count? Split the room in two and make each side give its single best reason.
Is a hot dog a sandwich, a taco or neither?
Why ask it
The best-known pointless argument going, and most groups arrive with a position. The taco option stops it being a yes or no and makes them state the rule they are using.
Which is the better pencil, mechanical or wooden, and what is wrong with the other one?
Why ask it
A real division in any classroom with nobody's feelings in it. The students who care most about stationery are often the quiet ones, so this can hand them the floor.
Would you rather have one shoe that always squeaks or a backpack that plays a trumpet fanfare every time you open it?
Why ask it
Both options are about being noticed, which weighs more at twelve than it does at thirty, so the reasons say more than the choice. Have them walk to one side of the room to answer and nobody has to speak first.
Does a straw have one hole or two?
Why ask it
Hold up a real straw, or a rolled sheet of paper, because this argument needs something to point at. One camp counts openings and the other counts tunnels, and the doughnut somebody brings up as proof settles nothing.
Is it still a sleepover if nobody sleeps?
Why ask it
They argue from experience, and it drifts happily into the latest anyone has stayed awake. Keep it a debate about the word, since who was invited to which sleepover is a sore subject.
Which is the best seat on a bus or in a car, and what does choosing it say about a person?
Why ask it
Seating is a serious matter in middle school, and here they get to joke about it at one remove. Stick to seats in general and stay away from who sits where on an actual bus.
Which day of the week is the worst, if nobody is allowed to say Monday?
Why ask it
Banning the obvious answer forces a reason, and the reasons add up to a timetable of their week: the long day, the test day, the early practice. Remember it when you plan what to ask of them and when.
Does homework finished on the bus that morning count as done?
Why ask it
Asked with a straight face, it draws a confession or two and a real argument about what done means. Make no ruling; you are hearing how the work actually gets finished.
School
If our school got a mascot that made no sense at all, what should it be?
Why ask it
The whole group builds one answer together, so nobody's own life is on show. If they settle on a furious pigeon or a damp sock, it will come back as a running joke for the rest of the term, and you can use it.
If you had to be one cafeteria food, which one would you be?
Why ask it
Everyone can picture the menu, so the answers come fast: the pizza everybody wants, the casserole nobody trusts. Each person answers for themselves only, because deciding which food a classmate is becomes an insult within seconds.
If the bell could play any sound in place of ringing, what should it be?
Why ask it
Every school has some signal that ends a lesson, so every student has an opinion on it. Put the top three to a vote, and if you can find the winning sound, play it once as they leave.
If this school were bottled as a scented candle, what would the label say?
Why ask it
Put together, the answers map the building: floor polish, the gym, whatever the kitchen does on Thursdays. Push for the exact wording on the label, because that is where the jokes get good.
Which would win in a fight: the stapler, the glue stick or the three-ring binder?
Why ask it
There are no people in it, so the trash talk has nowhere harmful to go. Someone always backs the glue stick on tactical grounds, and that case deserves a full hearing.
If one subject had to be taught entirely through song, which would be the funniest?
Why ask it
You find out which subject they consider the driest, because that is the one they choose. A volunteer may want to demonstrate, and eight bars is about the right length.
What excuse for missing homework would be so ridiculous it deserves full credit?
Why ask it
An invention contest with a clear winner, and students who rarely shine on paper are often the best at it. Say up front that it has to be made up, or you will hear real excuses and have to decide what to do about them.
If you could add one class to the timetable, what would it teach?
Why ask it
Answers split neatly between subjects they actually want, which is useful information, and jokes about sleeping. Ask who would teach it, and the joke answers usually turn into real ones.
If your locker or desk came with one bonus feature, what should it be?
Why ask it
Half the answers are snack dispensers and half are small real wishes: a charger, a mirror, a lock that works. The real wishes show you what is awkward about their day.
What's a school rule that makes zero sense to you?
Why ask it
Take the first answer seriously even if it is about phones or bathroom passes, because how you react decides whether you get an honest second answer. Ask what rule they would replace it with, which shifts complaint into reasoning.
If you could make one rule that every teacher had to follow, what would it be?
Why ask it
The rules they invent are usually about fairness and predictability rather than freedom, which is worth hearing. Follow with what would happen to a teacher who broke it, since that is where the real complaint lives.
About you
What's the strangest dream you still remember?
Why ask it
A dream is theirs and yet nobody can be blamed for one, which makes it an easy first step past jokes. Set a one minute limit, because dream stories have no natural ending, and move on if it becomes a contest for the most disturbing.
What's a word or phrase that only your family uses?
Why ask it
Plenty of families have a made-up word for the remote or a strange name for a meal, and kids enjoy finding out theirs is not universal. It touches home without asking what home is like.
What are you weirdly competitive about?
Why ask it
Expect small, specific answers: one board game, getting to the car first, being last to finish eating. It lets a twelve year old admit to caring about something, which is hard to do sincerely.
What's the last thing that made you laugh until you couldn't stop?
Why ask it
The retelling rarely works, and watching them try is the funny part. If they say you had to be there, ask who was, and you find out who they laugh with.
What object in your room would most confuse an archaeologist a thousand years from now?
Why ask it
A way to hear about their room and their things without prying. Follow with what the archaeologist would wrongly decide it was for.
If you came with a warning label, what would it say?
Why ask it
Middle schoolers are sharp about their own quirks and tend to land on something true: gets loud when hungry, do not wake before nine. Go first, and make it a rule that a label is only ever written about yourself.
What's the strangest phase you've been through so far?
Why ask it
A phase that is over is safe ground, since they are laughing at an earlier version of themselves. Never suggest that something they love now is a phase, even as a joke.
What's a song you'd be embarrassed to have play out loud right now?
Why ask it
Music taste carries a lot of social weight in middle school, which is why this gets a laugh and a wince together. Offer yours first, because an adult who admits to something dated makes it safe for everyone else.
What's a smell you love that most people would find strange?
Why ask it
A gas station, new sneakers, a wet dog, the inside of a library book: the answers come quickly and half the room agrees with each one. It is about them, and there is nothing in it a classmate could use later.
What's something you're actually good at that never gets graded?
Why ask it
Middle school measures a narrow set of things, and this asks about the rest. If a kid says nothing, name something you have noticed them do well and ask if that counts. Leave any demonstration to them to offer.
What's something everyone your age is supposed to like that you don't?
Why ask it
Gives permission to be out of step, which most middle schoolers want and few will risk unprompted. Notice whether they check the room before answering, and if so, ask again privately.
If you could jump one year forward or one year back, which way would you go?
Why ask it
Short range time travel keeps this concrete, and the direction is the part worth hearing. A kid who chooses back may have a particular day in mind, so ask what they would do with the year and let it rest if they go quiet.
Adults
What do adults think is cool that definitely isn't?
Why ask it
Safe with a whole room and funny at your expense, which is a fair price. Hold back from asking what is cool these days, because an adult putting that answer to use is the quickest way to kill it.
What do you think adults actually do all day at work?
Why ask it
The guesses are funny and sometimes uncomfortably close: meetings about meetings, typing, saying let's circle back. When they describe a parent's job, ask which part of it they would want to try for a day.
If you could give every adult one piece of homework, what would it be?
Why ask it
This turns the usual direction around, and the assignments are pointed: learn one game, put the phone away at dinner, retire the phrase when I was your age. If the homework is aimed at you, do it and report back.
Which annoying adult habit do you suspect you'll end up with anyway?
Why ask it
They get to picture themselves older without the weight of a question about the future. The habit they name is often one they watch at home every day, so hear it as affection and leave it there.
What's something adults say that instantly annoys you?
Why ask it
You will probably be in the answer somewhere, so decide in advance that you can take it. Laugh, write the phrase down and go a week without saying it, and they will notice.
What do you wish adults would ask you instead of how school is going?
Why ask it
You are handing them the conversation, and what comes back is usually practical: ask about a game, a show, a friendship, a project. Open with their answer the next time you see them, since that is the proof you were listening.
What's a question you've wanted to ask an adult but never have?
Why ask it
Save it for a one to one moment, since the real version of this will not be said in front of a class. If they ask something that matters, answer honestly and briefly, and say so plainly when you do not know.
Getting Past One Word Answers
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
How to Ask
Silly First, Weird Second
A silly question, like the goldfish name or the worst flavor of gum, asks for a joke and has a room laughing inside a minute. A weird one, like the dream or the thing they believed when they were little, asks for something true and slightly odd about the kid. Open on silly and move to weird once somebody has answered at length.
Answer First, Badly
This age group will not go first. Give your own answer, including the embarrassing song and the strange childhood belief, and keep it genuinely uncool rather than performing awkwardness.
Make Passing Explicit
Say out loud that anyone can skip a question with no explanation. Paradoxically you get more answers, because the risk of being trapped is what makes kids refuse to start.
Stop While Hands Are Still Up
A silly question dies when every person in the circle has to answer it. Take four or five answers to the gum flavor or the suspicious vegetable, cut it off while kids still want a turn, and the next question starts with the room leaning in.
Protect Status in a Group
Anything a peer could use as ammunition should be asked one to one, not in a circle. What never gets graded, the year forward or back and what they wish adults asked all land better walking somewhere or working side by side.
React to the Content, Not the Kid
Praising a student for opening up makes them regret it. Respond to the actual answer with a follow up question and let the moment stay ordinary.
Which to Use Where
- Whole class warm up: three or four from Quick ones and What if, which are loud, fast and cost nobody any status.
- A class that has gone flat: Debates. Put the two answers on opposite walls and have students walk to one before anybody speaks.
- Sixth grade or eighth: younger groups usually dive at the What if questions, and an older group that finds them babyish will still argue about doors and wheels, so start those students in Debates.
- Written on a slip of paper: the school rule that makes no sense, what everyone their age is supposed to like and what they wish adults would ask all get more honest answers when nobody is watching.
- One to one check in: what never gets graded, the year forward or back and the question they have never asked an adult. None of those belongs in front of an audience.
- Advisory or homeroom over a week: one School question a day, run as a short discussion with a vote wherever there is one to take.
- Bus, hallway or club setting: the dream, the childhood belief and the thing they can quote fill five minutes without needing a conclusion.
- New group that does not know each other: stay in Quick ones, What if and Debates for the first few sessions, and leave About you and Adults until names are known.
Common Pitfalls
Skip Anything About Bodies, Crushes or Money
Questions about appearance, dating and what a family can afford are the ones most likely to hurt somebody in the room, and you will not always see it happen. Keep the weirdness aimed at objects, hypotheticals and school itself.
Don't Turn the Answer into a Lesson
If a complaint about a rule becomes a talk about respect, you have taught the group not to answer. Note it, thank them, and move on.
Don't Punish the Answer About Adults
Asking what adults get wrong and then defending adults is a trap you set for yourself. If you cannot hear it without correcting it, do not ask it.
Don't Chase the Silent One
Calling on the student who is clearly not going to answer costs you more than the answer is worth. Ask them privately later, when nobody is watching.
Don't Let Silly Turn on a Person
The goldfish, the warning label and the fight between school supplies stay funny for as long as they are about objects and inventions. The moment an answer is a classmate's name, go to the next question without making a scene of it.