50 would-you-rather questions for kids
Would-you-rather questions get every student talking because there is no wrong answer, only a choice and a reason. These fifty are classroom-friendly (nothing gross, scary or personal) and sorted by theme. Each comes with a follow-up that turns the question into a vote, a quick write, a debate or a bit of math. Read one aloud, or spin our would you rather wheel on the projector.
Superpowers and magic
1. Fly or be invisible
Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible? Follow up by asking where fliers would go first and what invisible students would do for one hour at school.
Grades K–8You need NothingUse Would you rather wheel
2. Talk to animals or speak every language
Would you rather be able to talk to animals or speak every human language? Ask which animal students would talk to first, and what they'd ask it.
Grades K–8You need Nothing
3. Read minds or see the future
Would you rather read minds or see one day into the future? Follow up with a quick debate: which power would be harder to keep secret?
Grades 3–8You need Nothing
4. Super speed or super strength
Would you rather have super speed or super strength? Have students act out their choice in slow motion for five seconds before they explain.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
5. Shrink or grow
Would you rather be able to shrink to the size of an ant or grow as tall as a building? Ask each side to describe what the classroom would look like from their size.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
6. Breathe underwater or never need sleep
Would you rather breathe underwater or never need to sleep? Students list three things they'd do with their power, then share the best one.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
7. Teleport or time travel
Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or travel through time? Time travelers say whether they'd go to the past or the future, and why.
Grades 3–8You need Nothing
8. Magic paintbrush or magic pencil
Would you rather have a paintbrush whose pictures come to life or a pencil that writes the answer to any question? Students draw what they'd make or write the first question they'd ask.
Grades K–5You need Paper and crayons
Animals
9. Pet dragon or pet unicorn
Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet unicorn? Follow up: what would you feed it, and where would it sleep?
Grades K–3You need Nothing
10. Live in the ocean or the jungle
Would you rather live in the ocean with the whales or in the jungle with the monkeys? Ask each side to name three animals they'd meet.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
11. Be a cheetah or an eagle
Would you rather be a cheetah for a day or an eagle for a day? Students describe their day in three sentences, from waking up to bedtime.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
12. Ride a dolphin or a horse
Would you rather ride a dolphin across the sea or a horse across a field? Students vote by standing on one side of the room, and you count the votes together.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
13. Have a tail or have wings
Would you rather have a tail like a monkey or wings like a bat? Ask what each would be useful for at school, and what would be a problem.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
14. Meet a dinosaur or a mammoth
Would you rather meet a friendly dinosaur or a woolly mammoth? Follow up with one fact each side knows about its animal.
Grades 1–5You need NothingUse Dinosaurs bingo
15. Ant strength or frog jump
Would you rather lift things many times your weight like an ant, or jump as far as a frog for your size? Use it to start a quick talk about animal adaptations.
Grades 2–5You need Nothing
16. Be a penguin or a polar bear
Would you rather be a penguin or a polar bear? Students waddle or lumber to their side of the room, then say what they'd eat.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
Food
17. Pizza or tacos every day
Would you rather eat only pizza or only tacos for a month? Tally the votes on the board and make a bar graph together.
Grades K–8You need Nothing
18. Sweet or salty snacks
Would you rather have only sweet snacks or only salty snacks? Ask students to name the snack they'd miss most from the other side.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
19. Ice cream for breakfast or pancakes for dinner
Would you rather have ice cream for breakfast or pancakes for dinner? Follow up with a quick write: describe the perfect upside-down day.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
20. Cook or bake
Would you rather cook dinner for the class or bake dessert for the class? Students write the menu for their choice in two minutes.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
21. No more cheese or no more fruit
Would you rather give up cheese forever or fruit forever? Students give two reasons, and the class decides which side argued better.
Grades 3–8You need Nothing
22. Giant strawberry or tiny watermelon
Would you rather find a strawberry as big as a ball or a watermelon as small as a grape? Ask students to draw it next to something for scale.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
School
23. Recess twice or lunch twice
Would you rather have two recesses or two lunches every day? Ask what students would do with the extra time, then vote.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
24. Teacher for a day or principal for a day
Would you rather be the teacher for a day or the principal for a day? Students write one rule they'd make and one they'd get rid of.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
25. All math or all reading
Would you rather have a whole day of math or a whole day of reading? Follow up by asking which part of the subject they'd spend the most time on.
Grades 1–5You need Nothing
26. Field trip to a museum or a farm
Would you rather go on a field trip to a museum or a farm? Each side lists what they'd want to see first.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
27. Write a book or build a robot
Would you rather write a book or build a robot? Students name their book or robot and say what it would be about or do.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
28. Class pet fish or class pet hamster
Would you rather have a class fish or a class hamster? Ask what jobs the class would need to look after it.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
29. Desk by the window or by the door
Would you rather sit by the window or by the door? Follow up: what would you notice from your seat that others wouldn't?
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
30. Homework on Monday or on Friday
Would you rather have all your homework on Monday or all of it on Friday? Ask students to explain their plan for getting it done.
Grades 3–8You need Nothing
Places, weather and space
31. Summer all year or winter all year
Would you rather have summer all year or winter all year? Each side lists three things they'd do and one thing they'd miss.
Grades K–8You need NothingUse Summer bingo
32. Live on the moon or under the sea
Would you rather live in a base on the moon or under the sea? Students design one room of their home and label it.
Grades 1–8You need Nothing
33. Snow day or beach day
Would you rather have a snow day or a beach day? Students act out their favorite activity for that day while the class guesses.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
34. Visit Mars or the bottom of the ocean
Would you rather visit Mars or the deepest part of the ocean? Each side says what they'd pack and what they'd hope to find.
Grades 3–8You need NothingUse Space bingo
35. Treehouse or castle
Would you rather live in a treehouse or a castle? Follow up with a drawing of the best room in it.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
36. Rainstorm or thunderstorm
Would you rather watch a gentle rainstorm or a big thunderstorm from your window? Ask students to describe the sounds they'd hear.
Grades K–3You need NothingUse Weather bingo
37. City or countryside
Would you rather live in a big city or out in the countryside? Students give one good thing and one hard thing about each.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
38. Climb a mountain or crawl through a cave
Would you rather climb the tallest mountain or crawl through a giant cave with a flashlight? Students write a three-sentence adventure about their trip.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
Just silly
39. Talk like a robot or sing everything
Would you rather talk like a robot all day or sing everything you say? Let a few students say "Good morning, class" their chosen way.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
40. Shoes on your hands or mittens on your feet
Would you rather wear shoes on your hands or mittens on your feet for a day? Ask what would be hardest to do.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
41. Laugh at everything or never laugh
Would you rather laugh at everything or never be able to laugh? Ask which would be more awkward in a quiet library.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
42. Bounce or roll everywhere
Would you rather bounce like a ball everywhere you go or roll like a wheel? Students show their choice with their hands.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
43. Purple hair or green hair
Would you rather have bright purple hair or bright green hair for a week? Tally the class votes and find the difference between the two numbers.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
44. Sneeze glitter or hiccup bubbles
Would you rather sneeze glitter or hiccup bubbles? Follow up: where would it be most embarrassing, and where would it be useful?
Grades K–5You need Nothing
Thinking questions for older students
45. Know everything or be able to learn anything
Would you rather know everything about one subject or be able to learn any skill in a day? Run a short debate with two speakers on each side.
Grades 4–8You need Nothing
46. Be famous or be rich
Would you rather be famous but have little money, or have plenty of money and nobody knows your name? Students write a paragraph for their side.
Grades 4–8You need Nothing
47. Invent something new or discover something old
Would you rather invent something nobody has made or discover something lost long ago? Ask what it would be.
Grades 4–8You need Nothing
48. Always tell the truth or always be kind
Would you rather always have to tell the truth or always have to say something kind? Talk about times the two might clash.
Grades 5–8You need Nothing
49. Change the past or see the future
Would you rather change one thing about the past or know one thing about the future? Students explain their choice in a quick write.
Grades 5–8You need NothingUse 5 minute timer
50. Work alone or on a team
Would you rather work alone on every project or always on a team? Use the answers to talk about how groups will work in class this year.
Grades 4–8You need Nothing
Making it work
- Make students give a reason. "Because it's cool" is a start; push for "because it would let me..."
- Use movement: one side of the room for each choice. It gets everyone out of their seats with no extra setup.
- Turn votes into math. Tally the choices, make a bar graph, and find the difference.
- Use one as a quick-write starter. Students write for three minutes defending their choice.
- Spin the would you rather wheel so the class sees the question was picked at random.
Questions teachers ask
- Are would-you-rather questions good for the classroom?
- Yes, as a warm-up, a brain break or a writing starter. Every student can answer, there's no wrong choice, and asking for a reason builds the habit of backing up an opinion.
- How do I keep the questions appropriate?
- Stay with superpowers, animals, food, school, places and silly choices. Avoid questions about families, money at home, bodies or anything scary, which can leave some students uncomfortable.
- How can I use them for writing?
- Pick one question, give students five minutes to write a paragraph arguing their side with two reasons, then pair students who chose differently to read each other's paragraphs.
Written for teachers by Peabody Teach. No ads, no affiliate links. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.