Conversation Prompts For Parents

Leading our children’s faith journey is one of the most important things we do as parents. It’s a challenge, adventure, or even a struggle. But this is the holy calling of parents: to help our children find and follow Christ.

You don’t have to be a Bible expert to lead your teenager spiritually. You don’t need all the answers. You don’t even need to get it right every time. What your student needs most is you: your presence, your curiosity, and your willingness to have open, honest, and real conversations.

These prompts are designed to help you do just that. This gives you simple prompts and coaching to help you step into those moments with confidence and grace. Some cards are meant to spark conversation with your student. Others are just for you, offering encouragement and perspective as you parent a teenager in a complex world. You don’t have to force a conversation or rush to conclusions:

Ask questions. Listen well. Trust His process.

Always remember: God is already at work in your student’s life. You’re not starting something, you’re joining something God is already doing. We’re grateful to partner with you in this season. You are not alone, and you are more equipped than you think!

These questions are split up into categories: Parent Coaching, Connect, and Faith.

Each prompt includes a main point or question, as well as a circled tip or encouragement to you. Ask them in a random order!

Connect

What made you laugh this week?
Parent Tip: Joy builds connection.
What’s been the hardest part of your week?
Parent Tip: Listen before fixing.
Who do you feel safest being yourself with?
Parent Tip: Listen with openness, not defensiveness.
What do adults misunderstand about teenagers?
Parent Tip: Be curious.
What’s something adults overreact about?
Parent Tip: Resist defending adults. Hear them out, then ask why they think this happens.
What’s something you wish people understood about you?
Parent Tip: Thank them for trusting you and for sharing.
Who do you admire—and what about them stands out?
Parent Tip: Jesus invites us to follow Him. Who are those examples for your student and you?

Faith

Who do you think Jesus actually was?
Parent Tip: Explore before correcting.
What do you think makes a life meaningful?
Parent Tip: Ask follow-up questions.
Do you think people are mostly good, broken, or both?
Parent Tip: Let them reason out loud.
What do you think people are most afraid of?
Parent Tip: Listen for emotion and for what they talk about. It will reveal a lot of how they would answer personally.
When you hear the word “God,” what comes to mind?
Parent Tip: If they say “Jesus”, go deeper.
What would make faith feel more real to you?
Parent Tip: There are no quick fixes.
What would you ask God if you knew He would answer?
Parent Tip: Silence is okay. Let them ponder.
What do you find confusing about Christianity?
Parent Tip: Celebrate honesty.
What do you think forgiveness really means?
Parent Tip: Let them define it first, then share stories to illustrate it.
Do you think faith should be private or public?
Parent Tip: Explore their reasoning.
How do you decide what’s right when everyone disagrees?
Parent Tip: Explore their reasoning.
If God is good, why do you think life hurts?
Parent Tip: Best for older high schoolers. Sit with the tension. This topic requires more than one conversation, so be ok exploring it together.
What do you think happens after we die?
Parent Tip: Explore the Bible together.

Parent Coaching

God loves your teenager more than you do.
Parent Tip: Trust Him with their story.
Your job is presence, not persuasion.
Parent Tip: You create the environment where faith can grow. God handles the outcomes.
Teenagers don’t need you to be right. They need you to stay relational.
Curiosity builds trust faster than certainty.
Parent Tip: Ask one more question before making one statement.
Doubt is not the enemy. Disengagement is.
Parent Tip: Honest and safe wrestling with faith leads to deeper roots. God can stand up to their doubts.
You don’t need the answer to ask the question.
Parent Tip: Explore with your student. It teaches them how to reason and wonder for themselves.
Give them space to wonder.
Parent Tip: Questions are a win.
Silence is not failure.
Parent Tip: Silence is often a sign of processing.
Don’t panic when faith looks messy.
Parent Tip: Growth often looks chaotic.
You are the model of faith for your student.
Parent Tip: Your actions and words reflect who God is to your children.
Not every conversation needs to end with a lesson.
Parent Tip: The win often is found in the journey.
These conversations are mostly planting seeds, not harvesting crops.
Parent Tip: God’s timeline is different than ours.
If you feel defensive, pause.