525 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing – The New York Times

Updated with 80 new prompts from the 2022-23 school year!

We’ve been posting fresh writing prompts every school day for over a decade now, and every so often we create a themed collection like this one to help you find what you need all in one place.

Below, we’ve rounded up 525 evergreen questions to encourage you to write about your life. They cover everything from family, friendships and growing up to gender, spirituality, money, school and more. (They’re also all available here as a clickable PDF.)

We hope they’ll inspire you, whether you’re entering our related 100-Word Personal Narrative Contest this fall, or just want to improve your writing skills. Like all our Student Opinion questions, each links to a related Times article, which is free to read if you access it from our site.

So dive in and pick the questions that motivate you to tell an interesting story, describe a memorable event, observe the details in your world, imagine a possibility, or reflect on who you are and what you believe.

_________

Overcoming Adversity

1. How Mentally Tough Are You?
2. What Is the Bravest Thing You’ve Ever Done?
3. When Have You Made the Best of a Difficult Situation?
4. How Have You Gotten Over Disappointment?
5. How Do You Get Over Rejection?
6. How Do You Deal With Self-Doubt?
7. How Resilient Are You?
8. What Do You Gain From Pursuing Something You Do Really, Really Badly?
9. How Do You Handle Fear?
10. Are You Too Hard on Yourself?
11. How Do You Silence Your Inner Critic?
12. Have You Ever Experienced ‘Impostor Syndrome’?
13. Have You Ever Benefited From Rejection?
14. Do You Give Yourself Enough Credit for Your Own Successes?
15. How Do You Overcome Your Fears?
16. Stress, Worry and Anxiety Are All Different. How Do You Cope With Each?
17. How Do You Cope With Grief?
18. How Do You Make Hard Decisions?
19. Have You Ever Quit Something?
20. Have You Ever Felt as if You Didn’t Belong?
21. When Has Starting Over Worked for You?
22. When Have You Reinvented Yourself?
23. Do You Find It Hard to Let Other People Help You?
24. Have You Ever Felt Like an Outsider?
25. Do You Appreciate When Celebrities Share Their Struggles?
26. Have You Ever Worried About Making a Good First Impression?
27. Have You Ever Felt Pressure to ‘Sell Your Pain’?

Your Personality

28. Are You an Optimist or a Pessimist?
29. How Competitive Are You?
30. Do You Like Spending Time Alone?
31. Are You a Good Person?
32. Are You a Perfectionist?
33. Do You Hold Grudges?
34. Do You Seek Out New Experiences? Or Stick With the Things You Know and Love?
35. How Do You Express Yourself Creatively?
36. What Animal Are You Most Like?
37. Are You a Patient Person?
38. Are You a Worrier?
39. Are You a Risk-Taker?
40. How Do You Handle Boredom?
41. How Well Do Rewards and Incentives Work to Motivate You?
42. How Good Are You at Judging Your Own Talents?
43. Are You a Procrastinator?
44. Do You Suffer From ‘Task Paralysis’?
45. Do You Feel Joy at Others’ Success?
46. What Role Does Envy Play in Your Life?
47. How Do You Like to Be Comforted When You Are Sad?
48. How Easy — or Hard — Is It for You to Say No When You Want To?
49. Are You More of a Leader or a Follower?
50. How Well Do You Read Other People?
51. Are You Good at Giving Gifts?
52. Do You Complain Too Much, Too Little or Just the Right Amount?
53. How Would You Rate Your Listening Skills and Those of the People Around You?
54. Do You Prefer to Dwell in the Past, Live in the Present or Dream of the Future?
55. What Makes You Cringe?
56. What Disgusts You?
57. Are You Easily Distracted?
58. How Punctual Are You?
59. Are You a Good Conversationalist?
60. How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?
61. Are You an Orchid, a Tulip or a Dandelion?

Hobbies & Interests

62. What Are Your Hobbies?
63. What Is Your Passion?
64. How Do You Spend Your Downtime?
65. How Do You Have Fun?
66. What Would You Choose to Do If You Had Unlimited Free Time and No Restrictions?
67. What Activities Make You Feel Most Alive?
68. What Big Project Do You Hope to Accomplish Someday?
69. What Work, Sport or Pastime Do You Like to Do at Night?
70. What Seemingly Mundane Feats Have You Accomplished?
71. What Have You Made This Year?
72. What Do You Collect?
73. Which Fandoms Are You In?
74. What Competition Do You Think You Could Win?
75. What Is Something You Want to Try, Even Though Others Might Think It’s Weird?
76. Are There Activities You Used to Love That Are Now So Competitive They’re Not Fun Anymore?
77. What Would You Recommend That Is ‘Overlooked and Underappreciated’?
78. What New Innovations and Discoveries in STEM Intrigue You?

Daily Life

79. What Are the Little Rituals That Keep You Going?
80. What Are Your Best Life Hacks?
81. What Ordinary Moments Would You Include in a Video About Your Life?
82. What Habits Do You Have, and Have You Ever Tried to Change Them?
83. Do You Wish You Had a Different Morning Routine?
84. Does Your Life Ever Feel Too Busy?
85. How Can You Tell a Story About Your Life Right Now Through a Few Simple Numbers?
86. What Is Your Secret to a Happy Life?
87. What’s Your Sunday Routine?
88. What Slang Words Do You Use?
89. How Often Do You Treat Yourself to Something Special?
90. How Often Do You Just ‘Hang Out’ With Others?
91. What Are You Grateful For?
92. Where Do You Find Peace and Quiet?
93. Do You Spend Enough Time With Other People?
94. Do You Talk to Yourself?
95. Is Clutter a Problem in Your Life?
96. How Do You Remember What You Need to Remember?
97. When and For What Reasons Do You Seek Silence?
98. How Do You Greet Your Friends and Family?
99. What Is the Most Wholesome Thing You’ve Seen Lately?

Home & Community

100. Who Are the ‘Characters’ That Make Your Town Interesting?
101. If You Made a Mixtape for Your Hometown, What Sounds and Songs Would You Include?
102. What Do the Types of Dogs in Your Neighborhood Say About Where You Live?
103. What Are Your Hometown’s Shortcomings?
104. Do You Have a Favorite Local Hangout?
105. After Home and School, Where Do You Find the Strongest Feeling of Community?
106. What Grievances Do You Have With Your Local Community?
107. Who in Your Community Might Be Interesting to Interview?
108. What Role Do Parks Play in Your Life?
109. What Role Do Trees Play in Your Neighborhood?
110. How Diverse Is Your Community?
111. How Do You Come Together With Your Community?
112. What Is Unique About Your Hometown?
113. What’s Your Favorite Local Business?
114. Do You Wish You Had the Go-to House?
115. Do You Think You Might Like Communal Living When You’re an Adult?
116. Do You Have Enough Access to Places Where You Can Play and Exercise?
117. What Do the Objects in Your Home Say About You?

Family

118. How Do You Define ‘Family’?
119. Who Is in Your Chosen Family?
120. How Well Do You Get Along With Your Siblings?
121. How Well Do Your Parents Deal With Sibling Conflicts?
122. Do You Have a Family Motto or Creed?
123. How Much Do You Know About Your Family’s History?
124. Where Would You Visit To Find Out More About Your Family’s Past?
125. What Is a Meaningful Family Relationship That You Have?
126. What Is Your Relationship Like With Your Grandparents and Elders?
127. Do You Have Any Family Heirlooms?

Parents & Parenting

128. How Involved Are Your Parents in Your Life?
129. How Similar Are You to the Adults Who Raised You?
130. Do You Push Your Parents’ Buttons?
131. How Do You Get What You Want From Your Parents?
132. Do Your Parents Yell at You?
133. What Advice Do You Have for Teenagers and Their Parents?
134. Are You Conforming to or Rebelling Against Your Parents’ Wishes for You?
135. Do Your Parents Spy on You?
136. Do You Turn to Your Parents for Advice?
137. How Do You Connect With Your Parents?
138. Do Your Parents Overpraise You?
139. Have You Ever Felt Embarrassed by Your Parents?
140. Who Cooks, Cleans and Takes Care of the Kids in Your Family?
141. What Kind of Time Management Skills Are You Learning from the Adults in Your Life?
142. Are Your Parents Addicted to Their Phones?

Role Models

143. What Role Have Mentors Played in Your Life?
144. Whom Do You Turn to for Good Advice?
145. What Can We Learn From Older Adults?
146. What Does the World Need to Know About an Important Person in Your Life?
147. Who’s Your ‘Outsider Role Model’?
148. What Does Dr. King’s Legacy Mean to You?
149. Who Do You Turn To in a Crisis?
150. Who Is Someone You Would Like to Thank?
151. Have You Ever Written Fan Mail? If Not, Would You?
152. How Have You Coped With the Death of an Idol?

Childhood Memories

153. What Is Your Earliest Memory?
154. What Things Remind You of Your Childhood?
155. What Childhood Rules Did You Break?
156. What’s the Craziest Thing You Did as a Kid?
157. What Magic Did You Believe In as a Child?
158. What Is the Most Memorable Thing You Have Ever Lost or Found?
159. Have You Ever Given, or Received, a Perfect Gift?
160. What’s the Best Party You’ve Ever Been To?
161. What Smells Trigger Powerful Memories for You?
162. What Is Your ‘Good Luck Charm’?
163. What Objects Bring You Comfort?

Growing Up

164. What Is It Like to Be a Teenager Now?
165. What Is the Best Thing About Being Your Age?
166. What Do Older Generations Misunderstand About Teenagers Today?
167. What Rites of Passage Mark the Transition to Adulthood in Your Community?
168. How Important to You Is Being Able to Drive?
169. Do Other People Care Too Much About Your Post-High School Plans?
170. Do You Hate When Adults Ask You What You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
171. Have You Ever Felt Pressured by Family or Others in Making an Important Decision About Your Future?
172. Do You Have ‘Emerging Adult’ Skills?
173. How Long Do You Hope to Live at Home?
174. What Letter of Inspiration Would You Write to Your Younger Self?
175. What Have You Learned From a Younger Person — and What Have You Taught An Older Person?
176. Have You Ever Helped an Adult?
177. When — if Ever — Do You Call Adults by Their First Names?
178. What Advice Do You Have for Younger Students?
179. Are You Optimistic About the Future?
180. Do You Want to Have Children Someday?
181. Do You Look Forward to Old Age?
182. What Legacy Do You Want to Leave Behind?
183. What Do You Want to Be Known for After Your Death?

Morality & Ethics

184. Have You Ever Taken a Stand That Isolated You From Your Peers?
185. What Acts of Kindness Have You Witnessed or Participated In?
186. How Good Are You at Apologizing?
187. Do You Ever Laugh at the Misfortune of Others?
188. When Have You Either Forgiven Someone or Been Forgiven Yourself?
189. Has Forgiving Someone Ever Made You Feel Better?
190. What Is the Code You Live By?
191. Have You Ever Been Surprised by an Act of Generosity?

Race, Ethnicity, Gender & Sexuality

192. What Cultural Traditions Are Important to You?
193. How Do You Connect to Your Heritage?
194. What Role Does Your Family’s Native Tongue Play in Your Life?
195. How Does Your Identity Inform Your Political Beliefs and Values?
196. How Much Racism Do You Face in Your Daily Life?
197. What Is Your Gender Identity?
198. Do You Feel Constricted by Gender Norms?
199. Have You Ever Been Told You Couldn’t Do Something Because of Your Gender?
200. What Messages About Gender Have You Gotten From Music?
201. How Do You Feel About Being Told to Smile?
202. What Has Your Sex Education Been Like?
203. How Do You Respond When People Ask, ‘Where Are You From?’
204. What Does Your Accent Say About Who You Are?

Money & Social Class

205. What Are Your Expectations About Earning, Saving and Spending Money?
206. What Choices Do You Make About Money Every Day?
207. How Do You Get and Spend Money?
208. Have You Ever Tried to Make Money Online?
209. How Much Financial Help Do You Expect From Your Parents in the Future?
210. Do You Get an Allowance?
211. How Much Has Your ZIP Code Determined Your Opportunities?
212. What Has Television Taught You About Social Class?

Religion, Spirituality & Beliefs

213. What Role Does Religion Play in Your Life?
214. How Often Do You Start Conversations about Faith or Spirituality?
215. What Do You Think Are the Secrets to Happiness?
216. What Legends and Myths Do You Believe In?
217. Do You Believe in Astrology?
218. Do You Believe in Manifesting?
219. What Are Your Experiences With Meditation?
220. How Important Is Mindfulness to Your Daily Life?
221. How Do You View Death?
222. We Document Life’s Milestones. How Should We Document Death?
223. Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Technology & the Internet

224. How Are You Using A.I.?
225. What Old Technology Do You Think Is Cool?
226. What Don’t Adults Understand About Teenage Life Online?
227. What Online Communities Do You Participate In?
228. Could You Go a Year Without a Smartphone?
229. Is Your Phone Love Hurting Your Relationships?
230. How Much of Your Day is Voluntarily Spent Screen-Free?
231. How Would Your Life Be Different if You Didn’t Have Wi-Fi and Cellular Service?
232. Where Do You Go to Find Cool, Strange or Fascinating Information on the Internet?
233. Does the Future of Robots Get You Excited, or Fill You With Dread?
234. Do You Worry About Your Digital Privacy?
235. Do You Feel Safer When You Know You’re Being Watched?
236. Do You Leave Funny Comments Online?
237. Have You Experienced Any Embarrassing Zoom Mishaps?
238. Have You Ever Encountered Racist or Extremist Content Online?
239. How Do You Know if What You Read Online Is True?
240. How Much Do You Trust Online Reviews?

Social Media

241. How Much of Your Life Do You Share Online?
242. Do Social Media and Smartphones Make Your Friendships Stronger?
243. Are You the Same Person on Social Media as You Are in Real Life?
244. What Does TikTok Mean to You?
245. Who Is Your Favorite Social Media Star?
246. Would You Want to Be a Social Media Star?
247. Do the Adults in Your Life Follow You on Social Media?
248. Have You Ever Gone to a Place for the Primary Purpose of Taking Selfies?
249. Would You Want to Live and Breathe Creating Content for Social Media?
250. Do You Feel You’re Friends With Celebrities or Influencers You Follow Online?
251. What Role Does Instagram Play in Your Life?
252. How Does Social Media Affect Your Mental Health?
253. Does Social Media Affect Your Body Image?
254. Which Emoji Do You Use the Most?
255. Do You Ever Ignore Text Messages?

Music & Podcasts

256. What Music Are You Listening to Right Now?
257. Who Was Your Favorite Musical Artist This Year?
258. What Songs Explain You?
259. What Is Your Favorite Musical Instrument?
260. What Songs Matter to You Now?
261. What Was Your First Concert?
262. Which Celebrity Performer Would You Like to Challenge to a Friendly Battle?
263. What Would You Name Your Band?
264. Do You Listen to Podcasts?
265. If You Could Make Your Own Podcast, What Would It Be About?

Movies, TV & Video Games

266. What Have You Learned About Life From Watching Movies?
267. What Is Your Favorite Sports Movie?
268. What Are Your Favorite TV Shows?
269. Who Is Your Favorite Actor?
270. What’s in Your Queue?
271. What Is Your Favorite Memory of PBS?
272. How Do You Feel About Spoilers?
273. What Stereotypical Characters Make You Cringe?
274. Are You a Fan of Rom-Coms?
275. Do You Like Horror?
276. What’s Your Favorite Video Game Ever?
277. What Classic Video Games Do You Still Enjoy Playing?
278. What Video Games Would You Like to See Adapted for Film or TV?
279. Are You a Fortnite Addict?
280. Do You Gamify Your Life?

Books & Reading

281. What Role Have Books Played in Your Life?
282. What Books Do You Think Every Teenager Should Read?
283. Do You See Yourself in the Books You Read?
284. Has a Novel Ever Helped You Understand Yourself or Your World Better?
285. What’s the Best Book You Ever Read for School?
286. What Book Would You Add to the High School Curriculum?
287. How Do You Find New Books, Music, Movies or Television Shows?
288. What Have You Learned from Comics?
289. What Role Does Poetry Play in Your Life?
290. Do You Like Romance Stories?
291. What Is the Scariest Story You Have Ever Heard?
292. Have You Ever Read a Book You Weren’t Supposed to Read?
293. What Children’s Books Have Had the Biggest Impact on You?
294. Where Is Your Favorite Place to Read?
295. What Role Do Libraries Play in Your Life?

Writing

296. What Purpose Does Writing Serve in Your Life?
297. Do You Keep a Journal?
298. What’s Your Favorite Word?
299. What’s Your Favorite Punctuation Mark?
300. Do You Read or Write Poetry?
301. Do You Love Writing or Receiving Letters?
302. What Do You Want to Investigate?
303. What Would You Write a Book About?
304. What Would You Write in a Letter to the Editor?
305. If You Had a Column in The New York Times, What Would You Write About?

The Arts

306. What Movies, Shows, Books, Music, Games or Other Works Have Made a Strong Impression on You?
307. What Work of Art Has Changed Your Life?
308. Who Is Your Favorite Visual Artist? What Is Your Favorite Work of Art?
309. Which Photograph Stays In Your Memory?
310. What Would You Like to Learn to Make by Hand?
311. Are You Intimidated by Classical Music and Art?
312. Do You Love to Dance?
313. Have You Ever Performed for an Audience or Shared Creative Work With Others?
314. What Show Do You Wish Your School Would Stage?
315. How Would You Design Your Ideal Museum?
316. What Broadway Show Would You Most Like to See?
317. What Are the Most Memorable Works of Visual Art You’ve Ever Seen?
318. What Could You Read, Listen to or Watch to Stretch Your Cultural Imagination?
319. How Often Do You Read, Watch or Listen to Things Outside of Your Comfort Zone?

School

320. How Did You Grow and Change This School Year?
321. Do You Like School?
322. What Motivates You to Learn?
323. Would You Want to Go to a School Like This One?
324. What ‘Pop-Up’ Classes Do You Wish Your School Offered?
325. How Is What You Are Studying in School Relevant to Your Life and the Larger World?
326. Do You See the Point in Learning Math?
327. How Much Do You Speak Up in School?
328. How Diverse Is Your School?
329. Is Your School a Safe Learning Space?
330. How Comfortably Can You Speak Your Mind at School?
331. Are You Able to Be Your Whole Self at School?
332. Do You Feel Your School and Teachers Welcome Both Conservative and Liberal Points of View?
333. How Have You Learned About Slavery?
334. How Much Have You Learned About Black History?
335. Has a School Assignment or Activity Ever Made You Uncomfortable?
336. Are You Stressed About School?
337. How Good Are You at Handling Challenging School Work?
338. Do You Need a Homework Therapist?
339. What Are You Doing to Change Your School?
340. What Are Your Thoughts on Riding the School Bus?
341. Is the Diversity of Your School Accurately Reflected in Its Promotional Materials?
342. How Have Your Teachers Shaped Who You Are?
343. Does Your Teacher’s Identity Affect Your Learning?
344. Has a Teacher Ever Changed Your Mind-Set?
345. Would You Want to Be a Teacher Someday?
346. What Have Been Your Experiences With Substitute Teachers?

College

347. How Prepared Are You For College? How Well Do You Think You’ll Do?
348. What Worries You Most About the College Admissions Process?
349. How Much of Your Real Self Have You Revealed on Applications?
350. What Worries Do You Have About College?
351. Do You Intend to Study Abroad While You Are in College?
352. Are You Worried About the Rising Cost of Attending College?
353. Do You Talk to Your Family About the Cost of College?
354. Do You Want Your Parents to Live Nearby When You Go to College?
355. What Specialty College Would You Create?

Work & Careers

356. What Jobs Are You Most Curious About?
357. How Much Does Having a ‘Dream Job’ Matter to You?
358. Would You Pursue a Career If You Knew You Likely Would Not Make Much Money?
359. Will You Follow in Your Parents’ Footsteps?
360. Would You Consider Moving Overseas for a Job?
361. Do Your Summer Plans Include Employment?
362. Would You Consider Serving in the U.S. Armed Forces?
363. What Volunteer Work Would You Most Like to Do?
364. Have You Had a Job Recently? What Has the Experience Been Like?

Friendship

365. Do You Have Satisfying Friendships?
366. How Alike Are You and Your Friends?
367. Do You Have Any Unlikely Friendships?
368. How Have Your Friends Helped You?
369. Do You Like Your Friends?
370. How Often Do You Text Your Friends Just to Say ‘Hi’?
371. Have You Ever Been Left Out?
372. Do You Ever Feel Lonely?
373. Have You Ever Had a Significant Friendship End?
374. Do You Have Any Close Friends?
375. How Many Close Friends Do You Need?
376. How Do You React When Your Friendships Change?
377. What Have Your Friends Taught You About Life?
378. What Have You Learned About Friendship This Year?
379. Do You Have Any Intergenerational Friendships?
380. What Makes a Great Conversation?

Dating, Love & Relationships

381. How Much of a Romantic Are You?
382. What Does Love Feel Like to You?
383. How Do You Think Technology Affects Dating?
384. Have You Ever Been Ghosted?
385. Do You Want to Get Married Someday?
386. Would You Want to Be Proposed to on a Jumbotron?
387. If You Got Married, Would You Want to Keep Your Last Name or Take Your Partner’s?

Health

388. What Are You Doing to Take Care of Your Health?
389. What Rules Do You Have for Staying Healthy?
390. Do You Have Any Bad Health Habits?
391. Do You Have More Good Habits Than Bad?
392. What Do You Think Are the Secrets to a Long Life?
393. How Well Do You Sleep at Night?
394. Do You Enjoy Taking Long Walks?
395. Do You Learn Better After Moving Around?
396. Do You Have a Healthy Diet?
397. What Is Your Relationship With the Weight-Loss Industry?
398. How Strong Is Your Sense of Smell?
399. Have You Ever Jumped Into Ice-Cold Water?
400. How Is Your Mental Health These Days?
401. Do You Ever Get the ‘Bad News Blues’?
402. How Do You Hold It Together When You’re Feeling Stressed?
403. How Does Your Body React to Stress?
404. How Do You Practice Self-Care?
405. What’s Your Favorite Mood Booster?

Sports & Games

406. What Kinds of Games and Puzzles Do You Like?
407. What Are Your Favorite Games?
408. How Would You Change Your Favorite Sport?
409. Have You Ever Learned Something From a Professional Athlete?
410. Have You Ever Felt Too Much Pressure to Win?
411. What Is Your Favorite Rivalry?
412. What Role Have Coaches Played in Your Life?
413. Have You Witnessed Bad Behavior in Youth Sports?
414. Do You Like a Comeback Story?
415. Would You Ever Want to Run a Marathon?
416. Would You Make a Good Ump?

Travel

417. What Is Your Dream Travel Destination?
418. What Is Your Most Memorable Family Vacation?
419. How Would You Spend Your Ideal Family Vacation?
420. Would You Ever Go on a Solo Vacation?
421. What Do You Think You Would Learn From Traveling to All 50 States?
422. What Are the Places in the World That You Love Most?
423. What City or Town Most Captures Your Imagination?
424. How Good Is Your Sense of Direction?
425. How Much Do You Know About the Rest of the World?

Shopping, Looks & Fashion

426. What’s Your Favorite Item of Clothing?
427. What Does Your Unique Style Say About You?
428. What Does Your Hairstyle Say About You?
429. Are You a Sneakerhead?
430. Do You Like Getting Dressed Up?
431. Could You Stop Shopping for an Entire Year?
432. Are You an Ethical Consumer?
433. What Would You Wait All Night in the Rain to Buy?
434. Do Politics Ever Influence How or Where You Shop?
435. Do You Wear Clothes for the Logo?
436. Would You Like to Be a Fashion Model?
437. How Do You Feel About Your Body?
438. How Do You Feel About Your Height?
439. How Do You Feel About Tattoos?

Meals & Food

440. What Foods Bring Up Special Memories for You?
441. What Foods Are Closely Linked to Someone You Love?
442. Who Is the Best Cook You Know?
443. How Do You Celebrate Your Culture Through Food?
444. What Do You Eat for Dinner on a Typical Weeknight?
445. What Are the Most Popular Dishes in Your House?
446. Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, a Picky Eater?
447. What Are the Best Places to Eat in Your Town?
448. What Foods Best Represent Your Hometown?
449. What Are the Essential Foods to Eat Where You Live?
450. What New Flavor Ideas Do You Have for Your Favorite Foods?
451. What Convenience Foods Make You Happy?
452. How Do You Like Your Pizza?
453. Would You Ever Consider Becoming Vegetarian?
454. Would You Eat Food Grown in a Lab?
455. Have You Ever Experienced Food Insecurity?
456. What Do You Think Your Favorite Book or Movie Character Eats For Dinner?

Holidays & Seasons

457. Do You Make New Year’s Resolutions?
458. What Healthy Habits Do You Hope to Build in the New Year?
459. How Do You Celebrate Spring?
460. What Are Your Favorite Memories of Spring?
461. What Are Your Plans This Summer?
462. What’s the Most Memorable Thing That Happened to You This Summer?
463. What Were Your ‘Mundane Joys’ of Summer?
464. What Are Your Memories of Halloween?
465. What’s Your Favorite Halloween Costume, Past or Present?
466. How Much Scare Can You Handle in Your Halloween Entertainment?
467. What Does Thanksgiving Mean to You?
468. What Has Been Your Most Memorable Thanksgiving?
469. What Will You Talk About on Thanksgiving?
470. Did You Take Part in Any Thanksgiving or Post-Holiday Traditions?

Animals & Nature

471. How Do Animals Provide Comfort in Your Life?
472. What Have You Learned From Animals?
473. What Are Your Experiences With Animal Adoption or Fostering?
474. How Do You Feel About the Spiders, Insects and Other Tiny Creatures in Your Home?
475. How Do You Get Your Nature Fix?
476. What Are the Most Memorable Things You’ve Seen or Experienced in Nature?
477. What Is the Coolest Thing You Have Seen in Nature?
478. Have You Ever Tried to Grow Something?

Environment

479. How Are You Doing Your Part for the Environment?
480. How Concerned Are You About Climate Change?
481. Do You Experience Climate Anxiety?
482. Do You Think You Make Good Climate Choices?
483. Would You Change Your Eating Habits to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?
484. Could You Live an Entire Day Without Plastic?
485. How Good Are You at Recycling?
486. How Have You Experienced Extreme Weather?

Politics

487. How Similar Are Your Political Views to Those of Your Parents?
488. How Important Is It to You to Have Similar Political Beliefs to Your Family and Friends?
489. Is Your Online World Just a ‘Filter Bubble’ of People With the Same Opinions?
490. Do You Think You Live in a Political Bubble?
491. How Do You Talk With People Who Don’t Share Your Views?
492. What Do American Values Mean to You?
493. What Does Your Country’s National Anthem Mean to You?
494. Are You Optimistic About the State of the World?
495. Have You Ever Changed Your Mind About a Hot-Button Issue?
496. How Have School Shootings Shaped Your Experience as a Student?
497. How Has the Threat of Gun Violence Affected You?
498. How Do You Feel About Active-Shooter Drills in Schools?

The Pandemic

499. What Does the End of the Pandemic Emergency Mean to You?
500. How Have the Last Two and a Half Years Made You Who You Are Today?
501. How Would You Describe Your Pandemic Experience in Six Words?
502. How Have You Commemorated Milestones During the Pandemic?
503. Do You Think You Have Experienced ‘Learning Loss’ During the Pandemic?
504. How Has the Pandemic Changed Your Relationship to Your Body?
505. What Have You Learned About Yourself During This Lockdown?
506. How Will We Remember the Coronavirus Pandemic?

If Only …

507. Would You Want to Live to 200?
508. Would You Want to Live Forever?
509. Would You Like to Be Cryogenically Preserved (Frozen!) Upon Your Death?
510. Would You Want to Live a Life Without Ever Feeling Pain?
511. Would You Like to Be Famous?
512. Would You Want to Be a Child Star?
513. Would You Like to Be a Farmer?
514. If You Had an Extra Billion Dollars, What Cause Would You Support With Your Philanthropy?
515. Do You Think You Will Ever Travel to Space?
516. What Fantasy Invention Would You Want to Exist in Reality?
517. If You Could Have Any Animal Feature, What Would It Be?
518. What Fictional House Would You Want to Stay In?
519. What Scientific Mysteries Do You Want Solved?
520. What Idea Do You Have That Is Ahead of Its Time?
521. What Era Do You Wish You Had Grown Up In?
522. Do You Like Your First Name? Would You Change It If You Could?
523. What Would You Like to Ask Your 40-Year-Old Self?
524. What Items Would You Place in a Time Capsule for Future Generations?
525. If the World Was Ending, What Would You Want to Say?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.