Have you ever played “Would you rather?”

Would you rather? Questions for kids ages 3-8 from

Have you ever played “Would you rather?”

I love that game. Back in our single days, my sister and I took a few cross country road trips, and we played Would You Rather to pass the time.

• Would you rather drive a beautiful, sleek sports car that was unreliable OR an ugly, dented, rust-covered beater that never broke down?
• Would you rather never eat your favorite five foods again or ONLY eat your favorite five foods for the rest of your life?
• Would you rather communicate only with an Etch-a-Sketch or a Lite Brite?

Seriously, these are so fun.

Those sister road trips are a thing of the past, but this summer I’m taking a road trip to Canada to see my sister and her family.

With five kids ages 7, 5, 4, 2, and 4 months.

Not quite the same.

To help us break things up and have fun on that 16 -hour road trip (without a DVD player), I created this set of Would You Rather cards for kids.

I made a set of 48 cards just like these.  Then I printed them on cardstock, cut them apart, and punched a hole in the upper left corner.  I put them together with a metal ring.

How could you use these would you rather question cards?

• on long car trips
• at the dinner table
• for transition times in the classroom

Can you think of some other ways?

I love “would you rather” questions because they really make kids stop and think. The only rule we have about answering these is that you have to choose one.  That can be tough for young kids who think both choices are bad.  When I tried this when my kids were younger, they would only say “Neither.” So be patient if that happens at your house. 

This set is designed with young children in mind.

The choices aren’t extreme or scary. As much as “Would you rather have just one arm or just one leg?” would make you think, that type of question can be frightening to preschool-aged kids.  So enjoy this simple but fun set of conversation cards.

1. Would you rather be in a pool of marshmallows or a pool of M & M’s?
2. Would you rather eat only carrots or only apples for one whole day?
3. Would you rather have bright blue hair or bright blue feet?
4. Would you rather live in a place that was always very hot or a place that was always very cold?
5. Would you rather wear your shoes on the wrong feet or wear your pants backward?
6. Would you rather have a bucket stuck on your hand or your foot?
7. Would you rather eat a cookie or a donut?
8. Would you rather be a teacher or a doctor?
9. Would you rather be a police officer or a fire fighter?
10. Would you rather have a toy robot or a toy space ship?
11. Would you rather get out of bed very early or stay up very late?
12. Would you rather take a long walk or a long bike ride?
13. Would you rather camp in a tent or in a camper?
14. Would you rather all your clothes were white or all your clothes were black?
15. Would you rather exercise by running or by going up and down the stairs?
16. Would you rather have pizza or hut dogs?
17. Would you rather go to school in a bus or on the back of a dinosaur?
18. Would you rather play baseball or basketball?
19. Would you rather paint with a brush or with your hands?
20. Would you rather have candy or nuts on your ice cream?
21. Would you rather go to a children’s museum or a water park?
22. Would you rather keep an otter or octopus in your bath tub?
23. Would you rather be a teacher or a cashier?
24. Would you rather be a plumber or a roofer?
25. Would you rather ride on the back of a giraffe or an elephant?
26. Would you rather eat a whole cake or a box of ice cream?
27. Would you rather go sledding on a cold day or go swimming on a hot day?
28. Would you rather be able to fly or be super strong?
29. Would you rather clear the table or clean up your toys?
30. Would you rather eat a chocolate kiss or a lollipop?
31. Would you rather be a deep sea diver or an astronaut?
32. Would you rather be only able to whisper or only able to shout?
33. Would you rather have hair that goes past your feet or be bald?
34. Would you rather be a pediatrician or a veterinarian?
35. Would you rather have to mix up all your food before you eat it or eat everything (even your drink) with a spoon?
36. Would you rather spend the night in an igloo or a teepee?
37. Would you rather sleep on the floor or on a stack of twenty mattresses?
38. Would you rather always walk backward or always walk on your hands?
39. Would you rather go to the doctor or the dentist?
40. Would you rather have a pet lizard or a pet snake?
41. Would you rather go on a long train ride or a long airplane flight?
42. Would you rather be outside all day or stay in the house all day?
43. Would you rather go to the zoo or to a giant aquarium?
44. Would you rather play the trumpet or the drums?
45. Would you rather ride in a convertible or on the back of a motorcycle?
46. Would you rather have a pet goat or a pet chicken?
47. Would you rather eat cooked broccoli or cooked spinach?
48. Would you rather have a pet dog or a pet cat?