A would-you-rather is the easiest invitation in the world to a five-year-old. There are only two answers. Both are right, both are wrong, and the picking is the whole game.

“Would you rather have a pet dragon, or a pet unicorn?” That is enough. A kindergartner doesn’t need a setup. The brain at five and six is built for picking, defending, and changing its mind ten seconds later. The conversation just happens.

The 100 questions below are written for ages 5 and 6, organized into ten kindergarten-friendly categories. Read them on the car ride home from school. Read them at the dinner table when the day has gone quiet. Read them at bedtime when the day is winding down but the brain is not.

How to Play

Three small rules make a would-you-rather land with a kindergartner.

Sell both choices the same. Read A and B with the same energy. Kindergartners can tell when one option is being mocked and they will pick the other one to be contrary.

Go second, not first. Ask, listen, then share your answer after they pick. If you answer first, your choice becomes the right answer in their head and they will copy it.

Ask the why. The picking is fast. The why is where the five-year-old brain is doing its real work. “Why a dragon?” gets you the real answer.

1. Animals

Kindergartners are animal experts already. They have favorites, opinions, and theories. Animals are the easiest place to start.

1. Would you rather have a pet elephant, or a pet giraffe?

2. Would you rather be friends with a tiger, or a panda?

3. Would you rather see a fish that could fly, or a bird that could swim underwater?

4. Would you rather have a parrot that talked like you, or a parrot that talked like your teacher?

5. Would you rather pet a baby lion, or a baby polar bear?

6. Would you rather have a dog that purred, or a cat that fetched a ball?

7. Would you rather ride a horse to school, or a camel to school?

8. Would you rather see a real dinosaur from far away, or pet a tiny dinosaur up close?

9. Would you rather have a goldfish that sang, or a turtle that drew pictures?

10. Would you rather meet a baby penguin, or a baby kangaroo?

2. Food and Snacks

Food is where the strongest five-year-old opinions live. They will fight for chocolate. They will defend pasta. Lean on the fact that food matters at this age.

11. Would you rather have pancakes for breakfast every day, or pizza for dinner every day?

12. Would you rather drink chocolate milk, or strawberry milk?

13. Would you rather have a sandwich shaped like a star, or one shaped like a heart?

14. Would you rather have dessert before dinner, or breakfast for dinner?

15. Would you rather taste a brand-new fruit, or a brand-new soup?

16. Would you rather have a popsicle that never melted, or a cookie that never crumbled?

17. Would you rather have a giant gummy bear, or a giant chocolate chip?

18. Would you rather have a giant pancake the size of a pizza, or a tiny pizza the size of a cracker?

19. Would you rather have a snack that fizzed, or one that popped?

20. Would you rather drink lemonade out of a coconut, or eat watermelon out of a bowl?

3. Superpowers

Kindergartners already think about superpowers. Most of them have an opinion about flying. These questions give them a choice to lock in.

21. Would you rather be able to fly, or be able to run super fast?

22. Would you rather turn invisible, or read someone's thoughts?

23. Would you rather be able to talk to animals, or be able to talk to plants?

24. Would you rather have super strong arms, or super stretchy legs?

25. Would you rather make things float in the air, or make things shrink to the size of an ant?

26. Would you rather have super good hearing, or super good eyes that saw very far?

27. Would you rather be able to breathe underwater, or be able to climb walls like a spider?

28. Would you rather have a magic wand that made one thing change color, or one that made one thing grow tall?

29. Would you rather sneeze and make flowers bloom, or laugh and make bubbles pop out of the air?

30. Would you rather have feet that bounced like springs, or hands that stuck like glue?

4. School and Friends

The kindergarten classroom is your kid's biggest world outside the house. These questions live inside it.

31. Would you rather sit at the front of the class, or sit by the window?

32. Would you rather have art class every single day, or recess every single hour?

33. Would you rather bring your favorite stuffed animal to school, or bring your pet to school?

34. Would you rather make a new friend who lived next door, or a new friend who lived in another country?

35. Would you rather have a teacher who told jokes, or a teacher who read stories?

36. Would you rather have lunch outside in the grass, or in a treehouse?

37. Would you rather have a snack break twice a day, or recess that lasted a whole hour?

38. Would you rather wear pajamas to school for one day, or a costume to school for one day?

39. Would you rather draw pictures all morning, or build with blocks all morning?

40. Would you rather have a really long story time, or a really long song time?

5. Toys and Games

Toys are the language a kindergartner speaks every day. These questions sit right inside that world.

41. Would you rather have a toy that talked back, or a toy that walked beside you?

42. Would you rather have the biggest box of LEGOs, or the biggest box of crayons?

43. Would you rather have a tea party with stuffed animals, or a race with toy cars?

44. Would you rather play hide and seek inside, or tag outside?

45. Would you rather have a swing in your bedroom, or a slide in your kitchen?

46. Would you rather have a doll come to life for one hour, or a stuffed animal come to life for one hour?

47. Would you rather have a magic coloring book where the pictures moved, or a magic puzzle that put itself together?

48. Would you rather have a bouncy ball as big as you, or a yo-yo as small as a pea?

49. Would you rather have a kite shaped like a butterfly, or a kite shaped like a dragon?

50. Would you rather build a fort out of pillows, or a tent out of blankets?

6. Magic and Pretend

Pretend is how kindergartners think out loud. Give them a magic premise and they will run with it.

51. Would you rather have a magic carpet, or magic shoes that took you anywhere?

52. Would you rather find a tiny door in your closet, or a tiny tunnel in your backyard?

53. Would you rather meet a friendly wizard, or a friendly mermaid?

54. Would you rather have a wand that made it rain candy, or one that grew flowers right out of the ground?

55. Would you rather have a fairy as a best friend, or a tiny dragon as a best friend?

56. Would you rather live in a castle made of clouds, or a castle made of bubbles?

57. Would you rather have a magic backpack that gave you whatever you needed, or a magic pencil that drew anything that came true?

58. Would you rather visit a kingdom of giant cookies, or a kingdom of giant marshmallows?

59. Would you rather have a magic spell that made everyone giggle, or a spell that made everyone sing?

60. Would you rather find a treasure chest full of stickers, or one full of glitter?

7. Outside and Adventures

Outside is the kindergartner's favorite place. These questions take the outside and add a small twist.

61. Would you rather go on an adventure in the jungle, or on a snowy mountain?

62. Would you rather find a beach with pink sand, or a beach with blue trees?

63. Would you rather play in the rain when it was warm, or play in the snow when it was not cold?

64. Would you rather climb a really tall tree, or jump in a really big puddle?

65. Would you rather have a backyard with a pond, or a backyard with a sandbox?

66. Would you rather see a rainbow that ended at your front door, or see stars in the middle of the day?

67. Would you rather catch a butterfly with a net, or chase fireflies with a jar?

68. Would you rather have a picnic by a river, or a picnic on top of a hill?

69. Would you rather walk barefoot in the grass, or barefoot in the sand?

70. Would you rather build a giant snowman, or build a giant sandcastle?

8. Funny Bodies

A five-year-old loves the cartoon version of bodies. Big feet. Tiny hands. Hair made of nothing normal. The picture is the joke.

71. Would you rather have hair as long as your toes, or hair as short as a button?

72. Would you rather have one big tooth in front, or twenty tiny teeth in a row?

73. Would you rather have ears that wiggled when you ate, or eyebrows that bounced when you laughed?

74. Would you rather have feet shaped like duck feet, or hands shaped like little stars?

75. Would you rather sneeze tiny bubbles, or yawn tiny clouds?

76. Would you rather have skin that glowed in the dark, or hair that changed color in the sun?

77. Would you rather have ears that flapped like little wings, or a really small nose?

78. Would you rather have a smile that lit up like a flashlight, or eyes that twinkled when you were happy?

79. Would you rather have hair that changed color every day, or hair that grew an inch every time you laughed?

80. Would you rather have toes that played music, or fingers that drew on their own?

9. Pets and Tiny Creatures

Pets are the small daily companions kindergartners want most. Tiny made-up creatures count too.

81. Would you rather have a tiny pet dragon, or a tiny pet unicorn?

82. Would you rather have a hamster the size of a basketball, or a guinea pig the size of a marble?

83. Would you rather have a rabbit that hopped beside you everywhere, or a cat that purred you to sleep every night?

84. Would you rather meet a fairy in your garden, or an elf in your closet?

85. Would you rather have a butterfly that landed on your shoulder, or a hummingbird that hovered near your ear?

86. Would you rather have a tiny pet whale in a bowl, or a tiny pet shark in a jar?

87. Would you rather have a dog that wagged its tail to music, or a cat that meowed in different colors?

88. Would you rather have a pet penguin that walked around the house, or a pet owl that watched from the bookshelf?

89. Would you rather have a kitten that fit in your pocket, or a puppy that fit in your hood?

90. Would you rather find a friendly ladybug in your shoe, or a friendly mouse in your dresser?

10. Bedtime and Dreams

Bedtime is when the imagination opens up for one more story, one more question. Kindergartners will trade an extra minute of awake time for a really good would-you-rather.

91. Would you rather sleep in a treehouse, or in a tent in your living room?

92. Would you rather have a dream about flying, or a dream about being a tiny mouse?

93. Would you rather have a ceiling that glowed in the dark with stars, or one that glowed with planets?

94. Would you rather have a teddy bear that hummed lullabies, or a blanket that warmed itself up?

95. Would you rather sleep in a bed that gently rocked, or a bed shaped like a giant cloud?

96. Would you rather have a pillow that smelled like fresh cookies, or a pillow that smelled like fresh flowers?

97. Would you rather wear pajamas with rocket ships, or pajamas with rainbows?

98. Would you rather hear a bedtime story about a kid your age, or a bedtime story about a tiny adventurer?

99. Would you rather fall asleep to ocean waves, or to rain on a roof?

100. Would you rather have a dream you got to pick before you closed your eyes, or a dream that surprised you every single time?

The Easiest Opening

A would-you-rather is the easiest way to open a kindergartner's day. Two choices, the picking is the conversation. You do not need all 100. One good question on the car ride home, one before bedtime, one over a snack. Small moments, repeated.

A would-you-rather is also the easiest gateway to the real answer. A kid who picks the magic carpet over the magic shoes is the same kid who, ten minutes later, tells you what was hard about recess. The format takes the pressure off. They are picking between A and B, not being asked a question by a parent. The conversation comes along on its own.

Would-you-rather is the warm-up. When you want to take the conversation past the binary choice, Tell Me Cards is a deck of 107 open-ended conversation prompts for kids ages 5 to 9, built with a child psychologist. The would-you-rather opens the door. The deck takes you through it.

For 200 more would-you-rather questions across the full 5 to 9 range, see 200 Would You Rather Questions for Kids. For everyday conversation starters built for this same age, see 100 Questions to Ask Kindergartners. For the funnier (slightly older-skewing) version, see 100 Funny Would You Rather Questions for Kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age are these would-you-rather questions for?

These questions are written for kindergartners, which is ages 5 and 6. The language, the choices, and the categories are all built for what a five- or six-year-old finds funny and interesting. Older kids will still enjoy them. For a list that spans the full elementary range, see 200 Would You Rather Questions for Kids.

Are would-you-rather questions good for kindergartners?

Yes. A would-you-rather is one of the most natural conversation formats for a five-year-old brain. Open-ended questions can feel like a quiz at this age. A binary choice is a game. The picking is fun, the defending is fun, and the why behind the choice is where the real conversation happens.

When is the best time to ask would-you-rather questions?

Anywhere there is a small pocket of time and not much else going on. Car rides home from school. The five minutes before dinner is on the table. Bath time. The slow part of bedtime after the lights go off. A would-you-rather works best when nobody is rushing.

How do I get my kindergartner to answer something other than "I don't know"?

Pick first yourself sometimes. Show what a real answer looks like. Then ask them again. Also avoid stacking up four questions in a row. One question, with real listening, lands better than five questions in a quiz.

What if my kindergartner picks both options or makes up a third one?

That is the right answer. Five- and six-year-olds break the rules of the game all the time, and the rule-breaking is where their best thinking lives. Follow them into whatever third option they have invented. Ask why that one is better.