Circle Questions

There are SOOOO many kinds of questions that can be great for a circle, it all depends on your goals and your group. Is it a quick check-in circle or a longer sharing circle? Do you have 5 people or 25? Are circles new to them or has this group been doing circles together for months? Are they 5th graders or 11th graders? Do you have a specific topic or issue that needs addressing? (If the purpose is to address a specific conflict, please contact Molly or Jill.) .

A great way to get students involved and invested in the circle process is to invite them to submit questions. Maybe have a box where they can drop questions any time. You'll want to give these a quick review to remove anything really inappropriate, but remember, silly can be great for building community. After some experience you can invite students to take a turn as Circle Keeper as well!

Check In

  • On a scale of 1 - 10 with one being your worst day (week) ever and 10 being your best day (week) ever, what number would you pick and why?
  • Share the highs and lows from your day.
  • If you could make a weather report that describes your day, what would it be?
  • Share your rose (best part of your day), thorn (worst part of your day) and bud (what you are excited about for tomorrow).
  • Choose a color that best describes how your day has gone. Explain why.
  • If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?
  • If you woke up tomorrow as an animal, what animal would you choose to be and why?
  • If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Tell the group about your choice.
  • What favorite color are you and how does being that color make you feel?
  • If you could choose an imaginary friend, who/what would you choose and why?
  • If you could sit on a bench in a beautiful woods, who would you like sitting next to you on the bench and why?
  • Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or night? Please share why you picked your time of day?
  • If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?
  • If you could be in the movie of your choice, what movie would you choose and what character would you play?
  • If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
  • If you were a city, which city would you choose to be and why?
  • What are your ten favorite foods?
  • If you were a candy bar, which candy bar would you be? Share why.
  • If you were to change your name, what name would you adopt going forward? Why?
  • Are you spring, summer, fall, or winter? Please share why.
  • If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you want to have with you?
  • Share a description of your favorite material object that you already own?
  • What item that you don't have already, would you most like to own?
  • If you could only choose one vacation destination where would you pick and why?
  • If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would the slogan be? (Examples: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, we all die." "Bite off more than you can chew." " There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.")
  • Pick something out of your pocket or purse and share with the group why it's important to you.
  • If you awoke one day as a flower, what flower would you choose to be?

Getting Acquainted

  • Share a happy childhood memory
  • Share a funny story from your life.
  • If you could be a superhero, what superpowers would you choose and why?
  • How would your best friend describe you?
  • What would you not want to change about your life?
  • If you could talk to someone from your family who is no longer alive, who would it be and why?
  • If you had an unexpected free day, what would you like to do?
  • If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?
  • Name two things or people who always make you laugh.
  • I like to collect...
  • Name one male and one female who is a good role model for young people.
  • When was the last time you said "yes" and would have liked to say "no?" Why did you say "yes?"
  • If you could have a face to face conversation with someone here or passed who would it be and why?
  • Describe your ideal job.
  • Describe your favorite vacation.
  • If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
  • What is one skill or talent you have?
  • What are three "gifts" (attributes of yourself) that you bring to the circle?
  • If you were a reporter, what kind of stories would you like to write about?
  • Who are some of your heroes? Why are they your heroes?
  • What do you think other people see as your best quality? Why?
  • What is the silliest thing that ever happened to you?
  • What is the best thing that happened to you this past week? What was the most difficult or challenging thing that happened to you this week?

Storytelling from our lives

  • A time when you had to let go of control.
  • A time when you were outside your comfort zone.
  • An experience in your life when you "made lemonade out of lemons."
  • A difficult experience out of which you discovered a gift in your life.
  • An experience of causing harm to someone and then dealing with it in a way you felt good about.
  • An experience of letting go of anger or resentment.
  • A time when you acted on your core values even though others were not.
  • An experience where you discovered that someone was very different from the negative assumptions you first made about that person.
  • An experience of feeling that you did not fit in.
  • A time in your life when you experienced justice.
  • A time in your life when you experienced injustice.
  • An embarrassing moment that you can laugh at now.
  • Something that scares or scared you. How do/did you deal with it?
  • Something that mades/made you angry. How do/did you deal with it?
  • A time that was one of your most difficult challenges. How did you deal with it?

Taking Responsibility

  • How have we each contributed to this situation, and how can each of us, by taking responsibility, act differently now?
  • What is unspoken in the group that blocks good relationships or possible success?
  • Name one thing about yourself you would like to grow or improve in?
  • What do you think other people see as a quality that you need to work on?
  • What is the most important lesson in life you have ever learned? What made it so important?

Community

  • What change would you like to see in your community? What can you do to promote that change?
  • What is something you value about your community (culture, school, youth group, etc.)? Why?
  • You favorite place to go in your community and why?
  • The neighborhood that you grew up in. What are some of your earliest memories? What are some of your more recent memories?
  • Something that you like and something that you do not like about your neighborhood. Why?
  • What is one thing about your family (community, school, team, etc.) that you would change if you could?
  • If you could change or overhaul two things in our culture or society, what would they be?

Exploring Relationships

  • What is the most important quality to you in a relationship with someone else? How and why is it important to you?
  • Talk about a relationship between people you know that you admire. Why?
  • Who is someone in your life that you look up to?
  • Who is someone in your life that you have learned from? What did you learn from them?
  • Who is someone in your life that has helped you to grow? How have you grown? How did they help you to do so?
  • Who was a teacher who influenced you in positive ways? How?
  • How are you different from your father if you are male, or from your mother if you are female?
  • Tell us about a time when you felt like you really belonged.
  • Tell us about a time when you felt left out.
  • In what social setting or situation have you felt the least powerful? What was it that caused you to feel that way?
  • What person or persons in your life are your greatest challenge?
  • What do you remember that your father (mother) or father (mother) figure often said to you?
  • What have you learned about sex, relationships and responsibility?
  • Complete this sentence: Let me introduce you to my father; he's the kind of man who ... (do the same with mother).
  • What person or people know you the best, and how well do you feel they really know you?
  • What do others want from you?
  • What do you want from others?
  • What is a quality that you've seen in the opposite sex that you'd like to have or have more of in yourself?
  • What do you most appreciate about someone who is important to you in your life?

Hopes and Dreams

  • If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
  • Close your eyes and imagine your self ten years from now - where are you? What are you doing? Who/What is one person or thing that stands out to you? Describe them. (you can also do this for your family, community, school, neighborhood.)
  • What is it that you do that gives you the most pleasure?
  • What is it that you do that gives you the most satisfaction?
  • What is one skill or talent you wish you had?
  • If you could do anything that you wished in the world, what would that one thing be?
  • What did you dream about when you were a young child?
  • What do you dream about now?
  • What are three things you would do if you could change the world?
  • What is a goal you have for yourself? How will you celebrate yourself when you accomplish it?
  • What is one obstacle that gets in the way of your reaching your goals? What is your plan to overcome this obstacle?
  • If you were totally free, what would that mean? What would it look like?
  • What brings you the most joy?
  • What are you honestly looking for in your life right now?
  • What are you really trying to learn at this point in your life?

Celebrating Each Other and Ourselves

  • Who do you appreciate in this circle and why?
  • What do you want to celebrate about the person sitting to your right?
  • What is one experience you have had this year for which you are grateful?
  • What is one gift you have brought to our group this year?

Toward The End of a Circle

  • Is there anything you came with that you would like to learve behind?
  • What are you taking from this circle that supports your healing?
  • Where do you see yourself moving forward?
  • What have you learned?
  • What can you take away that is useful to you?
  • How will these insights help you in the next two weeks?
  • If you were to give a name to this circle (group) what would you name it?

Exploring Values

  • When you are being human, at your best, what are you? (in a word or short phrase)
  • Imagine you are in conflict with a person who is important in your life. What values do you want to guide your conduct as you try to work out that conflict?
  • What value would you like to offer for our space together?
  • What is your passion?
  • What do you keep returning to in your life?
  • What touches your heart?
  • What gives you hope?
  • What demonstrates respect?
  • What is something you value about your family? Why?
  • What is something you value about yourself? Why?
  • What is something that you are thankful for? Why?
  • Talk about something that you want and something that you need. what is the difference?
  • What have you learned about power? What does it mean to you?
  • What have you learned about work? What does it mean to you?
  • What have you learned about money? What does it mean to you?
  • In your experience, what supports healing?
  • What sustains you during difficult times?

Just for Fun

  • Would you rather live in the ocean or on the moon?
  • Would you rather meet your travel back in time to meet your ancestors or to the future to meet your descendants?
  • Would you rather lose all of your money or all of your pictures?
  • Would you rather have invisibility or flight?
  • Would you rather live where it only snows or the temperature never falls below 100 degrees?
  • Would you rather always be slightly late or super early?
  • Would you rather give up your smartphone or your computer?
  • Would you rather live without heat and AC or live without social media?
  • Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room?
  • Would you rather be able to run at 100 miles per hour or fly at 10 miles per hour?
  • The zombie apocalypse is coming, who are 3 people you want on your team?
  • What is your most used emoji?
  • Who was your childhood actor/actress crush?
  • If you were a wrestler what would be your entrance theme song?
  • Have you ever been told you look like someone famous, who was it?
  • You have your own late night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest?
  • If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
  • You have to sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
  • What was your least favorite food as a child? Do you still hate it or do you love it now?
  • If you had to eat one meal everyday for the rest of your life what would it be?
  • If you were left on a deserted island with either your worst enemy or no one, which would you choose? Why?
  • If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and offered to take you home with them, would you go? Why?
  • What’s your favorite sandwich and why?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • When you die, what do you want to be remembered for?
  • What is your favorite item you’ve bought this year?
  • What would be the most surprising scientific discovery imaginable?
  • What is your absolute dream job?
  • What would your talent be if you were Miss or Mister World?
  • What would the title of your autobiography be?
  • Say you’re independently wealthy and don’t have to work, what would you do with your time?
  • If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?
  • What is your favorite magical or mythological animal?
  • What does your favorite shirt look like?
  • Who is your favorite Disney hero or heroine? Would you trade places with them?
  • What would your dream house be like?
  • If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore who would it be; why?
  • You’re going sail around the world, what’s the name of your boat?
  • What fictional family would you be a member of?
  • What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
  • Who is the better businessman or business woman and why? (Example: Justin Timberlake or Justin Bieber?)
  • What was the worst job you ever had?
  • You can have anyone fictional as your imaginary friend, who do you choose and why?
  • What would your superpower be and why?
  • Which band / artist – dead or alive would play at your funeral?
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • What’s your favorite tradition or holiday?
  • What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
  • What is your favorite breakfast food?
  • What is your favorite time of the day and why?
  • Coffee or tea?
  • Teleportation or flying?
  • What is your favorite TV show?
  • What book, movie read/seen recently you would recommend and why?
  • What breed of dog would you be?
  • If you had a time machine, would go back in time or into the future?
  • Do you think you could live without your smartphone (or other technology item) for 24 hours?
  • What is your favorite dessert?
  • What was your favorite game to play as a child?
  • Are you a traveler or a homebody?
  • What’s one career you wish you could have?
  • What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
  • What’s your favorite place of all the places you’ve travelled?
  • Have you ever met your idol or someone you revere greatly?
  • Have you ever completed anything on your “bucket list”?
  • Do you have a favorite plant?
  • What did you have for breakfast this morning?
  • What’s is one thing we don’t know about you?
  • Are you a cat person or a dog person?
  • What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
  • What’s the most out-of-character thing you’ve ever done?
  • What is your cellphone wallpaper?
  • You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it? Sushi? Scotch Tape?
  • What’s your best scar story?
  • Would you go with aliens if they beamed down to Earth?
  • Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or nighttime? Why?
  • What season would you be?
  • Are you a good dancer?
  • What fruit or vegetable would you most want to be?
  • If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?
  • If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?
  • If you could commit any crime and get away with it what would you choose and why?
  • If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be and why?
  • If you could see one movie again for the first time, what would it be and why?
  • If you could bring back any fashion trend what would it be?
  • If you could live in any country, where would you live?
  • If you could choose any two famous people to have dinner with who would they be?
  • If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you choose to be?
  • If you could do anything in the world as your career, what would you do?
  • If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be and why?
  • If you could change places with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
  • If you could rename yourself, what name would you pick?
  • If you could have someone follow you around all the time, like a personal assistant, what would you have them do?
  • If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
  • If you could be guaranteed one thing in life (besides money), what would it be?
  • If you had to teach a class on one thing, what would you teach?
  • If you could magically become fluent in any language, what would it be?
  • If you could be immortal, what age would you choose to stop aging at and why?
  • If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose and why?
  • If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be and why?
  • If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why?
  • If you could go to Mars, would you? Why or why not?
  • If you could have the power of teleportation right now, where would you go and why?