The Funny Faces Game: A Grandkid Conversation Starter That Works Every Time

You’re standing in front of a painting at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich. Or you’re at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, watching a camel stare at nothing. Or you’re just waiting for your food to arrive at lunch.

Point at something — a portrait, an animal, a person across the room — and ask:

“What kind of face do you think that person would make if they found a spider in their shoe?”

That’s the whole game.

Why It Works

Kids are natural observers. They’re watching people constantly — they just don’t always have a reason to say what they’re seeing out loud. The Funny Faces Game gives them a reason.

It works at any age. A 4-year-old will scrunch up their whole face and act it out. A 10-year-old will build an entire story around it. A 13-year-old who pretends they’re too cool for everything will quietly play along because they can’t help themselves.

And it works anywhere. That’s the other thing. You don’t need a plan or supplies or a rainy day. You just need something to look at.

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How to Play

Step 1: Find a subject. A painting, a statue, an animal, a stranger (from a respectful distance), a photo in a magazine, a character on a menu. Anything with a face, or anything that would have a face if it were a person.

Step 2: Ask the question. You can use any of these:

• “What kind of face would they make if they bit into a lemon?”
• “What face would they make if they found out they won a million dollars?”
• “What would their face look like if someone snuck up behind them and yelled BOO?”
• “What face do they make when they think no one’s watching?”
• “What face would they make if they had to eat something they hated?”

Step 3: Let them answer — and then make the face yourself. This is important. Don’t just nod. Do the face. Badly. On purpose. Let them correct you.

Step 4: Ask them the same question about themselves. “What face do YOU make when you bite into a lemon?” Then compare. Then ask a follow-up.

That’s it.

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The Conversation That Happens Next

Here’s what’s actually interesting: the funny faces game almost always turns into something more than faces.

Ask “what face would they make if they found out something really sad?” and you’ll get a face — but you might also get a story about a time your grandkid felt really sad. Ask “what face would they make if they were bored?” and you might find out what bores them.

The game sneaks up on real conversation. That’s what it’s for.

Some follow-up questions worth trying once you’ve warmed up:

• “What’s the face you make that you think no one sees?”
• “If I had to describe your laugh to someone who’d never met you, how would I describe it?”
• “Is there a face you make that always gets you in trouble?”
• “What do you think my face looks like when I’m really proud of something?”

That last one will stop them for a second. In a good way.

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Best Places to Play in Fairfield County and Westchester

The game works anywhere, but a few spots make it especially good:

Bruce Museum — Greenwich, CT. Portrait galleries are perfect for this. Historical figures looking serious provide excellent raw material for “what face would they make if…” questions.

Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum — Ridgefield, CT. Abstract and contemporary art gives kids room to invent. “If this painting had a face, what would it look like?” is its own whole category of the game.

Beardsley Zoo — Bridgeport, CT. Animals are the best subjects. Camels, meerkats, and otters all make extremely opinionated faces. Ask a kid to interpret one and just listen.

Maritime Aquarium — Norwalk, CT. Sharks and harbor seals from two feet away. The shark one is easy: “What face is that shark making right now?” The answers are always better than you’d expect.

Westchester Children’s Museum — Port Chester, NY. Designed for hands-on play, which means kids are already animated and expressive. Play the game while they’re in between exhibits.

Muscoot Farm — Somers, NY. Farm animals, goats especially, make faces that look like they have extremely strong opinions about everything. Great source material.

Find hours, parking, and admission info for all of these at grandkidsguide.com.

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One More Version: The Photo Game

If you’re at home or in the car, the same game works with photos. Flip through an old family photo album together. Point to a picture of yourself at 25 and ask:

“What face do you think I was making right before this was taken?”

Then flip it: “What face do you think you’ll make when you’re my age, looking at a picture of yourself right now?”

That one will make you both laugh. And then maybe get quiet for a second. And that’s a good thing.

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Browse more activity ideas and find grandparent-friendly venues near you at grandkidsguide.com.