Birthday quiz questions: how well do you know the birthday girl or boy?

Updated October 6, 2026 · By the Oolshak team

Choose questions from the categories below — including rounds for a kids’ party and for couples — then use the tips to write tricky answer options and run the game.

Questions about childhood, family and firsts

Swap “they” for the birthday person’s name. These questions are perfect for mixed groups: parents and siblings know the answers, friends have to guess.

Childhood

1. Where were they born?
2. What was their first word?
3. What was their childhood nickname?
4. What did they want to be when they grew up?
5. What was their first pet called?
6. What was their favorite toy?
7. Which subject did they love at school?
8. Which food did they refuse to eat as a kid?
9. What was their most memorable costume?
10. Which childhood vacation do they still talk about?

Family

1. What is their middle name?
2. Where are they in the birth order?
3. How many cousins do they have?
4. Which relative are they most like?
5. What do their grandparents call them?
6. Who taught them to ride a bike?
7. Which family dish do they always ask for?
8. Which family tradition do they love most?

Firsts

1. What was their first job?
2. What was the first thing they bought with their own money?
3. Who was their first best friend?
4. What was the first concert or show they went to?
5. What was the first movie they saw in a theater?
6. Where did they fly on their first plane trip?
7. How old were they when they learned to swim?
8. What was the first dish they learned to cook?
9. What was their first car?
10. Where did they live when they first left home?

Questions about favorites, habits and quirks

These reward the people who spend the most time with them — partners, roommates and best friends. Double-check favorites with someone close, because favorites change.

Favorites

1. What is their go-to takeout order?
2. What is their favorite cake flavor?
3. Which song can they sing every word of?
4. What is their comfort movie?
5. What is their favorite board or card game?
6. Which sport do they love to watch or play?
7. What is their favorite season?
8. What is their favorite smell?
9. What is their favorite flower?
10. What color do they wear most?
11. Where is their dream vacation?
12. What is their favorite way to spend a Sunday?

Habits and quirks

The funniest rounds come from everyday habits. Keep them affectionate: the answers will be read out loud.

1. How do they take their coffee or tea?
2. What do they never leave home without?
3. Which emoji do they use the most?
4. What is their phone wallpaper?
5. Are they always early, on time or late?
6. How many times do they hit snooze?
7. How long do they take to get ready?
8. What is their catchphrase?
9. What is their biggest pet peeve?
10. What is their least favorite chore?
11. What is their signature dance move?
12. What do they do when they can’t sleep?

Quiz questions for a kids’ party

Children love a “Who knows Mia best?” game. Read each question aloud with three simple choices, let the birthday child shout out the real answer, and make sure every player wins something.

1. How old is the birthday child today?
2. What is their favorite color?
3. What is their favorite animal?
4. What is their favorite food?
5. What is their favorite ice cream flavor?
6. What do they like for breakfast?
7. What kind of pet do they have — or wish for?
8. Which superpower would they choose?
9. What do they love to draw?
10. Which playground game do they love?
11. What is their favorite book?
12. Which song makes them dance?

Quiz questions for couples

For a partner’s birthday, let guests guess — or play “who knows who best”: the birthday person and their partner answer on separate cards, then compare. Keep it sweet enough to read in front of grandparents.

1. Where did they meet their partner?
2. What did they do on their first date?
3. Who said “I love you” first?
4. When is their anniversary?
5. What is their song as a couple?
6. Where did they go on their first trip together?
7. What was the first gift they gave their partner?
8. What is their idea of a perfect date night?
9. Who is the better cook?
10. Who falls asleep first during a movie?
11. Who is more likely to get lost?
12. What nickname do they call their partner?

How to write good multiple-choice answers

The answer options make or break a quiz. If the right answer is obvious, nobody has to think; if every option is a joke, nobody learns anything.

• One right answer, two believable wrong ones. Each wrong answer should be something they could plausibly have said or done.
• Keep the options alike: all cities, all foods or all numbers, and about the same length.
• Move the right answer around. Spread it across A, B and C so nobody spots a pattern.
• Use near-misses. Their second-favorite food or the town next door fools even close friends.
• One joke option per quiz is plenty. More than that makes it too easy.
• Check every answer with the birthday person, a parent or a partner, and skip answers that change from week to week.
• Keep it kind. Leave out anything private or embarrassing.

How to run the quiz: scoring and party tips

1. Hand out the quiz as guests arrive. A printed sheet and a pen per guest or team lets people play while they mingle; collect them before cake.
2. Play in teams for big groups. Mix family and friends so every team has someone who knows the old stories.
3. Score one point per correct answer. Give a bonus point to anyone who knows the story behind an answer.
4. Settle ties with a number. “How many countries have they visited?” — the closest guess wins.
5. Let the birthday person reveal the answers. The stories behind them are the best part of the game.
6. Give small prizes. The first slice of cake, picking the next song or a party favor. At kids’ parties, everyone gets something.

Three ways to play

• Paper quiz: everyone answers on their own sheet; read the answers aloud and crown the winner.
• Who knows them best? The birthday person secretly answers too, and guests score a point for every match.
• Family vs. friends: two teams race to shout the answer first, and the birthday person is the judge.

How the quiz page in a birthday magazine works

Every eight-page Oolshak birthday magazine has a quiz page. It is called “How well do you know [name]?” in the general template (age and recipient templates have their own titles), and you can rename it. It holds five questions, each with three answers labeled A, B and C. You tick the right answer while you edit, and the answer key prints itself in a strip along the bottom of the page.

• Questions fit up to 80 characters and answers up to 30 characters each — about four or five words.
• The page tells readers to circle their answers, then check the key at the bottom.
• The Ideas button next to each question suggests quiz questions, and age and recipient templates such as 50th birthday or for a best friend add their own.
• There is room for a photo of the birthday star at the top of the page.
• The four-page short issue does not include a quiz, so choose eight pages if you want one.

Example: a five-question quiz page

1. What is Jordan’s favorite pizza topping? (A) Mushrooms (B) Pineapple (C) Pepperoni
2. Which instrument did Jordan learn as a kid? (A) Piano (B) Drums (C) Violin
3. What did Jordan name their first car? (A) Blue Thunder (B) Betty (C) The Beast
4. What does Jordan always order at the movies? (A) Popcorn (B) Nachos (C) Candy
5. How many pairs of sneakers does Jordan own? (A) 4 (B) 9 (C) 15

Answers: 1 B · 2 A · 3 C · 4 A · 5 B. The right answer moves around, and every wrong option is believable.

Keep exploring

• Birthday interview questions
• Reasons why I love you
• What to write in a birthday letter
• Birthday magazine ideas
• Birthday magazines