How to Record Your Grandparent's Story
How to record your
grandparent's life story
Your grandparents have lived through things you'll never experience — wars, rationing, the birth of television, the internet, and everything in between. This guide shows you how to capture their stories before it's too late, with or without specialist equipment.
Why it matters
The window is smaller than you think
Most people intend to record their grandparents' stories. Very few actually do. The reasons are familiar — there's always more time, they'll do it at Christmas, they don't know where to start, or they worry it'll feel awkward.
But the window is smaller than it feels. Memory fades. Health declines. And the stories that seem like they'll always be there — the ones your grandparents tell at every family gathering — can disappear with terrifying speed.
The good news is that recording a grandparent's story doesn't require specialist equipment, a professional interviewer, or even a lot of time. A phone, the right questions, and a willingness to sit and listen is enough to capture something your family will treasure for generations.
This guide covers everything you need — from the equipment to use, to the questions to ask, to how to turn what you capture into something permanent.
What to use
Recording equipment — from free to professional
You don't need expensive equipment. What matters is that you record at all. Here are your options from simplest to most comprehensive.
📱
Smartphone voice memo
Free
The built-in voice memo app on any smartphone records perfectly good quality audio for family use. Place the phone between you on the table. Use a quiet room with soft furnishings to reduce echo.
Best for: Getting started quickly
🎙️
Dedicated voice recorder
£30–£80
A small digital voice recorder produces better quality audio than most phones, with longer battery life and more storage. Brands like Olympus and Sony make reliable entry-level models.
Best for: Better audio quality
📝
Recording + transcription app
Free–£10/month
Apps like Otter.ai or Rev record and automatically transcribe conversations. Useful if you want a written record as well as audio. Accuracy is good but not perfect — always keep the original recording.
Best for: Written transcript too
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Video on a phone or tablet
Free
Video captures body language, expressions, and the visual context of the conversation. Prop the phone up at head height. Check the lighting — face a window rather than sitting with one behind you.
Best for: Capturing personality
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Tell Me Your Story
Free to start
Guides them through 100 questions, saves voice recordings automatically, and produces a beautifully designed keepsake book with QR codes that play their voice. The most structured and permanent option.
Best for: Everything in one place
✍️
Written notes
Free
If they're uncomfortable being recorded, take notes and write them up immediately afterwards. Less complete than a recording but better than nothing. Ask them to review and correct your summary.
Best for: When recording isn't possible
Step by step
How to record your grandparent's story
Ask permission and explain why
Tell them what you're doing and why — that you want to preserve their stories for the family. Most grandparents are touched to be asked. Some are surprised anyone wants to know. Let them know recordings will only be shared within the family.
Choose the right setting
A quiet room with no background noise. Somewhere they feel comfortable and relaxed — their own home is usually best. A kitchen table over a cup of tea often produces better conversations than a more formal setup. Avoid busy times of day when they might be tired.
Set up your recording
Test the recording before you start. Place the device between you rather than on one side. Check the battery and storage. If using a phone, put it on do not disturb mode to avoid interruptions.
Start with something easy
Don't open with the heavy questions. Start with something light and sensory — a favourite memory, a funny story, the house they grew up in. Once they're talking, they naturally move into deeper territory.
Ask one question at a time
Don't pepper them with questions. Ask one and follow where it leads. The best stories always surface in the tangents. Your job is to ask and listen, not to cover a checklist.
Don't correct or interrupt
If they remember something differently from how it happened, go with their version. Correcting people mid-story closes the conversation down. And emotional truth often matters more than factual accuracy in family history.
Keep sessions short
Thirty to sixty minutes is usually enough. Come back over multiple sessions rather than trying to get everything in one go. Some memories surface days after the session that triggered them.
Back up immediately
As soon as you get home, copy the recording to a second location — cloud storage, a laptop, or an external drive. Don't rely on one device. Stories that took a lifetime to live shouldn't be lost to a dead battery.
What to ask
The best questions to ask your grandparents
These questions are designed to draw out stories rather than facts. Start with whichever one feels most natural.
What to do with what you capture
Don't let it live only on your phone
A recording on your phone is precious — but it's fragile. Phones get lost, broken, or replaced. Files get accidentally deleted. Storage formats become obsolete. A recording that exists only on one device is one accident away from being lost forever.
The most important thing you can do after recording is create a permanent copy in a format that will still be accessible in thirty years. There are several ways to do this:
Cloud backup
Upload recordings to Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox immediately. This protects against device loss or damage and makes files accessible to other family members.
External hard drive or USB
Keep a physical copy on an external drive stored somewhere safe. Technology changes — include a brief note explaining what format the files are in and how to play them.
Transcription
Create a written transcript of the key parts. Not a word-for-word record necessarily, but a narrative version of what they said. This is more readable and searchable than audio alone.
Printed keepsake book
The most permanent option. A printed book doesn't require electricity, software, or internet access to read. Tell Me Your Story turns voice recordings into a beautifully printed book with QR codes — the best of both worlds.
Share with family
Send copies of key recordings to other family members now. Don't wait until the story is "finished." The more people who have a copy, the less likely it is to be lost.
The all-in-one approach
Record, preserve, and print in one place
Tell Me Your Story guides your grandparent through 100 questions — by typing or speaking — saves their voice recordings automatically, and turns everything into a beautifully printed keepsake book with QR codes that play their voice. Free to start.
Free to start · No subscription · Printed book from £21.99
FAQ
Common questions
How do I get my grandparent to open up about their life?
Start with something light and sensory rather than a direct question about their life. "What did your childhood home smell like?" works better than "Tell me about your childhood." Use old photographs as conversation starters. Be genuinely curious rather than conducting an interview — people open up to curiosity, not questionnaires.
What is the best way to record a grandparent's story?
A smartphone voice memo is enough for family use. Place it between you in a quiet room. Apps like Otter.ai add automatic transcription. Video adds visual context. Tell Me Your Story provides the most structured approach — guided questions, built-in recording, and automatic keepsake book production.
What questions should I ask my grandparents?
Start with childhood memories, daily life in their era, the people who shaped them, the hardest things they've been through, their proudest moments, and what they want the family to know. Our guide to oral history questions has 100 examples across every chapter of life.
How do I preserve my grandparent's story?
Back up recordings to at least two locations immediately. Transcribe the key parts. Create a physical copy — either a printed book or a USB drive stored with important documents. Share copies with other family members so the story isn't dependent on any one person or device.
What if my grandparent doesn't want to be recorded?
Respect their wishes completely. Take written notes during the conversation and write them up as soon as possible afterwards. Ask them to review and correct your summary. Even an imperfect written record is valuable.
Free download
Not ready yet? Take the questions with you.
A printable PDF of 50 questions to ask your parents or grandparents about their life. Use it over Sunday lunch, or keep it for when the moment's right.
Tell Me Your Story
50 Questions
to Ask Your Parents
Start before it's too late
Free to start, no commitment. Begin capturing your grandparent's story today.
Start capturing their story free →Free to start · One-time payment · Printed book from £21.99