Play This Game to Better Communicate With Your Kids
You probably have a few tricks to get your kids to talk about their day after school or at the dinner table. But sometimes you all need a break from talking about your daily “ups and downs” or “roses, thorns and buds” over bowls of spaghetti. Sometimes it’s more fun to discuss something completely random, like “How old?” or “If you could start your own business, what would it be?”
My husband and I, a nine-year-old son, love to play games together, and we love casual conversations, so we tried out the Little Talk set of conversations over the weekend while we were having dinner. I found that my son’s main goal right now is to improve his basketball shot, that his friends say they like his innate stupidity the most, and that he always wanted to visit San Francisco. (The latter, in particular, was a surprise.)
The questions are broken down into six categories: hopes and dreams, reflections, likes and dislikes, self-expression, emotional intelligence, and randomness. However, we didn’t pay much attention to the categories, instead choosing a card, any card out of the box. I think my son liked the best when it was his turn to choose a card and ask us a question.
But I also found that he thought about questions long after dinner was cleared. In particular, one question – what do you think adults don’t understand? – came back later when he wanted to explain to me why a dirty room is better than a clean one. It can be seen that there are many things that adults do not understand.
The Little Talks deck is admittedly priced at $ 25 per set. (Although the company, BestSelf Co., which makes the game, advertises that it donates one meal to Feeding America with every purchase, so that’s cause for joy.)
But if the price is too high, you can take this idea and make your own. Take a piece of paper and write your questions. Fold up each question and toss them into a bowl or jar. Your kids may want to ask their own questions, too.
Here are a few to get you started:
- What’s your favorite outfit and why?
- What new skill do you want to learn this year?
- Which is better – morning, afternoon or evening and why?
- If you had your own plane, where would you fly?
- If you had to choose between giving up music forever or giving up TV forever, which would you choose?
- What’s the best dessert and why?
- Which is better: a day at the beach or a day at the amusement park?
Keep your set of questions at the dinner table or take it with you on your next trip. When boredom complaints begin, hand out the can and take turns asking each other questions.