Chatter Box, A Fun Way to Provoke Conversation with Your Kids (and Friends)

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We all have heard the importance of eating dinner together as a family.  How can we make the most of our short time together at the dinner table without it feeling forced or like another duty?  When our son was four years old, I purchased a "chat pack" from a local toy store.  We had so much fun with it, we brought it out for adult dinner parties and family get-togethers. At first, people didn't realize the potential, but it didn't take long for several of our friends or family to incorporate this idea into their own dinner table conversations. It isn't necessary to purchase anything to play. You can make them on your computer or write them on index cards yourself.  Be sure to include silly questions and questions to bring forth creativity.  The best part about the chatter box game is it allows you to learn things you may not know about those close to you. For instance, my son (when he was four) was asked what he wanted to do for a living. He told us he wanted to be an ice cream man.  We thought it was because, well, you know...it's ice cream!  He said it was because he loves to see other kids happy and being an ice cream truck (or jeep, where he grew up) driver would make that easy. He saw kids in our neighborhood who would be sad, but instantly get a grin on their face as soon as they heard the familiar ringing bell.  Although we knew our son had a gentle heart, it surprised us to know just how thoughtful (as in, full of thought) he was.  Some of the other answers (which I will keep sacred and not tell) blew our minds to just what type of character and views of the world our son had.  There's no time limit or amount of questions you have to do in a night. We took our game to a family get together and the first question was "how would you like others to remember you when you die", I turned the question around and we picked one person at a time and we each told the designated person what WE would remember about THEM.  It was awesome!  We each had different memories about each other and it was fun and touching to hear what the others had to say, too.  A lot of times, people don't ever get to hear all the good things others think about them and often, it doesn't get said until after they're gone. We were left surprised with how the others felt or thought about us. If you have a crowd that doesn't like to be mushy gushy, ask funny questions.  Tailor your questions to your gathering.  We bring it out during the holidays and even our most nay saying-est friends enjoy it. Our son is 12 now and he STILL asks to bring out the chat pack at dinner.  It's cool to have a front row seat at seeing how the answers to the same questions change with maturity.  Everyone takes turns reading a question (so it's not just about the kids, but the whole family) and everyone gets a chance to answer the same question.  I hope you incorporate this simple activity into your life, because it has provoked some of the best memories and conversations around our dinner table. I would hate for you to miss out on an easy way to get your kids to talk : )
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