Review and Giveaway! Family Talk by Around the Table Games

Post number 2 today is an introduction to a great award-winning game, Family Talk by Around the Table Games. Nadia has been in school for exactly 3 weeks now, and already we are struggling with getting her to open up about her little life away from home. We've tried various strategies and questioning techniques, but the typical answer to what happened during her morning at school is "I don't know." She's a pretty smart girl, and I know that she does know what happened at school, she's just not interested in telling us. My husband and I thought we wouldn't have to deal with this until she was at least in junior high, but here we are. While Family Talk isn't a game in the traditional sense, it is a fun way to spark dinner table conversation or to get your children to open up and share what's really going on in those elusive little minds of theirs.

Around the Table Games makes 3 versions of Table Talk. We've been previewing the original Family Talk, but there is a Grandparent Talk and a Family Talk2 version as well. There are 100 questions in each version ranging from as simple as "What is your favorite color?" to as thought-provoking as "What is something YOU do that inspires others to be better people?" We're obviously not ready to discuss how she inspires others, but we could modify this card to talk about how she sets an example for others in her classroom or for her little brother. I married into a very talkative family, and once you get Nadia going, she's no exception. I think that Family Talk will be a great window into Nadia's little life over the next 15 years without being so intrusive that she closes up and doesn't want to share anything at all.

Table Talk isn't just for the dinner table either. While you can buy the game with the cards stored in a pretty little jar, our version actually comes with holes punched in the cards so they can be attached to a clip. You could throw the cards into your bag for a trip to the doctor, a wait at the airport or to use on long car trips home for the holidays. In this age of running kids to and from one activity after another, you need to make the best use of your time. Keep a set of Family Talk cards in your glove box for discussions while you travel from gymnastics to soccer. I can't wait to find out more about Nadia and Isaac over the years as we graduate from the simple questions that we've been talking about now to finding out what they think is the most difficult thing about being a kid.

Some quick stats:

Ages: 4+, but I say, as soon as your child can begin to participate in conversations, you'll be able to use these cards. We've been able to talk to Nadia about her favorite color (with extended discussion about what things in the room are that color,) her favorite meal to eat in a restaurant (not a very insightful discussion, it's always mac n cheese!) and what the scariest thing she's ever done was. Some of the cards are clearly designed more for the adults to answer, but many of the questions could be answered by anyone.

Number of Players: Just two people are needed to have a conversation, but would be great for even larger groups.

Skills: Reading is required for the cards, but as long as your childen can talk and participate in conversation, they can play this game. You would just have to read the questions outloud to them.

Price: $12.95 directly from the Around the Table Games website.

Do you want to win a copy of Family Talk to help spark conversation around your dinner table? Go visit the Around the Table Games website and find the name of one award that Family Talk has won in 2008. Send us an EMAIL at contest.kidbuyproducts@gmail.com with Family Talk as the subject and include the name of the award in your message. The winner will be chosen at random and will receive one copy of Family Talk by Around the Table Games. All entries must be received by midnight on Monday, October 13th. Please, only one email entry per household and you must be 18 or older to win. The winner will have one week to claim the prize before I draw an alternate winner. Thanks for reading and Good Luck!