Talking Together

Here are some suggestions for having your own family “talk time”:

• Ask your parents about setting aside a few minutes each day for your family to talk together. It could be during a meal or at a certain time of day.

• Make sure everyone takes turns talking and listening. Include everyone!

• Be respectful of the opinions of your family members. Make sure everyone feels that what he or she says is important.

Conversation Games

Need some ideas for talk time? Try these games:

Beanbag Toss: If your family is large or has a hard time taking turns, use a beanbag to show whose turn it is to talk. After the person with the beanbag says what he or she would like to say, toss the beanbag to another family member to take a turn to talk.

Interviewer: Split into groups of two and take turns pretending to be interviewers. Think of a few questions for your partner and then ask him or her questions. You can even use a real microphone or sound recorder for your interviews.

What Would You Do? Take turns asking your family different questions that begin with “What would you do … ?” Some examples are “What would you do if you got lost?” and “What would you do if you could go anywhere in the world?”

Help for Parents: One-on-One Time

As fun as it is to talk as a family, it is also important for parents and children to spend one-on-one time together. Take advantage of moments during the day to visit with your children individually. Invite one child at a time to help you complete a household chore, accompany you on an errand, or chat with you in your room for a few minutes. Just a few short moments can lead to meaningful conversations.

Find more ideas for talking together in “Taking Time to Talk and Listen” by Primary general president Sister Rosemary M. Wixom on page 10 of this month’s Ensign.