Turn Off the Tech & Talk

With busy family schedules, it can be hard to get the family in one place for a meal. Whether it’s a formal holiday gathering, a fast food stop during a road trip, or a night when everyone is home for a meal, eating together is a family matter.
When your family gathers together for a meal, wherever you are, be sure to turn off the tech. It doesn’t matter if the devices are placed in a basket or are in another room. What does matter is that you engage in real life face time with your child.
These conversations allow you to learn more about what is or isn’t happening in your child’s life. These conversations let your child receive undivided attention, letting them know that they are important. These conversations teach your child how to take turns, read emotions cues, and listen for vocal inflections.
These conversations don’t tend to happen when one or more people at the table have their nose buried in a device.
When chatting with your family, be sure to ask open ended questions. A question like “How was school today?” tend to lead to one word answers like “good” or “fine.” While those responses answer the question, reframe it so it requires more than a yes, no, good, or fine response to answer. “What was your favorite lesson at school today?” or “What was something hard you did today?” or “How were you a good friend today?” are great conversation starters.

Jann Fujimoto, MS CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and owner of SpeechWorks in Oconomowoc, WI. Whenever her family gathers for dinner together, one standard question is “What was the best part of your day?”