Candid Conversations around the dinner table

Candid Conversations around the dinner table 1We make it a point to eat dinner together around the table as a family every night - no TV, no computers, no phone calls (usually) - just conversation. Of course, "conversations" with our almost-20-month-old can be a bit chaotic - squealing, jabbering, and spontaneous giggles with plenty of messes. Still, we like the "togetherness" of the family meal - the prayer, the laughter, the discussions amidst the din of toddler noise. 

Candid Conversations around the dinner table 2As our little girl gets older (and as we add other little one(s) to our family), I know we'll want to add some fun conversation-starting traditions to our mealtimes. One great set of products that I've discovered to help in this area are Table Topics Cubes, "a collection of conversation starters meant to spark fun, interesting, and meaningful discussions around the dinner table, at parties, on dates, on road trips-wherever!" Cristy Clarke, the owner of the company and a mom herself, created Table Topics because she believes that "every conversation has the potential to be great - to inspire us to action, enrich our relationships, and connect us to the people we care about most."

Essentially, the cubes are 4" acrylic cubes that are stocked with 135 question cards. The cubes are attractive and simple, and the cards are made of high-quality card stock. The Full Size Cubes come in 8 different categories: Original, Family, Teen, Couples, Girls Night Out, Spirit, Book Club, and Gourmet - and the cost per cube is $25.

The questions range from serious to silly to somewhat sensational - everything from "What do you think is the ideal age?" to "If you could have any view from your back porch, what would it be?" to "What's your dream job?" to "What historical time period would you most like to visit?" to "Which language would you like to speak fluently?" [questions from the Original Cube]

Although I think these cubes would be a ton of fun for families, I think they would be equally fun for adults-only dinner parties or business icebreakers. In sum, these cards are very creative and perfect for using at birthday parties, on car trips, in waiting rooms, almost anywhere...with kids, teens, or adults. 

Candid Conversations around the dinner table 3WIN IT! One winner will receive a Table Topics full size cube of his/her choice! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post prior to Sunday, May 4 at midnight (don’t forget to follow the rules). The winner will be announced and contacted on Monday, May 5. * Winner must provide a U.S. mailing address.

*UPDATE* The winner is #8 Laura Ch. Congratulations!

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156 comments on “Candid Conversations around the dinner table”

  1. We did something like this at American Girl Cafe. Would love to have it for my home when grandchildren visit

  2. i have been wanting one of these! I have parties and visitors in my future, but i am such a terrible hostess! this could help!

  3. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    Table Topics Cubes, “a collection of conversation starters meant to spark fun, interesting, and meaningful discussions around the dinner table, at parties, on dates, on road trips-wherever!"

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

  4. I love the idea of these cubes. I really want to win as I know they'd get a lot of use at my house.

  5. Sounds great! I notice that frequently when we have people over who don't all know each other, there's always some odd tidbit of info or story that someone tells to break the silence that turns into a great conversation where everyone finds out they have more in common than they originally thought. Brilliant! and the package is so cute.

  6. I was aware of the original TABLETOPICS, but I didn't know they had expanded to specific audiences. Great idea! Thanks for the chance to win!

  7. Love the idea of the fmaily cubix as the center of conversation. Even adults need the intellectual and verbal stimulation. Many Thanks SW

  8. We have a girl's night every week. There are between 8-12 of us who get together & rotate houses (or even sometimes a restaurant). Since we know each other so well, the conversation always seems to be the same. I think that this would definitely add something new to our get togethers.

  9. We are pretty new to our neighborhood and would like to have neighbors over. This would help with breaking the ice.

  10. mega cool. i want the original . the family one is neat, but we already talk each others heads off. sometimes whhen i have guests, i feel akward and don't know what to say. this might help!

  11. I am a speech therapist. This sounds like a fantastic game to get my patients thinking and talking. This would be a great game to open up communication between my family members too. Great idea for a game.

  12. Wow, these would be great for our family table. We have teens, and other family that are not so friendly. I think the family pack would help at holidays.

  13. This is so cool. I grew up in a family that always talked and shared their days at the table but my hubby grew up in a family that ate and said nothing. This would be great to help get him into a more relaxed and conversational frame of mind at dinner.

  14. Fantastic idea. So much better than our dinner conversation. How was school. Good. What did you learn today. Nothing. LOL

  15. It reminds me of the Book of Questions which was very popular about 20 years ago. I remember having some interesting discussions with it.

  16. I'd love to win these! Great conversations aren't just for women's retreats and slumber parties anymore!

  17. I think this is such a cute idea. It could definately spice us me and my hsuband's dinner conversation.

  18. We love eating dinner together, but definitely usually talk about kids, bills, etc. A product like this would be a great way to discover new things about eachother.

  19. I love these kinds of conversation starters. Of course, with a family like mine, we don't need much, but I love the idea of a little creative help. We've even come up with some of our own or we brainstorm and come up with topics to use on other people. It's definitely a "public speaking skill" that comes in handy. I'd love to win.

  20. What a great idea. I grew up eating around the table with my family every night and so did my husband. Now we sit down most nights at the kitchen table for dinner. Sometimes we are at a loss as to what to talk about. This is a great idea and Mikayla will love these questions.

  21. What a fun way to jumpstart family conversations around the dinner table! I could also see it used in other settings, like long car rides, etc. Thanks for the chance to win!

  22. I bought the original version of this game for my husband for Valentine's and we use it all the time. I am running out of cards and need a new game!

  23. This is really great! Sometimes, when it's just my husband and myself....honestly if we're not talking about the kids...we run out of subjects to talk about. This would really start some interesting conversations!

  24. Family dinners are very important to us too. I'm sure that goal will only become more challenging with more children. But maybe more rewarding too.

  25. My family parents, sister daughter and I all live five minutes from each other for the first time in years. This would be a great way for everyone to bond again.

  26. i need some ideas to keep the girls occupied in the car we just got rid of the in car dvd player. Good for them but I need some fun ideas to talk about in the car

  27. My brother in law and his blended family including 6 kids have a version of this and can't say enough about the answers/conversation's it provokes. I'd love to have a copy for our family too!

  28. I just did a review on Mama Rock's Rules and she had an entire chapter devoted to the importance of family mealtimes. I actually agree that this would be good for families but probably with older children.

  29. I've been eyeing these since around Christmas when they were featured in several stores. Winning a pack would be great.

  30. This screams "Christmas Gift" for my brother and his soon-to-be family. I know they'd love it too. I think it's a really cool idea and one we'd use at our own table.

  31. Families need this now more than ever..hey my husband and I desperately need this....talking about the yard, bills, kids,.....uuuhhh

  32. I can't believe I haven't seen these before! Thanks so much for showing them! Last summer, we took our two older daughters to brunch at American Girl Place in Chicago. It was all lovely. One of the fun things about it was each table having a set of questions -- the same idea as these -- for you to use during your meal with your daughter/daughters/children. We had such a great time with it and it did a lot to bring about great stories and shared dreams. With a baby up through to an 8 year old -- we've got a big communication span. As our oldest gets older -- it sometimes takes more work to draw her out and not fall into the beginnings of the common teen/preteen one word "yes" or "no" answers. It is great for someone her age -- for our little one -- who would talk without stopping if she could -- to be given a focus to share her thoughts, creativity and dreams. And with a new baby -- this would surely bring many years of great conversation to come! I love that there are different topics -- the girls night out seems it could bring a lot of fun! I was thrilled to see a family version instead of adult only ones -- yeat agree that it would be fabulous for dinner parties. I'm struck the most by this -- in regards to using it with kids -- that as children grown and mature it will be the habits they learned early on about communicating, talking with, and sharing with their parents. We all surely want that!

  33. Hi, I have read about these and our family loves games. Many times at our table, we have so many other things to discuss, we would use the game later in the evening. We also play games at our family holiday get-togethers. Please enter me in your drawing. I really appreciate it.....Thanks,Cindi

  34. I love the concept of these conversation starters. They could be used in new relationships, too, not just with family. Cool!

  35. This would be great for starting cnversations with other guests when you don't know what to say.

  36. I'm a shy gal who dreads get-togethers because of conversation anxiety...one of these cubes would be perfect for me!

  37. I'd definitely use this in my future family practice waiting room/or the rehab area where patients spend a lot of time on equipment with fellow patients. I don't expect them to WAIT too long in the waiting room, but the rehab could take awhile.

    Our son is still several months (years) away from carrying on a meaningful conversation...but, it would be fun in the future! Or we could use it as a fun thing for large family gatherings.

  38. It would be lovely to have one of these, hopefully it would encourage my hubby to spend more time eating at the table. When he gets home, he wants to veg and watch TV, and I have to beg him to sit at the table with the TV off. Maybe if we had one of these it would serve as his entertainment. Thanks for a great contest!

  39. What a great idea! We try to have dinner as a family as much as possible too - I think that this is so important. These Table Topics Cubes are brilliant and I would love to be entered to win. Thanks so much for visiting the Window Shoppe! I think that the Letter and Number Ice trays are such a great idea too - dinner and education really do go great together. :)

  40. This sounds like so much fun. I'd love this for my family. Especially for getting my kids to open up to us more. Thanks for this giveaway.

  41. How interesting! I've heard of families asking each child to name one thing they did that day for someone else to spark conversation. This seems like it would be great for adults and kids alike. I'd be partial to the Gourmet, of course, or maybe the Family cube. Thanks!

  42. I think the art of conversation is dying, and these are a great way to revive it--Thanks for the offer!

  43. These would be great for my job, training new volunteers. What a great way to break the ice and to also learn new things about the people I will be working with. Cool idea!!

  44. We used to go to trivia nights with friends, before the baby boom. I miss those days, but we could get a similar thing going at home with a kit like this. It's not really trivia, but sort of a 20 questions kind of thing. Seems very fun (as well as being nice and compact!). Would definitely like to give it a go!

  45. I bought the Table Topics for teens to use for our church young women youth group last year. They loved it. And I learned so much about them in such a short period of time. Of course, teenage girls love to gab, but some of the questions elicited deep conversations about topics that really mattered to them. I'd love to expand our collection to include Family Table Topics for my husband's family reunion this summer.

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