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Candid Conversations around the dinner table
By Stephanie | April 27, 2008
We 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.
As 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.
WIN 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!
Topics: contests, interacting with your kids | 156 Comments »
April 28th, 2008 at 4:07 am
Enter Me Please !!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Well, this sounds intriguing
April 28th, 2008 at 4:45 am
I’d love to win a family cube. What a fun idea!
April 28th, 2008 at 6:08 am
What a great idea! I’d just love to win this one!
April 28th, 2008 at 6:20 am
I want to win!
April 28th, 2008 at 6:30 am
This is a great idea.I’d love to win a Table Time
cube. Thanks for the great giveaway!
April 28th, 2008 at 7:26 am
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.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:34 am
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!
April 28th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Please?
April 28th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I think I would like the originalversion
April 28th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I love things like this. Especially with the in-laws. My favorite.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:56 am
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!!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Sounds neat!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:15 am
These sound great.
April 28th, 2008 at 9:19 am
It WOULD be nice to have conversations more enlightened than ” how was your day?”…”okay”.
April 28th, 2008 at 9:35 am
This is great would love to have it,
April 28th, 2008 at 9:41 am
How fabulous! That girls night out one so funn
April 28th, 2008 at 10:32 am
can’t wait to win
April 28th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I’d love to use this at a dinner party this spring. My guests would have a lot of fun with it!
April 28th, 2008 at 11:56 am
These would be so much fun for dinner parties.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I think the art of conversation is dying, and these are a great way to revive it–Thanks for the offer!
April 28th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
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!
April 28th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
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.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
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.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I love this idea! It would be fun for when friends come over
April 28th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
please add my entry
April 28th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
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!
April 28th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
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.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Finally some fun for my boring dinner parties.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I would love any of these cubes especially the family one!
April 28th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
What a great idea!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Great idea!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
These would be great for any type of group get-together!
April 28th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I’m a shy gal who dreads get-togethers because of conversation anxiety…one of these cubes would be perfect for me!
April 28th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
This would be great for starting cnversations with other guests when you don’t know what to say.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I love the concept of these conversation starters. They could be used in new relationships, too, not just with family. Cool!
April 28th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
This is a great idea to break the ice! Count me in!!
April 28th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
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
April 28th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
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!
April 28th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Families need this now more than ever..hey my husband and I desperately need this….talking about the yard, bills, kids,…..uuuhhh
April 28th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I always thought this game would be fun. What a cool giveaway. Thanks
April 28th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
cool idea
April 28th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
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.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
my friends have a set and it was so much fun! i’d love own one myself.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Would be a great prize to win for a fun dinner or pizza party.
Have fun with it!!
April 28th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I’ve been eyeing these since around Christmas when they were featured in several stores. Winning a pack would be great.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I would love to win because my hubby and i are having converstion issues…maybe this could help?!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I’d love the family version. These things just look so cool!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
This is a great prize, Thanks!
April 28th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
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.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Thanks! This would be wonderful
April 29th, 2008 at 4:50 am
Thanks.
April 29th, 2008 at 5:38 am
this looks fun.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Love it, count me in!
April 29th, 2008 at 6:18 am
enter me!
April 29th, 2008 at 6:21 am
nice
April 29th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I want it!
April 29th, 2008 at 7:33 am
These would make for a fun evening. Thank you for this giveaway!
April 29th, 2008 at 8:18 am
This would be great for holiday dinners too!
April 29th, 2008 at 8:37 am
THANK YOU GOD BLESS
April 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am
This is a great idea! It looks a lot of fun. Thanks for the great giveaway!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I would LOVE to be entered!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Thanks for the chance.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:35 am
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!
April 29th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Oh, how fun! We’d love to win this.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
This is too funny! I think I’ll get it to take out to a restaurant with my husband!
April 29th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
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
April 29th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Please enter me.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
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.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I’ve wanted something like this for a long time!! I think they’re so cool!
April 29th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
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.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
sometimes ya just need a little help gettin the conversation goin’. very kewl; throw my name in, please.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
i want to win
April 29th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
What a cool idea to have this around.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Love this idea! This is a great way to keep conversations started and conversations going!
April 29th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Enter Me Please !!!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Enter me! I’d love this for my little get togethers! Cute!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
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!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
The couples one would be awesome!!
April 29th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
This would be great on a night when conversation was slow.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:02 am
Wow!!
April 30th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Perfect! Count me in!
April 30th, 2008 at 10:32 am
We are still newlyweds (sort of), so the couples set would be nice.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
neato
April 30th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Roo would get a big kick out of this. She likes to interrogate us…
April 30th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
This would be fun – please enter me!
April 30th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
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!
April 30th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Count me in!
April 30th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
If I was to win would love the teen one. Please enter me, thank you
April 30th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
This would be neat to play with the family.
May 1st, 2008 at 12:37 am
I had heard about this on another blog. It sounds like a lot of fun for our family.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:56 am
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!
May 1st, 2008 at 10:47 am
Hello! I think this is so cute
May 1st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
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.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
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.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:32 pm
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.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I think this is such a cute idea. It could definately spice us me and my hsuband’s dinner conversation.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
please count me in
May 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
What a neat idea!
May 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
What a neat idea!
May 1st, 2008 at 6:55 pm
sounds like a lot of fun for our family.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:46 pm
CUTE CUBES!
May 1st, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I’ve played this with my friends camping before.
It is SO MUCH FUN!
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:02 am
I’d love to win these! Great conversations aren’t just for women’s retreats and slumber parties anymore!
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:08 am
It reminds me of the Book of Questions which was very popular about 20 years ago. I remember having some interesting discussions with it.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I love this. It would be a great dinner party starter. Please count me in!
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:15 pm
enter me
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
THIS i can use
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
This sounds fun, so pick me!
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:28 am
wow, no more awkward silences! hahaha!
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 am
The prizes on this site are just the coolest. You have really fun stuff.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:34 am
Cute idea…
Thanks for sponsoring this contest!
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Unique idea, sounds fun!
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
This would be really fun for our family!!
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:57 am
This would be so fun!
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Fantastic idea. So much better than our dinner conversation. How was school. Good. What did you learn today. Nothing. LOL
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Magnificent item!
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
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.
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Love this idea – how neat!
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:43 pm
boy this could really pick things up at our block party
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
What a great prize!
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:22 pm
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.
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
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.
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
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!
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
We are pretty new to our neighborhood and would like to have neighbors over. This would help with breaking the ice.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
This sounds like fun!
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 pm
These would be so great to have! Thank you.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
What a great way to spark meaningful conversations with kids!
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
This sounds really fun. Sometimes there is plenty to talk about, but when conversation is stalling, this would work great!
May 4th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Conversation pieces are very very helpful! I’d love to have one to set on my table
May 4th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I love table topics:) There is never a silent awakardness at dinner anymore.
May 4th, 2008 at 4:41 am
I’d love to win the family cube.
May 4th, 2008 at 4:46 am
I would love to win this for my family
May 4th, 2008 at 5:05 am
I’ve heard of these! I’d love to win!
May 4th, 2008 at 5:34 am
What a great idea. I would love to win this for my family.
May 4th, 2008 at 6:31 am
please enter me
May 4th, 2008 at 6:38 am
This sounds like fun.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:11 am
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.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Love the idea of the fmaily cubix as the center of conversation. Even adults need the intellectual and verbal stimulation. Many Thanks SW
May 4th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Neat Prize!!!
May 4th, 2008 at 9:28 am
We would definitely have to get the family cube. I just love conversation starters. This is really neat!
May 4th, 2008 at 11:21 am
142 is the lucky number !
Thanks for the giveaway
May 4th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
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!
May 4th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Thanks for the contest!
May 4th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
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.
May 4th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
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.
May 4th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
May 4th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Enter Me Please !!
May 4th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
* * * * Table Topics Cubes * * * *
a collection of conversation starters
May 4th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
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!
May 4th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Ain’t we got fun with this one?!?!
May 4th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Please enter me thanks
May 4th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
We did something like this at American Girl Cafe. Would love to have it for my home when grandchildren visit
May 4th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
* * *Great way to get conversations started* * *
May 4th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I would like the Family topics.
May 4th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Please enter me into the contest. Thanks!