Dinner Conversations
Parent engages child in conversation during mealtime, encouraging language production through questions about food preferences and recent activities. The agent coaches the parent to observe emerging phrase construction, vocabulary use, and idea communication — building conversational skills in a natural, meaningful context.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
Child seated at table for a meal. Parent positioned to engage in face-to-face conversation. No special materials needed — regular dinner foods and utensils are fine.
How it works
- 1~45s
Start by pointing to different foods on your child's plate. Ask simple questions like 'Do you like the carrots?' or 'More chicken?' Watch how your child responds. Does they use single words like 'more' or 'yum'? Or does they try to put two words together like 'more peas' or 'no carrot'? Tell me what language you hear.
Watch for: Child combines two words to form a brief phrase related to food or preferences during mealtime conversation.
- 2~40s
Now place two food items just out of reach — maybe the bread and a cup. Ask 'What do you want?' or 'Tell me what you need.' Watch if your child names specific items to request them. Does they say 'bread' or 'water'? Does they ask for two different things by name during this interaction?
Watch for: Child uses specific vocabulary words to request two or more items by name during mealtime.
- 3~50s
Let's shift to talking about today. Ask your child about something they did recently — 'What did we do at the park?' or 'Tell me about playing.' Listen carefully. Does your child use one word that communicates a full idea, like 'swing' meaning 'I went on the swing'? Or does they use a short phrase like 'play ball'?
Watch for: Child communicates a complete idea about recent activities using one word or a short phrase during conversation.