Local Mom and Educator Launches Conversation Cards to Inspire More Meaningful Parent/Child Communication

Local (Media, Pa.) mom and educator Kat Rowan Today recently launched TiffinTalk, an innovative product developed to help parents and children strengthen their relationships through one-on-one, face-to-face interactions. Available for children in preschool through high school, TiffinTalk Parent – Child & Teen conversation cards come in seasonal boxed sets filled with 65 daily cards arranged in 13 themed weeks. Each card front features puzzle pieces revealing a completed image over the course of the week to engage the child’s curiosity, while the card back offers a fun fact (“tiffin tidbit”) for older children or an activity (“tiffin treat”) for younger kids. The card’s inside is the focus, presenting a key question on topics ranging from silly or serious to thoughtful or imaginative, with space for a parent to include a personal note or reminder before the card is slipped into a child’s lunchbox to help spark thinking for a discussion later.

TiffinTalk Founder, CEO, and Creative Director Kat Rowan created her own system of conversation cards when her children were young, and believed the cards could be a useful tool for other parents looking to drive meaningful interactions with their children – beyond the typical one-word answers to everyday questions. Her cards found their way into classrooms as her children shared them across lunch tables and teachers and parents began to ask for them.

“As a mom of two daughters, I know how hectic daily life can get and how much technology has started to distract us from the limited time we have with our children,” said Rowan. “These cards were a way for me to create an opportunity to sit down and spend time talking with each of my children about a topic that interested us both and kept us both engaged. Through these conversations, we became closer and I learned a lot more about their thoughts, dreams, and concerns than I would have through ordinary parent/child conversations: ‘How was your day?’ ‘Fine’ ‘What happened today?’ ‘Nothing.’ With TiffinTalk, I watched my girls develop creative and critical thinking skills simply because there was no judgment, no right or wrong answers. It was all about our time together and not about an assignment to be graded.”

Three years ago, Rowan recognized that intrinsic value of the cards and realized the long-term benefits for her daughters. Their relationships within and outside the family had grown and changed for the better. She noted the positive impact that the cards had on their critical thinking skills which in turn improved their academic performance throughout the traditional school years and now beyond. Thus, with the encouragement (and requests) of other parents, educators, and mental health professionals, Rowan decided to turn her children’s carefully saved cards into a commercial product. Stick-figure drawings on construction paper became beautiful photographs that develop spatial thinking skills; plain card backs became meticulously researched facts. Kat had a box custom-designed to hold the cards and make them easy to access. The contents inside remained as they always had been – thought-provoking questions designed to get parents and their children talking.

Reviewed by child development and mental health professionals, educators and, most importantly, parents, TiffinTalk cards are designed to prompt the return of focused time together, without the distraction of technology, and encourage creative thinking and insights through thought-provoking, open-ended questions.

Cards can be ordered online for $60 per box through this link.

In addition to cards for parents and their children, TiffinTalk is also available for:

· Senior parents and adult children (Talking Across Generations (TAG))

· Counselors and their clients (FindingYourVoice)

TiffinTalk cards are designed and printed in the United States.