Review: Talk together
Review: Talk together Item number: E523235
By: Anke Infant Teacher
What is it?
Talk together can be played by two children simultaneously. They sit opposite to each other at a
table. In between the children, there is a talking sheet. Both children have four magnets in four
different colors. The children can now give each other orders, such as: “Place the red magnet on
the red butterfly.” They can then both try to complete the assignment. The two magnets will only
stick to the sheet when both children carry out the assignment correctly.
Talk together contains two talking sheets, 16 assignment cards and 8 magnets. The frame can be
ordered separately.
In practice
Talk together resembles a number of materials that challenge children to communicate. However,
the difference is that this material is magnetic and both children see the sheet. This ensures that
both children are actively engaged in the game and it furthermore allows for more diverse games
to be played. For instance, one child can name something that he or she sees on the plate, after
which the other child tries to find it as well. Both children can now hold their magnet to the sheet
and find out whether they have found the same thing. Another game provides one child with
a riddle about something on the sheet and challenges the other child to solve the riddle. As a
teacher, you can also say certain words and ask the children to find these words on the sheets.
“The toddlers were very curious about the contents of the new box”
Three difficulty levels
It is possible to play these games with the included assignment cards. The children take a new
assignment card in turns.
There are assignment cards with three different difficulty levels. The difficulty level can be inferred
from the amount of dots in the upper-right corner. This allows children of different ages to play
with the developmental material.
The symbol on the upper-left corner of the assignment cards shows the children which side of
the card they should look at. The game only contains a limited number of assignment cards and
talking sheets. Therefore, the children will quickly come to recognize the cards after playing the
game for a while.
Observation
We observed Talk together in our classes. The toddlers were very curious about the contents
of the new box. When the children saw the first talking sheet, they discussed about what they
saw on the sheet. They then took a close look at the sheet. I took out the assignment cards
and explained them to the children. It did not take the toddlers long to understand the game
mechanics. At first, the children took any magnet and placed it against the sheet. When the
magnet did not stick to the sheet, the children discovered that they had to pay close attention to
the color on the assignment card and communicate this with the other child. Only magnets of the
same color attract each other. The children now knew that they had to communicate two things:
the color of the magnet and the current assignment. Some children were especially fascinated
by the magnets and used it to trace the sheet until the magnet stuck to it. They forgot about the
assignment.
“Our toddlers cannot get enough of Talk together”
Carry out multiple actions
It can be difficult for the children to hold the magnet at exactly the same spot on opposite sides
of the sheet. The child who communicates the assignment has to hold his or her magnet to the
sheet first, otherwise the other child will not be able to find the correct spot. As such, the child
that communicates the assignment has to be able to carry out multiple actions.
In conclusion
Our toddlers cannot get enough of Talk together. They like the game because it is interesting and
requires communication. Children especially like the magnets and the talking sheets, because
they are so colorful.
Talk together can help a child to expand his or her vocabulary and train syntax. Some toddlers
started to tell each other stories about the images on the sheet. Therefore, the materials also
stimulates communication between children and social interaction.
A visiting speech therapist picked up on the game and used it to gather information about
the children that were playing the game. We deem Talk together an interesting and instructive
material. However, it is a shame that the game only contains two talking sheets. It would be better
if the game featured a sheet for every theme in the classroom.