Talkbox Review

Are you thinking about learning a second language as a family? A fantastic program for families is Talkbox.Mom. Get a sneak peek inside the program and hear how it has helped our family.

When I was looking for a way to help me and my family learn Spanish, I wanted something simple to use that didn’t involve a lot of screen time and was easy to implement with all of my children.

My kids range in age from preschool to high school so I needed something really flexible that could work across that broad age range. It also needed to be easy to use on the go and one that didn’t involve a lot of pre-work on my part. 

Thankfully, I have some incredibly talented friends and one of my childhood friends developed an amazing program called Talkbox Mom. 

It’s truly a simple open and go type of program. The theology behind it is that the best way for us to learn a new language is to learn it the way we learned our first one- phrase by phrase along the way. 

So what is a part of the Talkbox program? There are several different options for different price points so hopefully this helps you figure out what works for you.

The phrase book

I first bought the phrase book and flipped through the phrases available. As a mom, I had to appreciate the very relatable phrases that are in the book! They were definitely not ones I learned in my high school Spanish class. 

The first phrase I learned is forever embedded in my memory (and no it is not “dónde está la biblioteca?). It caught my eye because it was incredibly applicable at the time. 

What phrase was it? “Necesito cambiar el pañal otra vez! / I need to change your diaper again!” That was what hooked me. I had a new baby and of course we were in the midst of lots of diaper changes so I could use that phrase a lot.

The one downside of the phrase book is it can be a little overwhelming to try and find phrases, so one way to combat that is to sign up for the phrase of the week calendars. 

Each week you get a set of phrases that are around the same topic. It is really helpful for focusing on a few phrases at a time and can help reduce any overwhelm, especially in the beginning.

The app

When you get any of the products from Talkbox, you also get access to native speaker audio via an app.  I love how convenient the app makes it to access phrases on the go so we can practice anywhere.

You can mark phrases that you are learning so that they are easily accessible for replay. You can also access the audio for the different Talkbox products that you own.

There are also replays of live trainings that have been done over the last couple of years.  They cover lots of different topics like goal setting, consistency, organization, having fun, making mistakes, immersion and more. (You can find a recording of the Facebook live I did with Adelaide in March of 2021).

The subscription boxes

The phrase book is awesome but you get even more value from the boxes. Each box is focused on a particular type of vocabulary and the boxes build on one another, gradually building not only vocabulary but also grammar skills. 

For example, the first box starts you off with food. Not only is it a great place to start because we all eat multiple times a day (and let’s be honest, kids eat more often than that) but it also provides a lot of opportunities for learning about gendered articles and plurals.

You start to learn how to build sentences within a structured format and can have lots of chances to practice that framework. There are posters that you can put up in a prominent place so that it is easy to reference and there are different challenge activities in each box.

The support group

Lastly, there is an online community that you can connect with other Talkbox families and to potentially find someone locally to connect with who is learning the same language. You can find the accountability group on the website once you purchase a Talkbox product.

Other products

There are other single off items that can be purchased including a homeschool packet, bilingual in nature, and a phrase planner. The Talkbox team is always working on thoughtful products that can help families learn even more!

Ready to dive in? You can get your own copies of the Talkbox phrase books and more on their website.

If you want to find more ways to explore as a family you can see the resources here or take a virtual field trip!