How do Practice Sessions work in the TalkBox.Mom App?
Each Practice Session guides your family from choosing a Focus Phrase → practicing it together → using it in real life.
Once at least one family member uses your phrase in real life, your next Practice Session unlocks.
But you don’t have to stop there! You can keep using your phrase until you're ready to start your next Practice Session.
A Practice Session gets your phrase ready to use. Using it in real life is what moves you forward.
1. Warm up with past phrases
If you’re on Practice Session #1, you’ll go straight to choosing your Focus Phrase.
For Practice Sessions #2–10, you’ll start with a Warm Up before practicing your new Focus Phrase.
You can choose your Focus Phrase before completing the Warm Up, but you’ll need to finish your Warm Up before you can practice it.
You'll warm up with each phrase from your previous Practice Session in this Challenge by practicing it in a situation or with an emotion.
2. Choose your Focus Phrase
Tap Choose a Focus Phrase and find the phrase you want your family to start using.
You can use the search bar to quickly find a phrase by keyword instead of scrolling through the full list.
You can also click on the phrase to hear the audio before choosing the phrase.
Tap the heart next to the phrase you want to practice. You can heart up to 2 Focus Phrases for a Practice Session.
When should I choose a second Focus Phrase?
For Hebrew, we recommend choosing both the female and male versions when applicable.
For Korean, we recommend either choosing honorifics or not honorifics — but not both.
For other languages, we generally recommend a second Focus Phrase when:
- one of your phrases is very short
- you’ve already completed a Tour through your Boxes
- you’re using TalkBox.Mom for high school credit and want longer Practice Sessions
Otherwise, one Focus Phrase is perfect!
For faster and deeper progress, choose one phrase and complete your Practice Sessions more often.
3. Practice with the Audio
First, announce what the phrase means to make sure everyone is paying attention.
Then listen to the native-speaker audio and repeat your Focus Phrase together.
Be sure to play the audio all the way to the end. Once the audio has finished, you’ll be able to continue.
Then select each family member who practiced with the audio.
Only the family members you select will be included in the next part of your Practice Session.
4. Practice in a Situation
Now your family will take turns saying the Focus Phrase in a situation where you might actually use it.
The app will show whose turn it is.
Play the audio all the way through for each person, then have that family member say the phrase.
If someone doesn’t want a turn, tap Skip Turn.
5. Practice with Emotions
Choose 1–3 emotions to make the phrase even more memorable.
You might say it excited, grumpy, scared—or choose Your Choice and make up your own way to say it.
Then take turns saying the Focus Phrase with each emotion.
6. Decide how you’ll use your phrase in real life
After you finish practicing, the app will ask:
How will you use your phrases in real life?
Add a quick idea for when or where your family could naturally use the phrase.
We recommend linking it to:
- an activity
- time of day, or
- location
Then tap Use the phrase IRL!
Your Focus Phrase will now show as practiced on your Practice screen.
7. Use your Focus Phrase in real life
Now comes the most important part: use it!
When someone in your family uses the Focus Phrase in real life, tap the + next to Used in real life!
Using the phrase once unlocks your next Practice Session.
But you don’t have to stop there! Keep using your Focus Phrase throughout the day and tap the + each time you use it to collect more ⚡ before your next Practice Session.