How do I use a Focus Phrase in real life?
How do I use a Focus Phrase in real life?
Once you finish practicing your Focus Phrase in the app, the next step is to use it in real life.
Practicing gets your phrase ready. Using it in real life is what moves you forward.
1. Decide how you’ll use your Focus Phrase
At the end of your Practice Session, the app will ask:
How will you use your phrase in real life?
Choose a way you can work the phrase into your day. Think about:
- an activity or routine
- a time of day
- a location
You can even create an opportunity to use it.
For example, if your Focus Phrase is about jumping, you might put a pillow somewhere your family walks by and use the phrase when someone jumps over it.
If your phrase is, "I'm hungry," you can use it before you dig in at dinner.
Then tap Use the phrase IRL!
2. Keep your Focus Phrase handy
After your Practice Session, your Focus Phrase will be right on your Practice home screen.
That makes it easy to open the app and hear the native-speaker audio whenever you need it.
Play the audio before, after, or while you use your Focus Phrase in real life. Hearing it as you use it will help you recall the phrase more easily and keep your pronunciation connected to the native-speaker audio.
3. Use the phrase in real life
Look for—or create—a moment when your Focus Phrase fits what’s actually happening.
Only one person in your Fluency Family needs to use the phrase once to unlock the next Practice Session. It’s a group effort; every family member does not need to say it individually.
When someone uses the phrase, tap the + next to Used in real life!
One real-life use unlocks your next Practice Session.
What if I chose two Focus Phrases?
If you chose two Focus Phrases, you need to use each phrase at least once in real life before your next Practice Session unlocks.
Tap the + under each Focus Phrase after you use it.
Once both phrases have been used at least once, your next Practice Session will unlock.
That matches the screen really well and prevents someone from wondering why one use didn’t move them forward.
4. Keep using it before your next Practice Session
Unlocking the next Practice Session doesn’t mean you need to start it right away.
We recommend using your Focus Phrase for at least two hours before beginning your next Practice Session.
Keep using the phrase whenever an opportunity comes up, and tap the + each time you use it to add another ⚡.
What counts as using a Focus Phrase in real life?
Using a Focus Phrase in real life means saying it because it fits what’s happening in that moment, rather than simply repeating it for practice.
For example:
- ask “Do you want an apple?” when someone is choosing a snack
- use a cleanup phrase while everyone is cleaning up
- say a playground phrase while you’re actually playing
- create a chance to use “Jump!” by putting something down to jump over
The situation doesn’t have to happen on its own. You can intentionally add an activity or moment that gives your family a real reason to say the phrase.
What if we haven’t used our Focus Phrase before our next Practice Session?
You haven’t messed anything up.
Just use your Focus Phrase once right before your next Practice Session, tap the + next to Used in real life!, and keep moving forward.
Not using the phrase earlier in the day shouldn’t delay your family or make you skip a Practice Session. The goal is to use the phrase in real life and continue building momentum.
What if I accidentally say the phrase in English?
If you forget to use your Focus Phrase and remember right after saying it in English, that’s still progress.
Open the app, play the native-speaker audio, and say the phrase again in your language.
As you keep doing this, you’ll get more used to catching those moments and switching from English into the language you’re using with TalkBox.Mom.