Top 10s - Tips for parents: How to get your kids talking about the things that really interest them

How was school? Fine. We’ve all been there!

Sometimes kids (and adults) need a little help to open up and start talking. The Top 10s book series provides a great opportunity to have conversations with your kids about the things that really interest them. Crafting a topic for a Top 10s book is a great way to get started, and it can be about absolutely anything...

The Top 10 Flying Machines, The Top 10 Ice-Cream Flavours, The Top 10 Roman Ruins! Whatever interests them the most.

Here are some useful suggestions and conversation starters to help you ignite those creative conversations.

Setting the Right Atmosphere for Conversation

Establish a Welcoming Environment: Create an atmosphere of openness where your children feel secure expressing themselves without fear of judgment. Promote open dialogue, and avoid laughing at or disregarding their thoughts and ideas.
Active Listening: Demonstrate genuine interest in their thoughts. Listen attentively, ask follow-up questions, and convey their significance. This shows that their ideas and feelings matter.
Share Your Interests: Be a role model by discussing your own interests. This can inspire children to share their passions.
Pose Open-Ended Questions: Instead of closed-ended questions that result in one-word answers, ask open-ended questions that require more detailed responses. For example, "What is it that interests you most about unicorns?” rather than "Do you like unicorns?"
Patience: Sometimes, children need time to warm up and open up. Avoid pushing them too hard and let the conversation flow naturally.

Conversation Starters: Discuss Their Favourites...

Books: Ask about the books they enjoy. Explore the plots and characters. For instance, if they love Harry Potter, "The Top 10 Wizards" might be a good choice.
TV Shows: Where are they set? How do they relate to real life? If they love Dexter's Laboratory, what about the ‘The Top 10 Home Science Experiments’
Sports and Activities: Which sports do they love to play or watch? Do they have any sporting heroes?
Music: What kind of music do they like? Who are their favourite artists or instruments?
Museums and Trips: Do they have any thoughts on recent trips that excited them? A visit to a museum or a day at the beach?
Toys: What are their favourite toys? Do they love to role play? This can lead to lots of fun and interesting chats.
History: How often do they think about the Roman Empire?! Do they like knights and castles or maybe Vikings with long hair and warpaint. If they could go back to any time, when and where would they go?
Heroes: Find out who inspires them (apart from you of course!). Discover who their role models are and why.

Hopefully, these tips and conversations starters will help you have a fun chat with your child where you can learn more about their interests. And if you come up with a great idea for a Top 10s book – then it’s a double win!

How to submit your ideas?

To submit a Top 10s idea your child needs to attend a school that has an active Purple Mash subscription. You may have received a send-home slip from their teacher. If so, write your title idea on the slip and return it to the teacher. Otherwise, you can submit your idea directly from inside Purple Mash (you will need to have a login). If your child’s school doesn’t subscribe to Purple Mash, you can signup as a home user (it costs £35 a year). Submissions are open from 01/11/2023 to 30/11/2023.

How are the winning ideas going to be chosen?

Children will get to vote for their favourite ideas from a collection of ten finalists selected by us (the publisher). There are no hard and fast rules, but we’re looking out for ideas that:

Are unique and creative
Are interesting and inspiring
Have education value
Fit the list format well
Ideas must not be inappropriate (e.g. reference adult content) or have major copyright implications (e.g. Disney characters).

What is a Top 10s book?

Top 10s books are packed with fun facts, funny jokes, engaging games and loads more. Think Guinness World Records meets Weird but True, but with loads of extras. As well as the authors Top 10 list, children will also have the chance to submit their own lists, with some being published in the book.