One morning I drove behind a minivan filled with children piled in the backseats. As the van pulled into a daycare, I could see the glow of a television, no doubt holding the attention of the kids long enough to keep them occupied on the trip from home. It made me think of my own car trips with my children – some of the best conversations I had with them took place when they were in buckled into the backseat, serving as my captive audience. Or then again, maybe it was just me who was the “captive audience.” But one thing is certain – from the toddler days to the teenage years, we learned a great deal about each other through our great talks in the car.

Children learn to communicate by interacting with their parents, other adults and other children. And there’ s no better way to strengthen your children’ s language development than by regularly engaging in conversations with them.

A television in the automobile can be a lifesaver on long trips. Who can argue with the benefits of a little child-friendly programming on a six-hour car ride to the beach? However, a shorter trip provides the perfect opportunity to talk to your child about his or her day. Language development is not the only benefit – this time also gives you the opportunity to bond with your child.

I can remember specific conversations in the car about my children’ s days at school.“ How was your day today,” I’d ask my son after picking him up from kindergarten.During the first week of school he’ d reply, “ Mostly good, but a little bit bad.”

I kept emphasizing that I was glad he had a “ mostly good” day. But eventually, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked, “ What was a little bit bad?”

He said, “ I didn’ t sit ‘ Indian style’ in circle time.”

Relieved that he hadn’ t gotten into a brawl with his kindergarten classmates, I said, “ Oh well, try to sit the way the teacher wants you to tomorrow.”

Years later, when I picked my children up from middle school, I just drove and listened.I learned so much about their lives and the kind of people they were becoming as they chatted with each other and their friends in the back seat.

It is vital that you engage your children in conversation if you want them to be successful in school. National Merit scholars — who represent some of the most academically successful students in the country – come from varying races, socio-economic classes, regions and schools. A common thread found among them is a daily uninterrupted family dinner hour, which engages the family in conversation.

While many parents consider eating dinner with their children important, studies indicate that less than 50 percent actually share a meal together at the table on a daily basis. Percentages decrease as children get older and families are pulled in different directions with numerous activities.As a result, our children’ s vocabulary skills are not developing properly. Today, children are increasingly asking, “ what’ s that?” about words they don’ t understand, according toDonald Davis, a professional storyteller who spends a great deal of time communicating with school-age children. Davis mentioned two opportune places where language often occurs – in the car and at the dinner table.

Talking to our children is one of the greatest gifts parents and other caregivers can provide. Technological advances are resulting in more and more gadgets that divert our attention away from personal interaction – most notably, good old-fashioned conversation.

As more automobiles are equipped with televisions and our schedules grow increasingly demanding, setting aside time to converse with our children is harder than ever.

But they deserve to hear our voices every now and then.