How to make the Tin Can phone happen in your household

Recently, Danielle Berwick's three elementary school-age kids playfully fought over who could use the phone to call a friend first.

Teacher assignments for the school year had just come out and each child (ages 10, 8, and 6) wanted to know if they'd landed in a class with their buddies.

Luckily for Berwick, they weren't jockeying to use her smartphone .

Instead, they wanted the Tin Can phone, a Wi-Fi enabled "landline" that's grown in popularity over the last year.

"It was really fun watching that," Berwick told Mashable of her kids' rush to phone a friend.

"It kind of took me back to my childhood." SEE ALSO: The landline phone is making a comeback and your brain will thank you The Tin Can payoff isn't about nostalgia, Berwick said.

The screen-free device has helped her kids develop phone, communication, and conversation skills.

It's also given them freedom to make their own plans.

Now Berwick, who lives in Michigan, isn't playing secretary by scheduling her kids' playdates, which she loves.

Berwick also sees the Tin Can as a way to delay giving her kids a smart watch or phone; she's worried about their exposure to social media, among other things.

Still, bringing a Tin Can into the household can still feel intimidating for parents who aren't sure whether the $100 device will become a fixture in their child's lives or another item cluttering their kitchen counter.

On-the-fence parents should know one thing about making a Tin Can work for their family: tapping into an existing community of Tin Can users, or making one of your own, is the key to success.

Tips for making the Tin Can catch on in your network When it comes to the Tin Can, this may not be as hard as it seems.

The company notched its highest-ever sales in August, according to co-founder and CEO Chet Kittleson.