5 Tips To Help You Make Family Dinner Great

Regular sit-down family dinners can make all the difference in a child’s life. Studies like this one tout the emotional and physical benefits for children who eat dinner with their parents. It’s been found that kids who eat regular family meals tend to do better academically, have better language skills, have closer relationships with their parents, eat healthier food, have fewer weight problems, smoke less, and use fewer drugs and alcohol.

What’s more, dinnertime is a wonderful way for families to spend time together, check in with each other, and hear about everyone’s day.

* Dine like the kids

Sure it’s nice to pull out the expensive china for meal time but it’s not as fun especially for kids since they have to be careful. Instead, dine like the kids. Use their knifes, forks, plates, and even cups. My favorite are the bright colored plastic dinnerware. Meal time will be fun and colorful. Plus your kids will love it!

* Allow the clutter at the table

Toys, Puzzles, and Games allowed at the table? Sure why not! The clutter is what reminds you that you have a family. Kids are known to have their stuff everywhere at all times. So why spend time tidying up the table just to enjoy dinner? Leave the clutter and dinner will be so fun.

* Make a theme

You plan parties and events with themes, why not plan dinner around a theme? You can take it one step further than just “Taco Tuesday Night”. You can tell your kids to wear silly hats, wear a certain color, wear pajamas to the table, the possibilities are truly endless. It makes your kids want to have dinner with you because it’s totally fun!

* Do it all backwards

Turn your plates upside down and eat on them, eat dessert first, or even eat breakfast at night. My favorite is to drink out of large toy blocks, cool right? These are all ways to do traditional dinner backwards which makes it so fun!

* Make a table anywhere

This is my favorite idea of all! Instead of eating dinner every night at the same table, change it up. You can make a “table” out of almost anything. Your lap, a blanket, pillows on the floor, outside on a large rock, your laptop lap desk, I could go on and on. It’s not about the table so much but it’s about eating as a family together. The table comes naturally.