7 Ways to Make Your Kids Look Forward to Dinner
Make memories as a family today with a dinner your kids can look forward to. If you’re struggling to bring your household together every evening, consider these seven ways to make memories and support good eating habits with your children. See how sustainable food, family games, and other tips can make dinnertime the best part of the day.
1. Prepare Dinner Together
Children of all ages love the hands-on time spent with family. Have your kids help you make dinner to enjoy more quality time. While you may have more weekend free time, even a weeknight dinner can be prepared together.
The level of assistance a child gives you depends on their age. Your three-year-old needs supervision and may not be able to handle any step alone, but a teenager can prepare many of the steps with you to save time.
Preparing dinner together is a great way to pass on skills. Learn how to perfectly cook salmon or other fresh seafood with these surprisingly easy steps before passing this helpful knowledge on to your family. Older children are more than capable of handling many tasks with adult supervision. If your children see you having fun while learning new food preparation skills, it may encourage them to fall in love with cooking.
2. Shake Up Your Interior Decor
Sometimes the most dreaded part of family dinner for your children is the decor. If your dining room is bland or hasn’t been changed in years, it might be time for a refresh. Add some new art or photos to this essential eating room. Ask your children for interior design inspiration.
Dinner doesn’t have to be a formal affair. Consider other areas of your home where you can safely eat. Plan a weekend picnic or a patio party to make dinnertime a delight. You don’t have to invest in a full home remodeling project to make a memorable mealtime. Simply help your family all feel relaxed and at home in your dining area.
3. Create a Mouth-Watering Meal
You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to make a meal your family will love. Look for new twists on family-favorite recipes or find inspiration for a whole new dining experience. Take a culinary trip around the world through different cuisines or look for sustainable food choices to promote environmentally friendly eating.
Sustainable food gives you peace of mind as you prepare healthy, nutritional meals for your loved ones. When you start with high-quality ingredients and use a few simple food preparation tips, you can make restaurant-quality meals from your home kitchen in no time.
4. Make Time for Family
One of the most important features of dinnertime is time as a family. Clear some time in your schedule to make mealtime in the evening a time to bond with each family member. The Marriage and Family Therapy Program, University of Minnesota, stresses the importance of eating together as a way to improve child well-being.
Time spent around the dinner table means time talking, laughing, discussing, and learning. Don’t miss out on these key moments with your kids, from toddlers to teenagers.
5. Talk About Your Day
A lot can happen in your family in the course of a day. Do you know how your children spent the day? Dinner is a natural time to discuss daily tasks, goals, dreams, and surprises without awkward situations. Use conversation starters to encourage discussion without feeling like a nosy parent.
Don’t worry if daily conversations aren’t natural at first. Family members who aren’t used to eating together may take some time to warm up to the idea of discussing daily events. Over time, this can become a natural and enjoyable part of the evening.
What may start as sharing a few facts can lead to new insights and shared feelings. Talking about your day is a great way to express hidden emotions and bond as a family. Share struggles, celebrate successes and resolve conflicts around the dinner table. There’s nothing like a family bonding around the table.
6. Play a Game
When it comes to family dinner, it can be all fun and games. Try out a fun conversation-starting game or one that’s designed to encourage good manners. For example, give a pen or other object to a person who forgets their manners at the table. Continue to pass the object around until dinner is finished. The person with the object at the end must spend more time cleaning up after dinner.
Other games can be less focused on polite behavior. Playing telephone, alphabet soup spelling, or a guessing game can be a great way to create moments your children look forward to.
7. Have a Plan
Some days can drag by, while others fly at top speeds. Don’t worry if dinner comes and goes without creating an unforgettable experience. Have a plan in place for next time to better prepare for a new dinnertime routine.
A little planning can help you make memories, pass on good dietary habits and get your kids to sleep at a healthy time. Take one or more of these tips and make them your own to create a dining experience the entire family looks forward to.
