One of the hidden blessings in the past year due to the pandemic is the gift of being together more. I know this scenario isn’t the case for every family, but for a lot of us we’ve had a little more time at home. Maybe you are no longer running to four different practices during the week. Or maybe you’ve decided to scale things back in general. For several people, I’ve heard this means being together more as a family and having weeknight “family dinners.”
This practice is something I’ve tried to maintain for our family through the years. I look forward to family dinner time. We might miss a few here and there because of events and practices, but it’s something I try to do and have fun with each night. It’s our time to shut out the distractions, focus on one another, and learn about everyone’s day.
I also believe there are so many benefits to eating dinner as a family together. So, I thought I’d give you a few ideas for how we jazz up our weekly family dinners and put a little fun in them. We use these fun ideas to break the ice and spark conversation.
How to add a little fun to your family dinners:
• Let your kids help cook. My daughter is 10 and loves helping. She now even has a few signature dishes she makes on her own for the family.
• Play the “swap” game at dinner. We “swap” personalities and each person acts like another person at the table. It’s super fun and we always end up laughing hysterically.
• Play “high – low – high.” Go around the table and ask everyone to give a high for the day, share a low point and then end with another high.
• Play “restaurant.” Print a little menu and order your food from your kids. Let them wait on you and plate it and serve it to you — or the other way around.
Also, try these challenges for your family each month:
• Find some family dinner conversation starters.
• Make it a goal to eat four meals together a week as a family.
• No phones at the dinner table — Mom and Dad, that means you, too.
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