With all of the distractions in our busy lives, eating as a family has become a challenge. Even though establishing the routine of eating together can be difficult, the social, mental, emotional, and nutritional benefits are worth it! Here are 5 tips to help you to start making this a standard practice in your home.
1. Involve them!
Including your child in choosing the meal, preparation, and clean-up gives them a sense of accomplishment and control. Go through some recipes on Pinterest and have them pick a recipe that looks good to them. Not only are they more likely to try new things and finish their meal, but they also develop important life skills.
2. Prepare some conversation starters
One way to promote healthy communication with your child or teen is by simply asking about their day during meals. It’s important to be curious about how their day went because when they openly communicate about small things, they will feel safe to communicate about the big things. Questions like: “What was something good that happened? What about not so good? What would have made it better?” gives them a safe non-judgemental space to talk to you about the good and the bad.
Print out some fun conversation starters with hypotheticals or would you rather questions. Visit https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/50-family-dinner-conversation-starters/ for a great list of ideas!
Change the scenery!
Is the weather nice? Set up a fancy picnic with blankets, pillows, a spread of your family’s favorite foods, and some string lights. During the cold months try an indoor picnic in a different room and set up some games to play.
Keep it distraction-free
Staying present in the moment plays a key factor in making meals a time of connection. Have all family members leave phones, work, social media, devices, and other distractions in a separate room.
Work your way up
It’s important that committing to family meals not only happens regularly but works best around your family’s schedule. Every night may not be feasible for you and that’s ok! Extracurricular activities, work, and other events can make weeknights hectic for family dinners. It’s important to start with evaluating your commitments and figuring out one night a week to start making this a non-negotiable in a way that is sustainable. Then, as you evaluate commitments, more nights may open up. Maybe most nights it makes the most sense for your family to dedicate 15 minutes of focused togetherness.
Family meals are an amazing opportunity for parents to establish a connection with their young children and teens. Time together around the dinner table promotes connection, life-skills, the ability to handle the stress of daily life, and healthy eating habits. We hope these tips give you the tools you need to implement regular meals together in your family.