7 Tips to Make Family Meals Enjoyable

By 12/20/2021 09:57:00 AM

Does your family eat together? I've always enjoyed having a meal with my family. It's a great time to share and catch up about our day.


But according to a YouGov survey (link at end of post), a third of American families have difficulties in finding time to eat meals together. A few different reasons include:

  • Due to family members being on different schedules (65%)
  • Having picky eaters in the family (14%)
  • Family members not wanting to spend time with others (13%)

Is your family part of that static? Then here are a few tips to help you make change for your family.

Wren Kitchens have revealed seven tips, from having the kids help plan the meals, to getting creative with dinner times, these tips aim to make family meal-times more enjoyable.


1. Mix up meals


Having a variety of different meals lined up is a good way to get kids excited to eat. Themed mealtimes are another way to make things more enjoyable, these could be things such as Fajita Fridays, Spaghetti Bolognese Saturdays or even Meatball Mondays.

Planning mealtimes like this can also be a good opportunity to start shaping interests around cooking. As a skill, cooking can benefit children in a variety of ways from learning basic math concepts (in terms of weighing out ingredients) to building on language skills as they communicate on each of the steps involved in the recipe.

2. Ban all electronics at the table


Over three quarters (77%) of American parents believe their children would benefit from taking a one hour break from electronics daily. Young children that use devices during mealtimes could miss out on developing vital social skills like conversing with people.

Turning off the TV and banning phones from the table helps to re-focus attention on being with your family and having healthy conversations with each other. Doing so, also ensures there are minimal distractions, and the duration of the meal is purely focused on spending time with each other.


3. Engage in conversation


One in seven (12.5%) American’s don’t find it important to eat together as a family, but mealtimes can be a chance to engage in healthy, honest conversations with each other about everyone’s day.

Discussing what everyone did in there day helps encourage a space where everyone, not just the kids, can speak honestly to each other.


4. Get the whole family involved


Rather than one family member taking on all tasks associated with mealtimes, try delegating different tasks (washing up, getting drinks, setting the table etc.) to different family members. This means that everyone has something to own and everyone can get involved when it comes to meals.


5. Work around everyone’s schedule


It’s important to remove the pressure of family mealtimes just being at dinner as this might not always meet everyone’s schedules. Breakfast and lunch also count towards family meals and could be a great way to get everyone together, even just a snack together could help build relationships in the family further.

Start with just once a week if that works best for your family and try to build up to more.


6. Get creative with it


Meals don’t just have to be at the dinner table, you can get creative when eating to try and make it more fun for everyone – not just the kids! This could be an indoor picnic, building a den and eating inside it, or even taking your dinner out to the local park for a picnic.


7. Have your kids help plan meals


Kids are more likely to eat something if they’ve been able to choose what it is. To help those that are more on the picky side, try to plan meals for the week together. It can also help children to feel more excited about breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week when they know what is coming up.

Learn more - www.wrenkitchens.com/us


Sources:

- https://today.yougov.com/topics/relationships/articles-reports/2019/11/12/family-dinner-poll-survey

Statista

- https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5249
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/cooking-preschool.html
- https://www.understood.org/articles/en/should-i-let-my-child-quietly-use-his-phone-at-the-dinner-table

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