3 Easy Ways To Make Family Mealtimes Fun
Studies have shown that regular meals together as a family have lots of amazing benefits but sometimes family dinners become very monotonous. Here are 3 easy ways to make family mealtimes more fun!
Sometimes dinner time as a family can feel more like a battle than a fun bonding time with your children.
I don’t know about you but I remember some of my favorite meals as a kid were when we would go out to eat at a restaurant or sitting around eating during a big family get together.
What makes eating out so fun? The ambiance, right? Having mood music, fun decor, and a nice table setting. They all make the meal a little more special.
Also, maybe it’s the fact that eating out is often done with family and friends. So, how do we bring that kind of excitement to family meal time and why should we bother?
Why have family meals together?
Studies have shown that regular family meals have lots of beneficial effects which means there are lots of reasons to make family meals a regular occurrence. Even eating just one meal a day as family can have the positive benefits you want!
Some of the benefits from eating regular meals together include stronger family bonds, better grades, and lower engagement in high risk behaviors.
Perhaps, the best part of regular family meals together and making them fun is better eating habits! To me, these sound like really good reasons to make the effort to eat together.
How do we make eating together as a family more fun?
Make meal time more fun by setting the mood!
1. Play music
You can easily set a similar tone at home by playing some fun music! Play a Disney soundtrack or match the music to the style of food you are eating.
Look for playlists on Amazon Music and Spotify but we have found great playlists on Pandora as well. I have one here for Spanish music or look for specific artists like 123Andres.
Want ideas on making ethnic food nights fun and exciting for kids? See my guide on how to teach your children to become world food explorers for tips and tricks! Don’t miss the specific guides at the bottom.
2. Use fancy dishes
In college, my husband and I would often eat at an older cousins house for dinner on Sundays. They always set the table with China dishes and fancy glasses from the dollar store.
It was such a fun tradition that we decided to do it often with our children as well. They love when we start pulling out the fancy stuff!
Even if you don’t have China dishes, you can set the table with a tablecloth and put a vase with flowers on the table (even fake ones). You could also find a special set of dishes at a secondhand store to keep for your “fancy” dinner nights.
3. Change the location
Mealtime can be rather monotonous when it’s always in the same space. Move dinner outside to the patio, backyard, or even the front lawn.
If you don’t have outdoor furniture grab a blanket or beach towels and set up a picnic. Even something as simple as eating a picnic lunch on the kitchen or living room floor can be really fun.
Do you have any fun ideas or traditions for making meals special? Share with us some of your thoughts in the comments.
Want more ideas?
If you love these ideas, I made a printable idea list with 7 more ways to make dinner time fun. You can sign up to get the printable below!
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