Making Time For Family Dinner
Depending on your situation, dinnertime may be a delightfully quiet time of the day. Or it could be the opposite; a frenzied moment of stress and activity, a rush before the next carpool. It might be leftovers eaten on your lap during soccer practice or in the drive-thru on a Thursday because dinner is the last thing anyone can think of. It may not be realistic to sit down together every night for dinner. But today we’re sharing tips to help you prioritize dinner time in your house. Family dinnertime can be a great time to reset and check in with each other. And even if it can only happen a couple times a week, we hope our tips will make it as easy and painless as possible.
Simplify Planning
Before the week begins, sit down on Sunday and map out the week. When will everyone be available to sit down to dinner? Save your cooking for those nights. The remainder of the evenings can go to leftovers, takeout, or clean out the fridge/fend for yourself night. Share your dinner schedule with your family and block the time on the calendar so everyone is aware and available.
A family dinner doesn’t have to be a four-course fancy affair. Lean on tools like a slow cooker, instant pot, or air fryer to assist. Or keep things simple with one-pan, one tray meals. If meal planning stresses you out, rotate themed nights (Grilled, Taco Tuesday, Breakfasty, Pasta, Soup) or rely on your back pocket, family favorites you don’t have to think too hard about planning time consuming new recipes.
Lean Into Rituals
Set the mood for the evening. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but including some rituals helps the everyday feel a little more special, cozier, and something your kids will look forward to. Put down a tablecloth or simple placemats. In cooler months when it gets dark earlier, include some taper candles, and turn on a favorite playlist. Turn off overhead lights and turn on lamps. Ask for help from family members. Younger kids can help set the table and fill water glasses. Older teens can help with the cooking and help serve food and carry items to the table. Even if you’re serving takeout or frozen pizza, grab some real plates and flatware!
Make it Fun
Our number one rule at the table is keeping it device-free. Keep a box or tray handy away from the table where everyone can stash their devices while eating. Keep the TV off. Another tip? Keep nagging family requests about chores, homework, and to-dos on mute. Let this time be dedicated to reconnection with each other. One fun tool is putting together a question jar of conversation starters. This is especially helpful if you get a lot of one word answers when checking in with your family members (you might be familiar with, “Fine.” “Good.” “Yes.” “No.” Or the simple shrug). Brainstorm a list of questions in your planner or notebook. You can enlist help from your family if they want to take part. After you have your questions, cut them into strips and put them into a jar. Pull out the jar as needed or requested. You may find your kids love the question jar!
Delgate
After dinner, we generally find everyone’s mood has improved after eating and it might be easier to enlist help to clean up the table and kitchen. Delegate evening duties such as clearing the table, putting away leftovers (bonus if this time includes packing lunches for the next day), washing dishes or loading and running the dishwasher, folding up table linens, and wiping down the table.
Post Dinner Moment
As your schedule allows, make time for a post-dinner moment. It could be taking a walk around the block, helping with homework, reading together, having a dance party, watching a movie, working on a craft, or playing a game. Even if busy schedules mean nights like this only happen once a week, set aside the time. You will never regret it and your kids will remember the feeling of your presence on cozy nights like these.
We’d love to hear how you handle family dinners in your house. Any tips or fun family rituals to share? Please share with us in the comments below!