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Can't Wait for Dinner
Making Family Mealtime Fun for All
By Amy Dingmann
Many parents understand the benefits of eating dinner together as a family, but it can sometimes seem like a chore just making it happen. However, dinnertime is a great opportunity to connect with your family and learn more about what's happening in their lives – so why not make it a fun event everyone wants to be part of?
Often parents complain that preparing a family dinner is a lot of work. True, preparing a meal can be a task, but the more people involved in the task, the faster and easier it can be! Encourage all family members to help with suppertime chores, whether it is setting the table, sweeping after dinner is through or loading the dishwasher.
"Make sure you rotate jobs as is appropriate for age and ability, so one person is not always stuck with the same job," says Robin Stevenson, a mother of two from St. Francis, Minn. "Kids can get bored with the same job over and over ... and then you have trouble!"
Dr. Bill Doherty, professor of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota, suggests getting everyone involved in making upcoming dinner plans and menus. "Have everyone in the family submit meal suggestions (tacos, fish, meatloaf, chicken) and activities (eating dinner on a blanket on the floor; setting a formal dining table; switching up the seating arrangement) they would like to try," he says.
For fun and variety in your menu, try integrating days when all the dinner food has to be a certain color, start with the same letter or come from a specific country.
You don't have to be an adult to help out with dinnertime tasks. Even the youngest family members can get involved.
"Sometimes I have my 2-year-old help me cook or clean up," says Katie Dusing, a mother of two from Sauk Rapids, Minn. "He pours dried noodles into water or ingredients into a mixture. He's helped me make brownies or cakes."
