Sharing
mealtimes with family is important, not just to keep our tummies full, but also
to create connections and emotional bonds. We are all so busy these days that
sometimes it’s easier to feed the kids first, eat in front of the television,
or even eat on the go.
Preparing and sharing a sit-down meal every evening is a traditional way to get all members of the family talking.
Preparing and sharing a sit-down meal every evening is a traditional way to get all members of the family talking.
Breakfast Out
Once a month on the weekend why not turn breakfast into a
big social affair? Gather your brood and set out on an early morning adventure.
Grab the kids’ colouring books, compactgames such as travel draughts, and the day’s
newspapers. You can search www.breakfastnearby.com to find restaurants open in you area at your chosen time.
Bond over pancakes and maple syrup and poached eggs and hash browns.
If you
have older children, choose one current affair topic to talk about that day.
Leave younger kids to their colouring books and story reading. The point of the
exercise is to create a regular family get together. Even as your children grow
up, they will appreciate the closeness and the connectivity. They may even
start treating you to breakfast when they get their first job!
Coffee, Cake and Ice-Cream
As a mom or dad, take each of your children out solo for a
little treat once a month. This is a great opportunity to get to know your kids
individually. Bond one-on-one over coffee, cake and ice-creamsundaes. Make it a fun ritual that you can carry
through to adulthood. Turn off your technology and share an ice-cream sundae!
We might feel like we are with our kids all the time. But how many of those
moments are spent nagging, making them do homework, telling them to clear their
rooms, etc....?
If you
have a big family, it’s a brilliant way of giving each child their own special
time. Lots of children in larger families often feel like their voice is not
heard. Go on a fun date with each of your children, and devote an hour or so to
listening to them. Strengthening your relationship and opening up more
communication channels can only be a good thing. And let's face it; no-one is
going to turn down a date when it involves ice-cream!
Everyone Makes Dinner
Another
once a week practice to adopt is to have a night where everyone helps to
prepare dinner. Get a member of the family to choose the meal and rotate the
choice each week so everyone in the family gets to pick. Best to make a list of
what options they can choose. You don’t want anyone picking a dinner of Oreos
and ice pops! Give everyone a role in the preparation of the meal. This is a
fun bonding exercise and teaches your kids about healthy meal planning and
proper preparation. Keep hot pan duties to the adults and let older children
chop and peel and dice. Younger ones can wash any fruit and vegetable and count
out spaghetti! Make the dinner a plush affair. Add serviettes and candles and
play an after dinner game. Sharing a sit down meal together at least once a
week gives your children an active voice in the family. It also gives you and
your spouse a chance to properly catch up. Eating together has also been known
to lower obesity rates and eating disorders. It instills family values into
your children that they can carry through the rest of their lives.
For all of
these dates make sure to use a sharpie and write them in big on your monthly
calendar. It’s easy to do things like this once or twice and then forget again.
Put the dates in each of your family member’s phones and add an alarm reminder
so everyone knows where they are supposed to be and at what time. Get into the
habit of making family meals a social affair. By doing so, you will cultivate
stronger and more solid relationships with your spouse and children.
I miss having dinner at home with my children. When they were little we ate dinner together every night, and caught up on what everyone was doing while we were eating. I think it made us closer as a family.
ReplyDeleteWe eat most meals together and around our kitchen table. We play a game to allow everyone a chance to share about their day in a fun way.
ReplyDeleteThese are great ways to get the family together. I love dinner time. It's the one time we're all tech-free and spending quality time together.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I love making food together as a family!
ReplyDeleteWe ate dinner as a family every night when my children were young. Now I have just one teenager and we don't eat together as often as I would like.
ReplyDelete