How to Make Dinnertime with Kids ENJOYABLE

How to Make Dinnertime with Kids ENJOYABLE

How to Make Dinnertime FUN

It’s not always easy when dinnertime rolls around. With 5 kids, let’s just put it this way – there’s never a dull moment. Ever. I usually joke with my family that they could EASILY shoot a reality show in our house every evening for dinner and have enough content to fill 5 seasons in one month.

Here’s the thing – I have 4 of the pickiest eaters EVER in my house.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the worst), here is how my sons rate:

William – 8
Alexander – 10+ (if there was a 15, this would be Alex… poor guy, he doesn’t like much)
Benjamin – 7
Henry – 9

Literally, as you can see – I have 4 of the pickiest eaters.

There’s only about 3 dishes they will all collectively all eat for dinner without tears or going to be starving – grilled cheese, pasta with sauce and pizza.

To be completely honest and raw here, dinnertime can be a battle for us most nights. We refuse to eat separately or become short order cooks to the kids, so we’ve had to get clever when it comes to making dinnertime fun. It breaks my heart to see my son Alex cry and just sit there not eating anything. Throughout the last year we’ve tried VERY hard to come up with cute, fun and different ideas to make sure everyone has a smile on their face.

How to Make Dinnertime with Kids ENJOYABLE

Here are 10 Ways to Make Dinnertime Fun:

1) Have your kids help you create a food menu each week. This way your kids will have an idea as to what will be served during the week. This has been great for Alex because he’s not “surprised” at dinner anymore. He knows ahead of time what’s going to be made and prepped.

2) Have your kids go grocery shopping with you. You have the advantage of letting them help you pick out foods for dinner. This has been wonderful for all of the kids. We’re allowing them each “one” token boy item (and it can’t be candy or sweets).

3) Let them help you make dinner. Have your children each have a job and really make a big deal out of it. Believe it or not, my youngest son has enjoyed this the most.

4) Have an interactive type dinner – taco night, pasta bar night, make your own pizza night. Let them get excited about the process of dinner and how it’s being served. Taco Night has been our BEST night of the week! Boys keep asking for it.

5) Have breakfast for dinner one night! This is a HUGE favorite for the boys. Daddy’s “famous” pancakes are always a HUGE hit.

6) Eat dinner in the living room one night with the coffee table doubling as your table. Make it a fun and “different” kind of dinner experience! We call it FUN DINNER NIGHT. 🙂

7) Create a rainbow dinner one night. The goal is to have every color of the rainbow on your child’s plate. We started this so that the boys would branch out from just eating the SAME food all the time. It’s really helped quite a bit!

8) Head to the library or look online for some fun recipes. Let your child help you pick some really cool dishes to make for dinner. I’m telling you, Pinterest is AMAZING for this. I literally will search “kid recipes” or “kid dishes” and hundreds will pop up! It’s been an amazing resource.

9) Sometimes it’s as simple as wanting to make the table look different and fun. Buy some fun colored plates and napkins and have your child decorate the table in a creative and fun way for everyone! Everyone likes to be fancy once in awhile! 🙂

10) Let kids make dinner from beginning to end. OK, it’s mostly sandwiches and crackers, but they DO eat it and they DO love it.

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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2 Comments

  1. 3.29.14

    Letting my son help seems to be the key–though everything does take longer.

  2. 3.30.14
    Dawn said:

    Those are great tips. I have found that having my weekly menu planned and produce prepped ahead of time has really helped things be less chaotic around dinner time so I can actually sit down and enjoy my family 🙂

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