New Fun Ways to Bring Family Back to the Dinner Table

Dinner doesn't need to be a catered affair with a lot of guests but rather a fun family affair where everybody can enjoy and participate in the evening festivities. Here are some suggestions on how bring the family back to the dinner table.

Make one night a week a family dinner night. But make it a fun family night with a theme. For example, you can do a game night, a kid rules night where the kids pick the food and the activities, or a dinner and a movie night.

If it is really a busy week you can be a little flexible. For example, if your kid has a softball game bring a sandwich to share together before the game or go out for a snack after the game. Also, who says that it has to be dinner that everybody has to have together. Make a special Sunday brunch or Saturday night munchies event. The meal can be as simple a cinnamon toast as long as you are together as a family.

Speaking of kid's insight let them participate in the making of the meal. They can help you shop, set the table, or they can pick out the dinner menu. This is a great opportunity for you to discuss the benefits of a healthy meal with them and let then let them help you pick out a healthy meal together. Sometimes you can let them pick out an unhealthy dessert if the rest of the meal is healthy. Also, show that there are healthy dessert and vegetable options that taste really good if you choose together the right dish. You can show them that you can bake eggplant instead of frying it by using cooking spray (same works for chicken) or make a tasty baked apple by baking it in apple juice. Show them how creative and healthy you can be in the kitchen when preparing dinner.

Make the table look festive. Choose a new table cloth each month, or every season. Century 21 has a great selection of cheap cloth tablecloth. Also, if you buy some white dishes then you can also buy some great cups or small dishes with a pattern to make some new dinner sets each week. You can even buy some funky patterned table clothes instead of the standard white. Also buy some new table mats to display every couple of months if you don't use table clothes.

Buy some pretty leaves from the farmer market to place on the dinner plates or place flowers in straw in each drinking glass to make the table shine, or place flowers in cups of water or even put them in some pretty water filled candy dishes. You can even let your kids show off their artwork by laminating their art work and using them as place mats. Photographs can put on mugs to drink from or place your kids vase they made in art class in the center of the table.

Have each member of family pick some music to listen to during dinner. Your kids taste may surprise. Maybe they do actually like some of your music and vice versa.

Make a kid friendly drink that everybody can enjoy. Punch using ginger ale, a new flavored ice tea instead of the standard lemon or make some smoothies using the great selection of summer fruits

Have fun conversations rather the standard question how was your day You can have everybody start off the meal with a joke, a funny incident or a funny moment that happened it them that day.

Start the meal with sometimes spiritual or profound. It doesn't always have to be religious. You can start the meal with a poem, a short story or look at other religions to see what blessings they bring to the table.

Make dinner a surprise. Get everybody to choose their favorite dish and then in a hat pick out one of the dishes.

Get your husband or kids to make dinner. So they won't be totally lost get them started by giving them some easy recipes to try.

Try and taste some new items for dinner. Try making yucca, or cassava, or bread fruit. Bring some international flavors to the dinner table. Make it an Italian night that not just meatballs and spaghetti. You can focus on many different aspects of Italian cooking but just looking at the different dishes that come from the many different regions of Italy.

Have a theme for dinner. You don't have to be Italian to have the Italian Sunday supper.

Have a fatty food night. It is important to eat healthy but let them know Mom enjoys a greasy burger and fries sometimes too.

You can make a quick dinner. You can just buy a roasted chicken and some salad and bread and have a very quick meal in minutes.

Remember the meal is about the food and family centered around the table enjoying each other company. Make the meal fun and original and everybody will be begging for seconds helpings.