This month, we’re encouraging families to come together for dinner and create lasting memories. Join us for a series of fun and easy challenges designed to strengthen family bonds and make mealtime a meaningful experience. Here’s what we’ve got planned:
Did you take the Challenge? Please take this (short) post challenge survey to tell us how it went! https://poll.app.do/family-mealtime-challenge-2024-post-test
Week 1: Family Dinner Week: Commit to having dinner together as a family at least 4 times a week. If 4 times a week sounds too challenging, try adding one extra mealtime more than your typical week. Let’s make mealtime a priority! 🍲 Adding additional family meals may take some additional planning, check out our list of slow cooker recipes or air fryer recipes to make dinner easier.
Week 2: Tech-Free Table Challenge: Make dinner a screen-free zone. Put away the phones, TVs, and tablets and focus on each other. 📵 Tech Free week is a great time to discuss Table Manners! Table Manners are an important skill for kids to learn, read more about table manners here and start creating a positive mealtime experience!
Week 3: Dinner Conversation Starters: Engage your kids with fun conversation topics. Ask your kids about their day, favorite hobbies, or dreams for the future! Let’s make every meal a time to connect. 💬 Learn more about why family mealtime is important and how it can benefit your family and children.
Week 4: Kid Cooks Week: Whether they help with the chopping or the cooking, get them involved in the kitchen. Let them help plan and prepare one meal this week! 👩🍳 Check out our list of Kid Friendly recipes to gather some inspiration for your kiddos!
Week 5: Clean-Up Crew: Make post-dinner cleanup a team effort. Assign tasks and work together to tidy up after dinner. 🧽
Join the fun, share your progress, and let’s make September all about family mealtime! Tag Dinner Tonight on Facebook and Instagram to share your experiences and use the hashtag #familymealtimechallenge !
Research has found significant associations between positive family and parent interpersonal dynamics at family meals and reduced risk for childhood overweight (1). What does a positive family and parent interpersonal dynamic at family mealtime look like? This simply means that there was warmth, group enjoyment, and parental positive reinforcement. Additionally, research has shown significant associations between positive family and parent food-related dynamics (1) i.e. the family had a healthier relationship with food that ultimately reduced the risk of childhood obesity.
