It is no surprise that having a solid mealtime routine is beneficial to the wellbeing of the entire family. Being able to set aside 30 min – 1 hour every evening, or at least a couple of times a week, does wonders to improve communication among family members.
I know, for some the thought of getting a meal on the table and having the starts aline so that every member is sitting at once might seem like a fairytale.
I have good news though! Establishing a stress/choas free mealtime routine may be easier that you imagined and I have tons of tips and trick to make it a reality for you.
Why Family Meals are Important
Before we jump into the when, where and how, lets discuss the why.
It should be no surprise that there are many benefits to spending time with your family for an hour each day. This intentional time does SO much to stregthen the communication bonds between family members, as well as it allows you as parents to keep a pulse on the wellbeing of the family.
Some other benefits are:
- Brings family together intentionally
- Establishing routine increases confidence and reliability for kids
- Encourages healthy eating habits
- Encourages good manners
- For working parents, it creates dependable family time at the end of the day
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Creating a family mealtime routine
A family mealtime routine does not have to be extravagant. Keep it simple. You also do not have to, nor should you, make an elaborate fancy dinner for every meal.
If having family meals is completely foreign to you, I definitely recommend starting with a simple meal, carryout, or delivery and focus on getting everyone to sit at the table together at the same time.
Clear off the table and just sit together.
You should consider:
- Setting a specific dinner time
- Establishing a routine for before dinner
- Establishing a routine for after dinner
Set a specific dinner time
While it may be difficult at first to stick to a specific dinner time, it is really important to set that expectation if you are hoping to make family mealtime a priority.
If all members know what time they are expected to be at the table, there are not surprises or reasons for arguement.
Make the time work for you. If you don’t get home until 4:30, don’t try to have dinner on the table at 5:00.
For us, my husband gets home at 5:00 and I like to try to have dinner at 5:30. This helps him avoid snaking as soon as he gets home and it allows us time after dinner to spend with the kids.
A before dinner routine
Once of the most chaotic times of the day for my family is right before dinner. The kids are restless and the baby is usually between naps. In order to get dinner done and on the table, it is important to have a gameplan for this time.
For the hour leading up to dinner, have an activity or something that can occupy them with little interaction from you. Many times I try to limit the kids screen time throughout the day so that I can save it for this time.
In addition, it is important to make sure the kids snack before this time. I try to cut off the kitchen from snacks 45 minutes leading up to meals. If the kids are hungry, they can snack on something I am preparing if possible. Hungry kids begging for food does not make your job any easier!
Have a transition plan
There is nothing worse than working your butt off to get everything on the table, piping hot, at once, and then having to hunt and beg everyone to stop what they are doing and come to the table.
By the time you wrangle everyone, everything is cold!
This can easily be taken care of by offering a 10 minute warning. This allows for plenty of time for games or TV to be turned off, homework to be put away, hands washed and everybody sitting at the table.
That would be glorious, wouldn’t it?
Hand washing before sitting at the table is a routine that can be established. (Getting the kids to wash thier hands is something I ALWAYS forget, I know… gross… but it is something I am trying to work on!)
Also, having assigned seats may seem unecessary, although they tend to happen naturally, they can be helpful because they can prevent any arguement from kids who want to decide thier seats every night.
Setting Mealtime Expectations
While we are hoping that family mealtime is an enjoyable experience for everyone it is also a good idea to establish some expectations.
Here are some examples of the expecatations that we have:
- Kids drink milk at dinner
- Must try everything on your plate
- Decide if you will enforce a clean dinner plate or eat until you feel full.
- We have some form of dessert every night if you earn it. You must eat enough meat and vegetables and be well behaved to earn dessert.
Obviously whatever works for your family is ideal. There is not perfect plan or structure for a family mealtime routine.
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A great place to start with Simple Living is to start making your own cleaning and personal products!
With this FREE eBook, you can easily get started with over 10 quick but effective recipes that use ingredients you already have in your house!
Get your kids involved
There is no reason that you should be doing everything. Encouraging kids to help and pitch in, allows them to learn much needed kitchen skills.
Have someone help you set the table. You can also have an older kid help with food prep or cooking. Cleaning up after the meal is definitely NOT something you should do yourself nor should you have to revisit a messy kitchen after the kids go to bed.
Instead, encourage everyone to help. Put on music and clean up the kitchen and dinning room before heading to the next activity.
In my earlier years, it was not uncommon for me to have dinner and then leave everything to move onto the kid’s bath and bedtime. Coming back to a messy kitchen was so hard because I was tired and ready to wind down. The last thing I wanted to do was was scrub pans and wipe surfaces.
Kids like helping and you will be amazing at how much of a different a couple of helping hands can make.
Making it work for your family consistently
Having a special dinner every so often is not difficult, but creating a consist family mealtime routine is something that may take a little more effort to keep in place.
Some ways that I am able to get dinner on the table and everyone eating together everynight is by utilizing some of the following:
- Meal planning – plain and simple.
- Prepping some food before hand, either earlier in the day or in bulk earlier in the week.
- Have an arsenal of simple meals that I can accomplish without thinking and with kids running around.
- Keeping weeknight meals simple! (Think: soup and sandwiches, tacos, sheet meals, instapot/slowcooker).
- If you don’t meal plan, spend 5 minutes in the morning, before kids get up or before you go to work to determine what dinner will be. This allows you to pull anything out of the freezer to defost in plenty of time.
Making Family Mealtime Pleasant
Ok so now that you have everyone FINALLY at the same table eating together, what happens next?
I know you want this to be enjoyable and a sucess, not something that makes you say “Never Again”!
Here are some tips for surviving the family mealtime.
- No phones or screens at the table – and that goes for parents also!
- No lecturing, save this for a quiet more intimate one-on-one time with the individual.
- Keep conversation engaging by asking open ended questions.
- Take it as an opportunity to teach younger kids about good manners and dinner ettiquite.
I think there is no denying the importance of sitting down every evening and sharing space and time with your family.
This time becomes a reliable means of connecting among family members and allows children time with thier parents that is unrushed, attentive, and routine.
Start small with one night this week.
Even if you are grabbing takeout, sit together and eat it. It does not have to be complicated.
Try it this week!
Your 1st Step to a Simple Living Lifestyle!
A great place to start with Simple Living is to start making your own cleaning and personal products!
With this FREE eBook, you can easily get started with over 10 quick but effective recipes that use ingredients you already have in your house!
Enjoy doing your own projects and making it yourself?
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Welcome to Wingin’ it on the Homestead! My name is Stephanie Leaf. I am a wife to a can-fix-anything husband, mother of two boys under 3, future expert gardener, lover of anything old and dusty, and inspiring homesteader. My family and I are new to this journey and loving every minute of it. Please join me in embracing a simpler life!