Laurelhurst
Nutrition
Advisory
Committee

Resources to Help Create Fun Family Meal Times
Connect, Create and Communicate with Your Kids

Conversations to Go, by Moonjar
Conversations to Go is a small box filled with big questions to keep families talking!  It is available at All for Kids for $12.95.

TableTopics Family Edition, by TableTopics
TableTopics Family edition was created to help foster family connections around the dinner table. This mix includes questions about family history, values, and opinions for families with children 5-12 years old.  It is available at Fireworks for $25.00

Communicate through your child’s lunchbox – slip in a love note or a message of encouragement. See the following books to inspire you:

• Lunch Box Letters: Writing Notes of Love and Encouragement to Your Children by Carol Sperandeo and Bill Zimmerman. This book has colorful papers –even special holiday ones– on which to put your notes of encouragement to your child. Available at Amazon.com for $8.95.
• Lunch Box Notes from Those Who Care by Norm Caldwell. A book full of tear away notes to leave for your loved ones. Available at Amazon.com for $4.35.
• Lunch Box Notes from Source Books. More tear out notes of love and encouragement. Available at Amazon.com for $5.95.

Have your children take turns helping you make the dinner once a week. If children have a part in helping create the dinner, they’re more apt to eat it, or try it, if it’s a new food for your family.

Let the children have creative license in setting the table.                           

• Have fun napkins on hand.
• Have a selection of colorful candles so you can dim the lights and get cozy.
• Invest in plastic (for the younger set) “wine” glasses to liven up the milk quota.
• Have the children create their own placemats or invest in ones that have some significant subject matter; a map of the world, ballet poses, or a “how to lay out the silverware” placemat.

Create a family centerpiece.  Find a sturdy twig with branches that stands inside a vase of sand or marbles and hang family photos from the branches (a good use for some of those school photos).  Or make it a seasonal tree – using autumn leaves, jack o’ lantern images, or valentine hearts.

Liven things up with a “backwards dinner” Start the dinner out with dessert – whatever that may be for your family – and then work your way back! The children will be so surprised that they may be more enthused about eating because it’s a novel idea.