Keep a Family Calendar
If you need to schedule work, school and extracurricular activities, a calendar will help you design a routine that’s feasible for you. Cut back on overtime or prioritize outside activities if it enables the family to sit down together a few times a week.
Prepare Simple Meals
Collect quick recipes and keep your kitchen stocked with all the basics. Salads and stir-fries are healthy and fast.
Plan Ahead on Weekends
Take advantage of any free time to bake lasagna or make a pot of chili. Freeze leftovers for quick weekday eating.
Get Takeout Food
Store the numbers for your family’s favorite takeout in your phone. Good options include pizza with vegetable toppings or tofu and mixed vegetables.
Involve the Whole Family in Making Dinner
Work together as a team to share responsibilities. Even small children can assist with setting the table and planning the menu while older kids cook or clean up.
Encourage Compromise
Give everyone a turn to suggest or prepare his or her favorite dishes. Kids will learn to accommodate others and express their preferences appropriately.
Turn Off the Television and Phones
Except for emergencies, take a break from answering the phone or watching TV during dinnertime. Focus on each other and on your conversation.
Family dinners are a wonderful opportunity to spend time together. With this one simple practice, you can get closer to your kids and help them grow up healthy and happy.
Dawn Corbett is a driven, self-motivated, elementary educator, and a molder of young minds. She has taught in public education for twenty plus years. Creating original content is something that she is passionate about and gets excited about. She knows the value of confidentiality, cooperation, and being a team player. Working as an editor and blog writer has given her a valuable opportunities to develop her own intellect and a different perspective on how to respectfully communicate with others in different styles.