How to Make Family Mealtime Easy and Fun

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, finding time to prepare meals and eat together as a family can be a challenge. Yet, shared meals are a powerful way to foster family bonding, instill healthy eating habits, and create lasting memories. Not only that, but studies show that eating together at least 3-5 times per week improves all family members’ success in life as well as physical and mental health. 

The best news is: every family member doesn’t necessarily need to be present for every meal. If at least two people eat together, that can be considered a “family meal” and will benefit those two people. Of course, the more the merrier, so try to get everyone together as often as possible, and make it a goal for each person to get their chance at eating with another family member at least 3-5 times per week.

Here are 10 tips to make it easier for busy families to come together for meals:

1. Prioritize Family Meals

Make family meals a non-negotiable part of your weekly routine. Treat them as important as any other appointment. Block out specific times on your calendar and plan around them. Prepare all family members by reminding everyone (no matter their age) that “tonight, we’re eating dinner together” long before the time comes to sit at the table.

2. Simplify Meal Planning

Reduce the stress of meal planning by adopting a weekly meal plan. Look at your calendar so you know which days you will have time to cook, which days you won’t be able to eat at home, and which days you’ll need to have something easy like leftovers to reheat. Consider themes such as Meatless Monday or Taco Tuesday to make decisions easier. Involve your children in planning to empower them and get them excited about what meals are coming for the week. For varying preferences, ensure there is at least 1 item on the table that each person is comfortable with. Many families find that a fruit option at all family meals works well. Lastly, simplify by starting small: Choose just one meal per week to eat together. After that feels natural and consistent, add another night…and so on. 

3. Keep It Convenient

Take advantage of weekends or quieter times to prepare ingredients or even entire meals in advance. Chopping vegetables, marinating proteins, or cooking grains ahead of time can save precious minutes during the week. If that’s not possible, embrace healthy convenience foods like pre-washed salad greens, frozen vegetables, or rotisserie chickens.

4. Be Flexible

When it seems like there are absolutely no available nights for family dinners, try sitting together for other meals in the day and/or on the weekends. It can also be fun to utilize free segments of time in between activities. A weekly picnic at the field between two kids’ baseball practices can create lifelong memories and be a good source of nutrition to quickly refuel your little athletes.

5. Cook Together as a Family

Turn meal preparation into a family activity. Assign age-appropriate tasks to each family member, turning cooking into a fun, collaborative effort. This not only eases the workload but also teaches children valuable cooking skills. Babies can play with safe pots and pans nearby. Toddlers can mix, dump ingredients, and wash produce. Older children can chop using age-appropriate knives, measure, read the recipe, crack eggs, and more. There is evidence that children who help prepare meals are more likely to eat those meals and/or taste a new food that they just interacted with in the kitchen.

6. Create a Relaxing Atmosphere

If you’re able to eat at home: Transform your dining space into a haven where your family can unwind in the evening or have a peaceful meal to fuel up for the rest of the day, if it’s for breakfast or lunch. Dim the lights, play soft music, and ban mindless distractions like phones or television. Most importantly, don’t stress over how many bites each child took nor pressure them to eat or try specific foods. A calm environment encourages meaningful conversation, connection, confidence and curiosity.

7. Batch Cook and Freeze

Cook large quantities of family favorites and freeze portions for future use. Having homemade meals on hand can make dinner preparation on busy days quick and easy.

8. Use Time-Saving Appliances

Invest in kitchen gadgets like slow cookers, pressure cookers, or air fryers. These tools can significantly reduce the time required to prepare nutritious meals, making it easier to stick to your meal plan. A slow cooker is my FAVORITE kitchen appliance when I know I have a busy day ahead. I can dump everything in there in the morning or midday, and dinner is magically ready when it’s time to eat!

9. Have a Back-up Plan

Keep a list of quick, go-to recipes with ingredients you typically have on-hand for nights when things don’t go as planned. Meals like omelets, stir-fries, pasta dishes with fresh veggies on the side, or sandwiches can be prepared in a flash and still offer balanced nutrition.

10. Make Mealtime Fun

Incorporate fun elements into your family meals. Create themed dinners, try new recipes together, or offer “DIY meals” regularly (such as a pizza bagel or rice bowl “bar” where everyone gets to choose their individual toppings). At the table, share jokes and use positive conversation starters to keep everyone smiling throughout. Making mealtime enjoyable can motivate everyone to participate and keep coming back for more.

Conclusion

Bringing your family together for meals is more about connection than spending hours making the most perfect meal from scratch. With a bit of planning, preparation, flexibility, and creativity, you can turn family meals into cherished moments that everyone looks forward to and form habits that will build a foundation of physical and mental health – for a lifetime. Happy dining!

 

I’m Dana “the dietitian” Dose, The Family Nutrition Pro, and I’m fueled by my vision to help all families eat together more often. I support parents of newborns through adolescents on their journey to stress-free and nutritious family meals.

 

Images: From Unsplash and Pexels

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