I will venture to guess that you have heard the phrase, “Don’t play with your food,” on more than one occasion. Whether it was directed at your mashed potato volcano masterpieces, or your grade schoolers creative stall technique, this is a commonly held etiquette rule that I am going to suggest you suspend for the sake of joy. Yes, joy. Eating regular meals together is not as common as in years past due to over-scheduled children and parents, but if family meals brings up fun memories and feelings of joy, everyone will make a point of gathering around the table more often.
Five ways to make meal time more fun:
1. Be creative. Every magazine I open seems to feature creative food designs. The current Family Fun issue features a snowman bagel made by spreading cream cheese over the bagel, popping a baby carrot in the hole, olives for eyes and sliced red pepper mouth. The finishing touch was a thin slice of celery wrapped over the top of the snowman’s head with a broccoli floret on each side as ear muffs! Let your kids come up with their own food faces with healthy toppings and sauces. This is not just for little ones, let your teens design fruit animals or top their oatmeal or pizza with interesting designs.
2. Stick with it. Introduce your family to using chopsticks on a regular basis. Choose blunt Chinese chopsticks, thin, metal Korean chopsticks, or pointed Japanese chopsticks. They even make training chopsticks for newbies. These are excellent for slowing down the family meal, and inducing laughter if they are a new utensil!
3. Go world-wide. It does not take a lot of effort to introduce different cultures into your family meals. Sample food from different cultures by taking the time to study and prepare a new dish, or simply purchase something a little out of the ordinary from time to time. Even basic fare can be given special billing by sharing a quick tidbit about the item and pointing out the country it originated from, or is popular in, on a map. Even easier, find music from that region online and use it to add a little atmosphere to your meal.
4. Cook-off. My oldest and youngest planned an impromptu cook-off one night and it remains one of the more memorable meals we have had. Using what was on hand, they each prepared a dish and then had the rest of the family taste test and score their creations. Instead of a cooking contest, you could give the children the task of preparing a meal, or let them try a challenging recipe.
5. Invite a friend. Having different people over for dinner always adds to the experience. Whether it is the five-year old pal from across the street, a best friend, neighbors or relatives, their presence often has the unique effect of solidifying your family unit. Having strong family traditions is wonderful in isolation, but even better when shared. The kids see that they are part of something special and that can go along way in making them feel secure, no matter what their age.
More by Sylvie Branch:
Homemade Gifts for Kids by Kids
In-between Parenting: The Lost Tween Years
Family Fun in Front of the Fireplace