Make Dinner Time Matter by Connecting With Your Kids

As a parent, there are moments weaved into your day that set the stage for intentionally connecting with your children. If you are aware of these moments, you can use them to your advantage to make the most of the time you have with your children. One of these moments can be found during dinner time. Family dinner time is the perfect time of day to connect with your children on a more personal level. Everyone is sitting – or kind of sitting if you have toddlers, and you can make it a point to put all distractions aside. Turn the TV off. Put phones out of reach. Use dinner time to intentionally connect.

We tend to think connecting with our children is more complicated than it is. While initiating mommy and me dates, planning family outings, and carving out special activity time is fun, it doesn’t have to always be that big. By using the times within our day and routines that are already present, we can take connecting with our children to an entirely different level.

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So, here is how to use dinner time effectively to connect with your children:

Get them in on the action. I’ll be honest, giving my children jobs in the kitchen can be a big headache, not to mention a big mess. It also can end up taking so much longer. But giving them a job makes it fun for them and it’s a great way to spend time together! Even if it is as simple as having them set the table. It won’t be perfect, but it’s not supposed to be.
Turn off all distractions. Turn off the TV. Put away phones. No tablets. Let dinner time be a time where you intentionally connect with your children. Set the stage for connection by removing distractions.

Dinner time conversation starters. These dinner time conversations starters have been a huge difference maker in our family. If my husband or I don’t grab them, our kids will run to the drawer we keep them in and pull them out. They LOVE going through our conversation starters and they’re a fun way to connect.
Keep it simple. It doesn’t have to look pretty. It doesn’t have to follow all the rules. Just keep it simple and let dinner time be about connecting.

I created some fun dinner time conversation starters for your family. Just print them, laminate them, and keep them close by. These have been our favorite way to make dinner time fun and my kids love it. We use them to start the conversation, and sometimes we can rabbit trail from a question into five other questions. It has been a fun way to get to know more about our kids in such a simple way. It makes connecting with your children during dinner time easy!