Happy National Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children!

What will you do to maximize your time as a family at the dinner table tonight? Which of my tips, conversation starters and table games helped you prepare for Family Day?

 National Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is  on Monday, Sept. 28 — just 3 days from today!

Here’s another dinner table idea:

Tap into your child’s creative side when you ask questions. Children love to daydream and play pretend. Ask them what they would buy if they won the lottery. Other questions could include: “If you are going to a deserted island for a year and could take one item, what would it be and why?” “If you could meet a person from history, who would it be and why?” “If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?” “In the movie about your life, what actor would play you and your family members?”

What dinner table ideas and games have helped you create closeness with your family? 

National Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is just 4 days away!

Here’s a fun way to celebrate: start a dinner quote-along. Designate the table conversation to be made up completely of quotes from films your family enjoys together. Activities that make the family laugh and encourage conversation enhance a family’s closeness.

What are some of your family’s favorite films that will spark a quote-along?

Getting ready for National Family Day on September 28? We’re only 5 days away!

Play the “60 second game” where you give each family member 60 seconds to detail as much as they can about their day. It’s guaranteed to give you the giggles!

Had a chance to try out some of these ideas yet? What results have you seen? Share your ideas!

National Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is just 6 days away! Warm up with this dinner table favorite:

Name three super powers you’d like to have. Let your family give you a superhero name that they can call you for the rest of the meal (or longer!)

National Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is just a week away!

Here’s a tip to get you geared up for September 28: Focus conversation on a different family member each night. Get to know each other better by playing “favorites” – let each kid ask the adults 4 questions to see what they know about his/her favorite things (“What’s my favorite song?” “What’s my least favorite school meal?”). After your children get the hang of it, don’t be surprised if they’re volunteering to go first.

Get ready for Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children!

To prepare for September 28, open up conversation at the dinner table by avoiding yes or no questions. Ask thought provoking questions that challenge your children to think quickly, form opinions and express their thoughts. Begin conversations with “Tell me about…” instead of “Did you…”

Hi everybody!  I am embarking on a campaign this fall challenging parents to make time to enjoy dinner as a family, and reminding parents how important quality time and the words “I love you” can be. The campaign coincides with a national call to action on Sept. 28, 2009 in support of National Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children™. To celebrate Family Day, I am posting tips, conversation starters and dinner table game ideas for family members and friends to use to enjoy qualify family time together at dinner.  Dinner games are a great way to engage your family at the dinner table. The most effective games take only one to three minutes to play, are no-hassle and mess-free. Dinner games should also appeal to a variety of ages and be educational. When used effectively, they have the power to open up conversation, enhance closeness, and even encourage good eating habits!  Feel free to share some of your own ideas! 

I hope everyone enjoyed Tell Your Child ‘I Love You’ Day yesterday! We shared a month’s worth of creative tips and ideas together leading up to this national celebration. I would love to hear what ideas you set into motion to let your child know that he/she is loved. Did you borrow any ideas from my blog? How did you get creative? How did your child respond to you telling them “I love you”? What ideas can you implement into daily living to reinforce with your child how much you love them?

 Happy Tell Your Child ‘I Love You’ Day! How will you tell your child ‘I love you’ today?

A final idea for the conclusion of Love Your Child month: Explore the Market Square Farmers Market or Central City Co-op Downtown Green Market and teach your child about fresh foods, how it is produced and transported, etc. It’s a perfect opportunity to apply a real life lesson in a fun environment with academic subjects like photosynthesis, plant life, and digestion. How do you like to spice up boring subjects with your children?