Research shows that sitting down to dinner is an important protective factor in maintaining the health and well-being of your children. Establishing a set dinner time is the first step. Engaging your children in activities that extend the dinner hour is the second step.
Children love doing homework with you at the dinner table, they love playing card games, testing themselves at math facts and bringing new, sometimes even made-up vocabulary words to the table. Take your time, talk, laugh and talk for hours.
After dinner extend the fun by labeling each night a different family activity.
Monday Night is Discovery Night
Bring the "Discovery Box" to the dinner table. Place unique, familiar or fascinating objects in a box and allow each child to pull an object and talk about it. After dinner go on-line or take a trip to your local library to learn more about topics related to the things in your discovery box.
Tuesday Night is Reading Night
Prepare early readers, by bringing everyday objects to the table that have words or print on them, such as cereal boxes and other items in your cupboard. Play reading and guessing games using the printed materials. Play games with the words, making silly sentences, tongue twisters and fun stories.
Wednesday Night "You are a STAR"
Play find your "Star Word." Assign one word to each child. That is the word that makes them A STAR at this meal. Frequently occurring words such as "The, and, it, him, her, she, he" are good beginning words. Then have each child bring a book to the table, choose a page, and name how many times their STAR word appears. That number becomes the child's "Magic Number" for the night and every time he encounters that number for the rest of the evening he gets to make a wish or discuss his current life dreams and aspirations.
Thursday Night it's Show and Tell
Play show and tell at your family table. Have your children bring an object, a piece of art, a song or something to share. Shine the "spot-light" on one child at a time and allow only him or her to share.
Friday Night is Family History Night
Bring family photos, heirlooms or pieces of family history to the table and talk about your family ancestry and historical family member's life experiences.
Saturday Night is Game Night
Play board games, cards, chess or checkers at the table after dinner to enhance your family experience.
Sunday Night You're on Broadway!
Put on a show, dance, sing, do a skit Laugh and "lift each other up" with genuine compliments, enthusiasm and joy.
You will enhance family relationships and help your children develop self-esteem when you extend your family dinner with family fun!
