Gathering everyone around the dinner table at the same time is no easy feat, so each person will need to schedule their other activities accordingly.

• Be prepared. If children get hungry before all family members are home, plan a healthy snack well before the meal, or feed them part of the evenings meal (salad or fruit) early. Then at mealtime, everyone still gathers around the table to enjoy.
• Make it a priority. Pick one night a week that everyone agrees to be home on time for a meal. A parent may need to commit to leaving for work early that one day and children might need to decline any invitations. After you have adjusted to eating together, you will learn how to schedule activities and mealtimes so that everyone is eating together at the same time.
• Make it a breakfast or lunch date
• Make it Memorable: Eat the meal backwards. Wear your shirt backwards, sit in the chair backwards. Set the table with the fork on the right, knife and spoon on the left. Eat dessert first, followed by the main meal, then a salad. Eat with the opposite hand. OR start the day with a typical evening meal like hamburgers or pasta, and end the day with "breakfast".

Eat in the dining room with a special tablecloth, the nice china, and lots of candles.

Please TELL US how your family has successful mealtimes so we can share it with others.

No TV
No Phone Calls
Don’t Lecture or Fuss
Don’t become the Manners Police
Make sure everyone pitches in

Dinner With Dad

TV and the Family Table

Low Stress Meals

How to Carve Out Family Dinners