Family Dinner Time Activities And Conversation Starters

Growing up, dinnertime was never at the dining room table unless it was a holiday. Most times it was in the car, at the ballpark or in front of the television.

When I became a wife and a mother, I dreamed of the family time bonding that would happen each night at the dinner table. In my head, we had this nice gourmet dinner every night that my future husband and perfect kids would sit down to and we would be the perfect t.v. family.

Well, reality has quickly set in. It is a struggle to have that family time with insane schedules and less and less time to spend in the kitchen. I still strive to have the majority of dinners at the table.
Nonetheless, when we first started, I have to admit there was not much bonding on conversations going on. The kids and my husband would scarf their food down in order to get back to whatever they doing as fast as possible. I needed a plan and I needed it fast. Otherwise, I might lose hope and my dream. Here are some of the activities our family does to keep the conversation alive.

Devotional
There are some great family time devotionals out. When our son was young, we did one specifically for his age. As he has grown and our family has grown as well, we just do a story from the Bible then ask questions. It is a great way to grow together and closer to God at the same time. One warning is that you will find out a lot about your children even things you may wish you never knew.

High/Lows
This was made famous by the movie, The Story Of Us. As a family, we take turns telling the best part of our day or our High and the worst part of our day or our Lows. This is especially good during the school year because it helps you find out more about each other and their days at school and work.

Favorites
This takes a little more planning and can be as complex as you have the time and energy. You can cook every family members favorite meal. The family members will take turns telling their favorites such as favorite color, favorite food, favorite team, friend, teacher, etc. Be sure and take a picture of each member at the dinner table. Record the answers and then you can make a favorites scrapbook for the year.

Play Guess Who
Games are great bonding tools for families. Unfortunately at dinner time, they are often not practical. Guess who is a game that is. Each family member comes up with a person. You can decide on a theme in the morning and post the theme so family members come prepared. It can be a Bible character, or for the Fourth of July-a president-just be creative. Each family member gives clues as to who their person is such as notable accomplishments, etc. Be sure to have winning rewards such as a sweet dessert for those participating.

The key to having quality family time is to plan it in to your schedule. It is important to establish traditions and have unique stories and activities for only your family. Be sure when engaging your kids in a conversation to abstain from questions with yes or no answers. Ask open-ended questions that will really get them to open up.