5 Ways to Make Family Dinner Fun

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As a mom who works from home full-time, I understand how crazy days can be. It seems like there is just not enough hours in the day and I know I always feel like someone has hit the fast-forward button. A few weeks ago it really occurred to me that I wasn’t being the best mom I could be. I’ll be the first to admit I am not perfect (shocker right?) Yes I fed my kids but some of the time dinner was rushed and I hated that. So that is when I decided I was going to change the way we ate meals as a family and I decided it also needed to be more fun. So today I am partnering with Vanity Fair® Napkins to share with you 5 Ways to Make Family Dinner Fun.

I hope this post will encourage you to enjoy dinner more as a family like it did for me and of course, have more fun with it!

5 Ways to Make Family Dinner Fun

1. Dine like the kids. Sure it’s nice to pull out the expensive china for meal time but it’s not as fun especially for kids since they have to be careful. Instead, dine like the kids. Use their knifes, forks, plates, and even cups. My favorite are the bright colored plastic dinnerware. Meal time will be fun and colorful. Plus your kids will love it!
2. Allow the clutter at the table. Toys, Puzzles, and Games allowed at the table? Sure why not! The clutter is what reminds you that you have a family. Kids are known to have their stuff everywhere at all times. So why spend time tidying up the table just to enjoy dinner? Leave the clutter and dinner will be so fun.
3. Make a theme. You plan parties and events with themes, why not plan dinner around a theme? You can take it one step further than just “Taco Tuesday Night”. You can tell your kids to wear silly hats, wear a certain color, wear pajamas to the table, the possibilities are truly endless. It makes your kids want to have dinner with you because it’s totally fun!
4. Do it all backwards. Turn your plates upside down and eat on them, eat dessert first, or even eat breakfast at night. My favorite is to drink out of large toy blocks, cool right? These are all ways to do traditional dinner backwards which makes it so fun!
5. Make a table anywhere. This is my favorite idea of all! Instead of eating dinner every night at the same table, change it up. You can make a “table” out of almost anything. Your lap, a blanket, pillows on the floor, outside on a large rock, your laptop lap desk, I could go on and on. It’s not about the table so much but it’s about eating as a family together. The table comes naturally.

Pledge to Take The Table Back!

I mentioned before that life is hectic. We are all on fast-forward everyday so sometimes we need a little reminder that it is all going to be okay and we need to slow down for those that mean the most to us. Family Dinner time is so important and provides so many benefits as individuals and as a family.

That is why I few weeks ago I joined Vanity Fair® Napkins Take Back the Table campaign. The campaign allows families to pledge that they will eat together more often. Through the campaign families can also learn the benefits of family mealtime and creative tips to get their family excited about meals together.

I pledged to make family dinner time more fun and I have been doing that every day since. It hasn’t been easy and I’ll admit, there are days I was so tired but I will also tell you, it’s been worth it! You can watch my pledge below.

So what are you waiting for? Take the pledge. It’s as easy as this:

1. Get your family together and pledge that you will be eating together as a family more often.
2. Hold up a Vanity Fair napkin with another family’s name on it that you are going to nominate to take the pledge.
3. Share your pledge on social media with hashtag #takebackthetable and tag your nominated family in the post.

You can learn more about this campaign here. Don’t forget to follow Vanity Fair® Napkins on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

I took the pledge to #takebackthetable to show how important it is to spend more time with family at meal time.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vanity Fair® Napkins. The opinions and text are all mine.

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