Making family mealtime an important tradition
Credit to Author: Cheryl Song| Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2018 07:54:09 +0000
Are technology and other distractions impacting your family dinner time?
In today’s busy family schedules, families often forgo mealtime together as family. And when families do manage to eat together, there are often technology distractions, leading to fewer meaningful conversations or connections.
Having regular family mealtime is very important for family members to connect and strengthen family ties especially during the challenging settlement stage in Canada. It is possible to make it a regular family tradition, with the right ingredients: a dash of creativity, a table of great food and a roomful wonderful company.
Need some inspiration? Here are 10 ways to bring successful family mealtimes to your home.
1. Start with basic meal time expectations and etiquettes. Limit distractions and ensure everyone’s presence by turning the television off, and putting away all phones or tablets.
2. Laughter is the best medicine. Telling jokes or funny stories is a great way to break the ice and de-stress. Ensure the jokes are appropriate for everyone, and avoid offensive jokes or jokes that make fun of people.
3. Play mealtime games, such as 10 questions or other guessing game. Use games to teach children about fun and interesting facts about food and mealtime rituals. Make it interactive and encourage children to come up with their own games.
4. Use mealtime as an opportunity to discuss future family plans or activities. Encourage children to share something happy, positive, kind and inspiring or something they are proud of. Celebrate their learning or extracurricular activities achievement, such as sport or recital highlights.
5. Come up with different questions for rich conversation. Take inspiration from current events, books, movies, sports, fashion or questions that will get to know different family members.
6. Reminisce by sharing a favourite family memory, perhaps about your immigration journey. Start with family stories, photos or heirlooms as a conversation starter, and keep family memories alive for generations to come.
7. Invite guests over or go to other people’s house for dinner. These are great opportunities for children to learn how to be hospitable and practise dinner etiquette, and share foods and rituals.
8. Introduce one-pot meals such as hot pot or fondue that allow family member to gather around a pot of delicious food, and to cook and eat the food together. It requires minimal pre-meal cooking, other than preparing the variety of delicious ingredients.
9. Everyone likes to customize one’s own meal. Start with a base, and encourage everyone to add his or her own toppings with array of healthy options. Whether it is individual pizzas, tacos, sushi, omelet, crepe or Vietnamese role, the combination and possibilities are endless.
10. Shake up meals by serving breakfast food at dinner time, trying different cooking methods or food from different cultures and countries.
There is no better way to bring family, friends and community together than sharing a meal together. Let’s make family mealtime a priority in our busy lives. With the upcoming holiday season, spice up family mealtime and enjoy wonderful family meals together!