Fun themes for family dinnertime

Apr 06, 2011 3:33 PM by Cait Braeden

Posted in Parenting / Family Fun / Family Activities

Add Some Fun To Family Dinners

Let's face it, families are busy these days, so it can be hard to find time to eat together. These 7 fun theme ideas can add a little sparkle to family mealtimes!

Family dinnertime

Dinner together benefits the whole family

Families that practice good communication, whether it be in a vehicle or at the dinner table, are more likely to have children that are substance- free, notes the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. But the family dinner ritual brings with it many other benefits, including the opportunity for kids to learn social skills.

In addition, studies indicate that families that have dinner together on a regular basis have children who perform better academically and have greater self-esteem.

>> Creating a family meal time

For the modern family, a nightly dinnertime -- where everyone is in attendance -- may be impractical or even impossible, but that doesn't mean the idea should be abandoned altogether. The point is not what's served, but rather engaging children in meaningful conversation and establishing dinnertime as a family routine.

Take a shortcut

If you're seriously strapped for time and energy, take advantage of readily available shortcuts such as take-out and frozen food. Frozen pizza becomes a feast when served on fancy dishes and colorful placemats! And you needn't sacrifice nutrition for the sake of convenience.

>> 20 tips to simplify dinnertime

Take-out roast chicken with veggies, pad thai and chicken burritos are all vitamin-packed dinner options. Rochester New York-based mom and personal chef Patti Battista offers a healthful selection of dinners thorough her business, The Casserole Connection. We love her kid-friendly creamy stovetop pasta, which can be adapted with any protein and cheese on hand.

Below are a few fun theme ideas to get you started on saving family dinner.

Viking Night

One creative family we know started this tradition years ago. Their children, who are now in high school and college, recall it fondly.

The premise: Eat like a Viking warrior -- with your hands! No silverware is allowed.

The menu: Let each child take a turn selecting the evening's menu. Encourage them to pick foods that are fun to eat with the hands -- the messier the better! Some ideas include spaghetti and ice cream.

Tips: Dress the part! Encourage your kids to make helmets and shields out of materials you have around the house. Cover the dining table or picnic area with a sheet. When dinner's done, this makes for easy clean up. Want to make this a movie night? Maybe you can watch How to Train Your Dragon!

Dinner and a Movie

This one is a Saturday night tradition at our house.

The premise: Just as it sounds.

The menu: Select food to go along with the theme of the evening's feature, or let each child pick his favorite menu (within reason). Some suggestions: Lady and the Tramp Spaghetti and Meatballs, Finding Nemo fish and chips.

Tips: Dinner first! For a treat, serve dessert in the family room while watching the movie.

Color the rainbow

The premise: Have foods for dinner that represent every main color of the rainbow -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue & violet.

The menu: Try baby carrots and sliced celery for an appetizer (or as a side dish). A pasta dish with red sauce, with yellow squash or yellow bell peppers mixed in or on the side, can be the main course, and you can follow up with blueberry cobbler or another berry treat. As for the color violet: Add a couple drops of each red and blue food coloring to whipped cream for the dessert, or to ranch dressing to make a purple dip to serve along with the veggies.

Junior Chefs Night

The premise: Kids love to get creative in the kitchen!

The menu: Let the kids help design the menu, crafted around an ethnic or seasonal theme. How about pizza night or garden and grilling? Assign each child an age appropriate task: three year olds can tear up lettuce for a salad, five year olds love to roll out pie dough and older kids can cut veggies and stir sauces with supervision.

>> Get more ideas for cooking with kids here

Tips: Expect to get messy. Play clothes and aprons are strongly suggested! Also, we love The Kids Cooking Club, a monthly membership club, where kids receive a package containing everything to create a cooking project. Projects are theme based with the season, and include fun feasts like "Summer Sippers," "Popcorn Soup," "Chameleon Chili," and "Cookie Art."