Reclaim Dinnertime
An Invitation to Reclaim Dinnertime as Quality Time
It’s no secret that for time-starved families, the organized family evening meal is one of the first things sacrificed.  There is a big difference between scrambling to down a quick meal and taking the care and time to converse and connect with family members, whether it’s for an hour or for 30 minutes.

Bill Doherty, PhD and Professor of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota, offers some ways to bring your family together for a night everyone will love:

  • Check the calendar for days that work best for everyone.  Post the dates and times on the fridge, bulletin board or other visible place in your home.
  • Have everyone in the family submit meal suggestions (tacos, fish, meatloaf, chicken) and activities (eating dinner on a blanket on the floor; setting a formal dining table; switching up the seating arrangement) they would like to try and pick one from a hat each time you get together.
  • Assign family members jobs, preparing different parts of the meal:  table setting, salad prep, main course and dessert.  Everyone helps with clean up!
  • Turn off all cell phones, televisions, MP3 players, computers and PDAs during dinner to avoid interruptions.
  • Plan a surprise family night.  Prepare clues and hand them to family members before they sit down to the table.  Solve clues to find out what the main course is, what’s for dessert, etc.
  • Create a theme around the meal and plan an activity.  For example, during the “Super Bowl,” serve hotdogs, popcorn and other stadium fare while you watch the big game together.  Watching TV during dinner should not be a regular habit, but rather, an activity saved for special occasions.