Making Family Meals Manageable and Fun: Recipes, Conversation Starters and Games from The Family Dinner Project

Family mealtime and the conversation that goes along with it provide longterm benefits for children and teens. These include better physical health, stronger parent-child relationships, better school performance, lower risk of substance abuse, better vocabulary, and greater resilience. But many families struggle to get everyone at the table at the same time, let alone prepare a healthy meal or have a meaningful or entertaining conversation. Busy schedules, both for parents and kids, are one major obstacle to family mealtime, but families also cite picky eaters and the distractions of devices as challenges.   The Family Dinner Project, a nonprofit initiative based in Boston, has been helping families overcome those obstacles for ten years, helping families find fun and laughter at the same time. They recently released Eat, Laugh,Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook, a cookbook (and much more!) that has Marti & Erin excited to use it with their family. Dr. Anne Fishel, Executive Director of The Family Dinner Project, joins Marti & Erin to explore creative ways families can schedule family mealtime and make it interesting and fun. In addition to directing this nonprofit, Anne also is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Harvard Medical School and Director of the Family and Couple Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Reflecting on that experience, Anne affirms the value of family mealtime, saying with a laugh, “If more families had family dinner, I think I’d be out of business as a family therapist.”     DO YOU LONG FOR FAMILY MEALS & CONVERSATION THAT GO BEYOND FROZEN PIZZA AND "HOW WAS YOUR DAY?" What things help or hinder you from having family mealtimes on a regular basis? What ideas did you hear in this Mom Enough discussion that might help you increase the frequency of family mealtime in your household? What conversation starters or games sounded like they might be fun to try with your family?   WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FAMILY MEALS? ❉ THE BENEFITS OF FAMILY MEALS AND HOW TO MAKE THEM HAPPEN. Erin shares in her blog post for Natural Mental Health, 5 strategies for making family meals happen.   ❉ HOW TO KEEP FOOD FUN. Check out these ideas to help you keep your child excited about new foods.   ❉ HEALTHY EATING FOR PARENTS AND KIDS. Read these tips for some healthy diet ideas for your whole family.