Make Mealtimes More Fun For Your Family

When you’ve got kids, it can be hard to know what to make for their meals day in and day out. If you’ve got a fussy eater, then it can make it even more tricky. But being able to provide them with a healthy, well-balanced, and nutritious meal is one of our roles as a parent. So if there are ways that we can make it easier and more simple, then I’m all for it. Here are a few ideas and suggestions, for how to make mealtimes more fun and to get all the family well fed.

Involve the Kids

From the meal planning to the preparation; get the kids involved with it. It is so important to get them involved as then they have some accountability over it. If they help you to plan the menu for the week and choose lasagne one night, they can’t turn around and say they don’t like it. They chose it, so they better eat it! Having your kids help in the cooking of the food is important too. It can be hard, depending on their ages. But there are things that even little ones can do to help. Older kids can help peel and chop, while younger ones can set the table or count out the potatoes or vegetables that you’ll need. When they know what is being cooked and what goes into cooking it, they are much more likely to eat it, as well as want to cook themselves in the future.

Have Themed Nights

It can be fun to start a tradition of having certain foods on certain nights. Famously Tuesday’s are always good for tacos, for example. But you could create a seafood Saturday where you will make a seafood based meals with Blue Crabs  or prawns. It could be a Friday night pizza night, or Monday night meatballs. It helps the kids know what is coming, and it can also help you when it comes to planning out meals. So talk with your kids about what they like to eat and what nights they would like to do it all on.

Get Them To Do the Shopping List

If your kids are old enough to help cook, then they are old enough to help out with the shopping list. They can look in the cupboards to see what you need to get, as well as things that they might want. It helps them to be more aware of their surroundings, and what goes into running a home. The cupboards aren’t automatically stocked up, just because they want them to be! If they can help you do the grocery shopping, then that helps a lot too. Learning how much certain foods cost and what it can take to feed a family is an important lesson. One that should teach them to appreciate their parents much more!

Have you got any tried and tested tips for getting your kids more involved, in the food preparation in your home? When everyone is involved it can make mealtimes run much more smoothly.