One of the best things to do for your kids

Eat dinner together! Eating together is a simple way to help your family bond and stay close. Research shows that eating dinner as a family helps kids boost their vocabulary, do better in school and sports, and lowers obesity. Also, kids have less stress and better relationships. 

Ways to make dinnertime successful

·      Plan ahead. 

·      Have your children participate. They can set the table, wash vegetables, put napkins at each place setting, etc.

·      Come to dinner with great questions. The Internet is full of conversation starters.

·      I know this all sounds like more work! But seriously the pay off is bigger than the work.  The extra 10-15 minutes of preparation will pay big dividends as your children grow up.

A few great questions

·      What are two things you are grateful for?

·      What made you feel happy today?

·      If you had this week to do over again, what would you do differently?

·      Would you rather go without television or junk food for the rest of your life?

·      What super power would you like to have? Why?

·      Would you rather wrestle a lion or fight a shark?

Things to avoid

·      Having dinner together only benefits your family if you are having conversation and creating an enjoyable environment.

·      Avoid: yelling, scolding, watching TV, having phones at the table, interrupting and sitting in silence.

Things to do

·      Let every person have a turn to talk. A good trick is using a talking stick (it can be a chopstick or anything) and only the person holding the stick can talk.

·      Tell jokes and riddles

·      Ask open-ended questions. Come to the table with good questions.

·      Listen

·      Share a story about your day to get the kids to share their stories.

·      Remember, you set the tone. Be positive and have fun.

·      Encourage good behavior by noticing and praising good table manners.