Kiddipedia
Nothing in the world is more precious than family. And family dinners carry immense social, emotional, and physical benefits. In fact, studies indicate a direct link between regular family dinners and an improvement in parent-child relationships.
Unfortunately, packed work, school, and social calendars make spending time with the ones we love the most seem a Herculean task.
However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Simply follow our guide to plan the perfect family dinner and turn your dream of bringing your family together into a reality!
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Choose A Time That Works For Everyone
Your family members are more likely to come to family dinner if they have no prior commitments. In this regard, a scheduling platform like Calendly where everyone puts in their schedules can easily help you visualise free time slots. This way, you can avoid the hassle of text chains and individual phone calls.
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Pick An Appropriate Venue
The next step is to choose a good venue. And there are two questions to ask yourself here.
Should You Go Out?
If you and your family are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of ordinary life (literally and figuratively), going out for dinner may be the perfect option. Plus, it allows you to reconnect with your family without worrying about cooking and cleaning up.
In addition, the most exciting part about going out with your family is that it can offer you a chance to experience something new together. If you’re not sure where to go, here are Australia’s ten best family-friendly restaurants and cafes.
Should You Stay In?
After a long day at work, the last thing many of us want is to go out to eat. Dressing up, driving, and having table mannerisms apt for a public space is too exhausting to even think about. Instead, all you want is a nice, quiet, and peaceful dinner with your family in the comfort of your own home.
But who is going to cook? A private chef from Gathar’s Brisbane catering! You can just sit back, relax, and, most importantly, make memories while experts take care of the cooking, cleaning, and serving. Private chefs and caterers can even be cost-effective, especially with a large family gathering. So, if you can afford one, do try it out.
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Create The Perfect Ambiance
A family meal is about more than just food. It’s an experience. Here are a few pointers to brighten up the atmosphere of your next family dinner!
Play Festive Background Music
Music has the incredible ability to change emotions and shape attitudes. So, a perfect playlist is critical to creating a warm and positive dinner environment. Of course, you don’t want anything so loud and overwhelming that you cannot even have a conversation. After all, it’s the people that matter. So here are 20 happy instrumental songs to lift your spirits during your next family get-together.
Make It Special With Some Decor
If you’re having a hard time getting the family together for dinner, attract them with a visually pleasing setup! Centrepieces, place cards, candles, and even balloons can all make the dinner a visual treat for your family members.
Importantly, these decorative pieces won’t burden your wallets. Most of these are readily available or can be DIY-ed out of materials from your local dollar store. It just requires a little more effort to ensure your dinner is extra special.
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Engage Your Guests
Most times, dinner with family isn’t even about the food. It’s an excuse to get together, share moments of your life, and make new memories. Here are some ways to ensure dinner time is a remarkable experience for everyone involved.
Use Conversation Starters
At times, initiating conversation can be awkward even with family, especially if you meet them after a long time. But a handy list of conversation starters can help break the ice in any room. To get you started here are 40 dinner table questions to get you started.
Minimise Distractions
In today’s increasingly technological world, the biggest challenges in the way of family time are phones and TVs. All the kids want to do is text, and all you want to do is watch Instagram reels.
However, all these distractions prevent family members from spending quality time together and make dinner boring. So, make and enforce a no-gadget rule at your next dinner night.
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Have A Theme
An exciting way to change up what you’re eating and to have fun at the dinner table is to give mealtime a theme. Once in a while, think out of the box, make everyone dress up, play thematic music, and watch your family’s excitement as they come to the table.
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Keep The Kids In Mind
If there are kids in the family, they will require special attention. However, it may be easier than you think.
The trick is to involve the kids in the dinner activities rather than planning things for them to do separately, away from the family.
For example, and can let them be a part of the cooking, cleaning, and serving processes. It will teach them good habits and understand the value of family dinner time.
Here are 6 easy dinner recipes to cook with the kids so you don’t end up with a mess.
