Mealtimes as a family are important. It helps you connect, teach, relate, understand, regroup, rest, refresh, encourage, and be nourished physically, spiritually and emotionally as a family. It takes lots of effort to make it happen, doesn’t it? So while you’ve got everyone there, let’s make the most of it!!
Last Sunday night at church my husband finished a series on the home. He ended the message by giving suggestions and taking responses from the congregation about how to make the most of suppertime and after the meal-time. Here’s the list I compiled in my notebook. These are great ideas!
- Create conversation.
- Talk about God’s Word
- Talk about answered prayer
- Talk about what God is doing in your life!
- Play a board game afterward.
- Read a book together. You could use missionary biographies, fictional fun books, or devotional books.
- Take a family walk in the neighborhood.
- Call meal time a “No Phone Zone.” No phones at the table.
- Lay a puzzle out on the cleared table and assemble it together.
- Walk the dog as a family.
- Eat in the dining room with cloth napkins, candles and a centerpiece. Make it happen at a regular time and shoot for 5 x’s a week.
- Occasionally eat together at a “fancy” restaurant so you can give your children the experience and training (and also the treat!) of a nicer place out. Your preparations at home will have them ready and you won’t have to “sweat it out!”
- Sing after the meal.
I love having my family gathered around the dinner table – even if it’s just my husband and me! It’s a special time of day and we need to do all we can to maximize that time!
Tell me: What do you do to make the most of mealtime?
Lovingly,
