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Whether you’re working on meal plans or trying to inspire your kids to be more adventurous with their palate, you might want to know how to make dinner time more fun for them (and you). While quick oven fries or ready-made meals are easy, they often lack the quality and nutrients of a dinner prepared with love and care, so why not try these ideas to expand your dinner horizons and make things more enjoyable for everyone? 

Make New Dishes 

If your kids seem to lack enthusiasm every time you serve their plates, it could be because you make the same meals over and over again. While there’s nothing wrong with a little consistency in your routine, it could be fun to dedicate one day a week to making something new. If your household follows the same meat and potatoes theme more often than not, expanding your horizons and serving homemade pad kee mao (drunken noodles) could introduce your kids to flavors they’ve never experienced before, which could be the start of something more ambitious. 

Work On Something Together 

You should already be aware that teaching your kids to cook is a vital aspect of raising self-sufficient kids. However, they might not be old enough to be trusted to make dinner for you. Instead, let them help in the kitchen. Depending on how old they are, you can assign different tasks, such as chopping, mixing, or simply handing you various ingredients they take out of the refrigerator. 

Dish The Meal Out In A Fun Way 

Fussy eaters often avoid foods because they don’t like the way they look without even trying them. If this sounds familiar, you can try serving the meal in a more fun way. Decorating the plate in the image of their favorite cartoon character or making it look like something it isn’t can make your fussy kids forget that they’ve never tried it before, essentially tricking them into eating better and with more variety. 

Don’t Force Anyone to Empty Their Plate

Many parents grew up being told they needed to clean their plates before getting up from the table. But, while this ensured that no food went to waste (most of the time), it also forced a weird relationship with food. You don’t want your kids to stuff themselves with food when they are not hungry or even when they legitimately don’t enjoy what you’ve cooked. Encourage them to eat as much as they can, but don’t force anything. 

Keep Devices Away 

No one wants to sit around the table when everyone is tapping away at their devices, so establishing a phone-free zone ensures you can purely focus on each other and encourages conversation. This helps everyone learn more about each other and increases your family bond, which helps you have more fun at dinner time as you chat about your day and more. 

Dinner Time Fun 

Dinner time fun does not involve food fights or your kids playing with their food. Instead, try to mix things up a bit, get them involved, and make it a time for family above anything else. With these approaches, you and your kids will finally look forward to dinnertime.