A feast is made for laughter.               Ecclesiastes 10:19

One of the things I cherish about the time when our children were growing up is  we made eating dinner together a priority.  As a rule, we ate dinner together every night.  Dinner was a time to catch up with the news of everyone’s day, laugh and fellowship.  Because my husband and I both worked, dinner was never fancy (certainly not feast-like) but none of us cared.  We had a blast while eating hot dogs, box macaroni and cheese and green beans.  Not too exciting, huh?  Thankfully my husband and kids are not picky eaters!

Here are some things we did to make dinner fun and sometimes special.

SPECIAL PLATE-We purchased a fun,wild, multi-colored plate that was different from our everyday dishes.  To this day we call this the Special Plate.  If one of the kids was recognized at school, a ball game, church or some other special event, he or she got to have the Special Plate at dinner.  We would make a big deal about using the plate and the child who was getting it.   My kids are 19 and 23, they still get a kick out of the Special Plate.  Now we use it when one of them comes home on leave, is home for a birthday, or gets a raise!

SWITCHING PLACES-Who says dinner has to be boring and you always have to sit in the same chair?  Why not switch places and pretend to be the person who’s seat you are in?  Every time we played this game at dinner was hilarious!  My husband and I got to see how ourselves through our children’s eyes and we got to act like them.  Over the years we have played this game many times, always choosing a different seat.  It is really quite eye opening and a whole lot of fun.  We still laugh about playing this game!

BREAKFAST DINNER-When was the last time you had chocolate chip pancakes and orange juice for dinner?  How about purple waffles and bacon?  Have fun with dinner.  Let the kids participate in preparation and don’t worry about the mess.  They can help clean up too.  NOTE:  You can make breakfast special and different by having some ice cream on your hot waffle instead of syrup.

BIBLE TRIVIA-This dinner game is fun and sometimes pretty loud.  Find a Bible trivia book at your local bookstore.  Choose a different person to ask questions each night.  Then let the games begin.  This game can get loud as everyone tries to shout out the answer and often leads to even louder laughing!

I hope my children will turn some of these things into their own family traditions.  I hope they will have a Special Plate for their children,and switch places with their kids. I know they will have breakfast dinner, they still love chocolate chip pancakes for dinner!  If they don’t have a Bible trivia book at the dinner table, I will have one ready and waiting for my grandchildren when they visit!  We will turn mealtime into fellowship and memory time.

How do you and your family make mealtime special?  What traditions do you have to help each child feel special and make everyday family life memorable?  How do you incorporate traditions, holidays or foods from your child’s country of birth?  We’d love to hear from you!