The family dinner table is a place where you and your kids can come together to unwind for the day and chat. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s often the one time of day when everyone’s together. That makes it the perfect time for good conversation!
Benefits of Family Dinners
Did you know that family dinners hold many proven benefits for kids and adults alike? Most notably are the social and emotional benefits for parents and children. Much research has pointed to children and adolescents gaining social skills and emotional support from sit-down conversations at the dinner table, but research also points to similar benefits for parents.
Family meals can also have a positive impact on physical health. Making it a point to meet for family meals can lead to healthier eating habits, which may reduce a child or adolescent’s risk of obesity into adulthood.
5 Great Conversation Starters for Family Dinners
If you’re looking for questions to start a conversation at the dinner table, try these five unique conversation starters. They’ll get you and your kiddos thinking, talking, and learning about one another.
“If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?”
Will you use your powers to help others? Make the world a better place? This question really gets kids and adults imagining what they’d want to do most if they could and how they might use that skill to do good in the world. And it’s easy to get into an in-depth conversation once you start asking, “Why?”
“Imagine you had $10 000. What would you do with it?”
You’ll probably get all sorts of responses from this question, especially from younger kids. But that’s a good thing. It gives you the chance to counter with what you’d do with your $10 000, like buy groceries, pay a bill, or donate it to charity. This is an excellent conversation starter to segue into a talk about the value of money and doing good deeds.
“If you could make one rule for everyone to follow for one day, what would it be?”
Sometimes, you might want some funny conversation starters to get everyone laughing. This question is perfect for relieving the day’s stress because you’ll likely get some silly answers! Another benefit of this question is that it gets youngsters thinking about how rules might apply differently to people, affect people differently, and the consequences of rules.
“If you could switch roles with one family member for the day, who would it be and why?”
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can help you learn more about them and see things from another perspective. This is beneficial for kids, especially, to allow them to think outside their own box. Your question might encourage your kids to dig deep and think about how their daily routine might be different if they switched roles.
“What is one thing you’re grateful for today?”
This conversation starter is one that you might want to consider adopting as part of your nightly dinner ritual. Sharing your gratitude with one another shows little ones how important it is to be thankful. Go around the table to give everyone a chance to share something they’re thankful for.
Have a Good Conversation at Every Dinner
The dinner table brings everyone together. You get to unwind together as you enjoy your meal, creating an ideal opportunity to chat, smile, and laugh with one another. Try some of the great conversation starters above with kids of any age — from toddlers to adolescents — to learn more about each other and open the lines of communication.
