Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Inspiration

Here are mealtime rituals for kids to keep them engaged at the dinner table

Keep everyone involved at the table with these mealtime routines for kids

Dannielle Beardsley
By

Sitting down for dinner as a family is sometimes a little tricky when you have kids. From toddlers never wanting to sit still to younger kids not liking what you’re serving, parents feel like they need to come to dinner prepared for battle. But with a few simple mealtime rituals for kids that we’ve put together, you’ll all enjoy sitting down at the table.

A family with a toddler sitting down to dinner

Before you eat

For your child, mealtime starts before they sit down to eat. It even starts the night before. If your tiny tot didn’t get the best night’s sleep, that leads to more snacking in between meals. We all know kids who snack more in between meals tend to not want to even sit down at proper mealtimes.

Recommended Videos

If your child gets antsy at dinner, a walk or light activity a bit before will help them settle down. It’ll also help their small stomachs digest food better.

Related

Family of three eating dinner at table at home

During the meal

There are a few things to do while everyone is eating to make sure your kiddos stay engaged throughout the whole meal. It’s all about the tunes. The right music gets everyone ready for the task at hand. Ask your child what kind of music they would like to have on in the background during dinner.

Depending on your child’s age, where they sit plays a part in whether they’ll enjoy dinner. They might have a favorite chair, spot, or person they want to sit next to. If it isn’t going to be a big deal for anyone else, let them choose their spot for mealtimes.

Everyone wants to be included during meals. Regular conversation gets a little boring for a younger child; however, games like Would You Rather or Name 5 Things will keep them interested at the table.

Toddler eating

The food itself

A lot of kids are like Goldilocks when it comes to the actual food. Besides the point that most kids have a strict chicken nugget and fries diet for a period of time, the temperature of the food makes a difference. If the food is too hot for them, they just sit there watching everyone else eat, waiting for their food to cool down, all while getting bored. Or they won’t want to even come to the table until their food is at the right temperature.

Make sure they have their favorite condiments at the table. It helps them feel more grown up. Plus, you don’t want to get up two bites in to dig out the ketchup or ranch dressing.

It’s not always about how much your child eats that means they are engaged at meals. As long as your little one eats a few bites at every meal, let them be. You don’t want to make them finish their whole plate or they will start to dread meals and won’t want to participate.

We know — like with most things, creating a routine for your child at mealtimes will take some trial and error. Once you have your routine down, your kids will feel more at ease at the table. And when the little humans are happy, everyone gets to enjoy the meal.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Dannielle Beardsley
Dannielle Beardsley
Contributor
Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. She loves everything celebrity and her favorite…
Need to clean out the playroom? This is where you should donate toys
Need help on where to donate toys to tidy up your child's room? We have the local spots to go to first
A child's room that's a bit messy with toys and items all over

Between holidays, birthdays, and "just because" moments, the playroom and kids' bedrooms fill up pretty quickly with all sorts of items. If you want to declutter that toy room and get rid of the things your children no longer play with, donating will teach your kids to help others while letting you see the floor again. Instead of the places that are the usual stops for toy donations near you, try these other places first.
Local Buy Nothing group
If you don't know about your local Buy Nothing group, please look into it. It's a safe place to swap, give away, or ask for items or services completely free of charge. Sure, we'd all like to get a few bucks back from our child's toys, but if you don't want to go through that hassle, this is the best option. You don't even have to leave the house if you're more comfortable with porch pickups in your neighborhood.
Ask hospitals what they could use
Hospitals have tighter rules about what they can take, but it's never a bad idea to ask. The hospital would be the best for when you purchased something, it was the wrong size or item, and now you can't return it. Though items still in the packaging and with tags are always preferred, there are exceptions. Call and ask what your local hospital would take.
Reach out to local day cares/schools
If your children have ever gone to day care, you know how quickly they ask for donations. Day cares are open to more kinds of things, not just toys, so if you need to do a bit of an overhaul in your kids' rooms, ask your local day care facilities. The schools in your area are a great go-to, as well. Teachers always need classroom supplies, and the younger grades would need toys, books, and even clothing for when accidents happen.
Parent groups
Whether you're in a bunch of Facebook groups or are part of a group that meets in person, ask people you already know if they could use some toys your children have outgrown. You have a rapport with these other parents, and if you meet up in person, you could bring the items along and not have to make another stop.

Women's and children's centers in your area
For your donations to make a bigger impact, make sure women's and children's centers are on your list. If you were a struggling parent, you know how much it means to have a place like that to go to when in need. If you're a parent who doesn't have to struggle, pay it forward and count your blessings by donating to one.

Read more
Almost half of kids ages 1 to 5 don’t eat a daily veggie (and one-third don’t eat fruit)
CDC report shows kids aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables
Toddler refusing to eat healthy lunch/snack of fruit and drink her milk

According to a new report by the CDC, a surprising number of children in the U.S. are missing fruits and vegetables from their daily diet. The report comes from data compiled from the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health, where the parents of 18,386 children were asked to report on how often their children ate fruits and vegetables. The results were both a shocking and eye-opening look at the diet of young children in America.
The results
The report found that approximately one in three children aren't eating fruit daily, while almost 50% of children aren't eating vegetables daily. The CDC recommends that children consume at least one cup of fruits and vegetables a day to ensure proper nutrition, with that number increasing as they get older. Proper nutrition is an important step in helping children grow and develop, as well as to create healthy eating habits as they get older and make their own nutritional decisions.

The rise of sugary drinks
Whether it's juice, soda, yogurt drinks, or even flavored water, children are drinking sugar more now than ever before. The report found that 57% of children drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once in the week prior to the survey.

Read more
Your favorite childhood movies will be your kid’s favorite, too
Want to rewatch your beloved childhood movies? Grab your kid and revisit these nostalgic films
A family watches TV on a couch

We all have a soft spot in our hearts for the movies we were raised on. We grew up on those films and they helped shape the adult version of ourselves more than we might want to admit. These are the childhood movies that you have to watch with your little human that will show them the value of family and friendship and that kindness is always the right choice.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Read more