We have all heard that you should take away distractions when kids are eating dinner.
However this post is about using games as a distraction at dinner as it takes the focus off eating and makes dinner fun, not a chore.
A kids world is all about play and playing games at dinner is a great way to create a happy dinner experience.
I find playing games creates a relaxed and enjoyable environment which helps my kids look forward to meals rather than been forced to sit at the table until they have finished what is on their plate or eaten the ‘required number of bites’.
When we play games, I find my kids get involved in the game, have fun and eating becomes a by-product. Nine times out of ten, dinner is eaten and they forget to whinge or complain about anything they don’t like.
Introducing a game at dinner requires little effort for mums as they require no advance preparation. Much more effort is required when you have to persuade, plead or coax your kids to eat.
We play games at dinner is when:
- I’m tired and have no will to be creative
- The kids don’t feel like eating what I have cooked
- They are tired by dinner time
- Introducing new foods
As well as making dinner fun, games are a great way to develop and nurture family relationships. As an added bonus, game playing can help cultivate social and verbal skills.
Below are a few games to help make dinner fun rather than a battle. I have designed some of the games to help children learn about food and to try new foods.
Do you play games over dinner with your kids or do you think that dinner is not the time to play games?
Games For Younger Children
Lets all eat the same
Involve the whole family in an eating game. Taking turns, everyone names one food on their plate, then everyone puts the food on their fork and eats the same food at the same time. An extension on this game is to call out what mode of transport the fork is such as an aeroplane, car, boat or ship.
A Mouse In The House
A great one if your child isn’t eating. Place one piece of food on a plate and pose the question is there a mouse in the house? Turn away giving your child enough time to eat the food then turn back and if the food has disappeared, exclaim ‘why there is a mouse in the house!’ Ask if the mouse is going to come back, etc, etc. Keep going until all the food is eaten.
Roll The Dice
This game works best when there are six separate food items on the dinner plate. Give each item of food a number from one to six. Roll a dice and whatever number rolls face up means this is what you eat next. This is a favourite with my kids and they love having a dice each. Hint - always have on the plate a dislike food item.
Blast Off
Your child is the commander of a rocket ship which must fly to the moon. However the rocket needs to be refuelled to get there. To refuel your child must eat 10 bites of dinner so they can blast off. After each bite of dinner start the countdown 10 after the first bite, 9 after the second bite and so on. Once you get to one, you can blast off to the moon by making a noise, jumping up etc it’s your choice. This game can be played over and over again until dinner is eaten by refuelling another rocket, fly the rocket to mars, etc.
Monster Bites
This games involves taking bites of dinner in different sizes. Ask them to take a bite like a monster which obviously will be a big bite whereas a mouse bite will be a tiny little one.
Big bites - monster, dinosaur, lion, crocodile, pelican, whale, hippo, horse, bull, anaconda, elephant, komodo dragon, buffalo, bears, mammoth
Little bites - mouse, mosquito, butterfly, ant, starfish, meerkats, possum, turtles, hermit crab, budgies
Medium bites - duck, owl, frog, cat, deer, rabbit, panda, kangaroo, monkey, zebra, llama, sheep
Use your imagination and have lots of fun
Games For Older Children
What’s It Taste Like?
This game should help increase the variety in your child’s diet. Serve a meal with a few favourite ‘accepted’ foods and include a previously rejected food. Every family member has to describe the taste and texture of the food on their plate. Start with one at a time and parents go first. You may be surprised how many foods can be added to your child’s repertoire from this game.
Fluffy Bunny and Bunny Fluff
This is a fun way to get kids to try new foods. Going clockwise around the table each person has to say ‘Fluffy Bunny’ until Mum choses to say ‘Rabbit Ears’ and then it reverses counter clockwise and the saying changes to ‘Bunny Fluff’. Mum gets to decide when to say ‘Rabbit Ears’ to reverse the saying. Anyone who gets it wrong or makes a mistake has to try the new food or food they have previously expressed a dislike for.
What Food Am I?
Everyone has to guess what kind of food you by describing it. For example, you might say “I’m red but my cousins are green or yellow. I can be stuffed or put on a pizza.” Hopefully everyone will guess capsicum (bell pepper). You can also try pretending to be the food.
Things You Eat
The first person starts naming something you can eat. The next person must think of something starting with the last letter of the previous word.
What Rhymes
One person chooses a food on the plate and then going around the table everyone trys to rhyme with it. Take it in turns to choose the food.
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One of my son’s first sentences was “the airport is shut” when we had a spoon in the shape of an aeroplane!
Hi! These ideas are great! There are more, just like them in my friend Jennifer’s book, The Toddler Cafe. It is a fantastic book - Maybe you can take a look at it and tell your readers about it
Charlotte - An airplane spoon, that would help make dinner fun. When we play airplanes we also link it different airports we, family and friends have flown into to to give the game an extra dimension.
Michelle - sorry it took so long for your comment to show, it went into my spam. I would love to review your friends book but I’m unable to find a copy of it in Australia.