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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Eating together as a family is good
for the mind, body, and spirit.

Get Started September Sunday Supper PlannerStudies show that eating dinner together as a family can ​provide numerous benefits for children, including higher self-esteem and better communication with their parents. Eating together offers families a time to talk, which promotes closeness, trust, and c​omfort. But dinnertime needs to become a regular habit in order to sustain those benefits, and that means getting them used to it early on.

Six Simple Steps to connect with family during your September Sunday Suppers:

1. MEAL PLAN

Planning out meals can help set expectations and anticipation for the family dinners.

Spicing Up Your Family Dinners
Dealing with Finicky Eaters
Planning to go to a restaurant?
Kid-Friendly & Budget-Friendly Recipes

2. COOK

When kids are included, it not only builds pride, but also creates a bond between one another.

Tips for Kids in the Kitchen
Cooking Skills by Age


3. SET TABLE

Setting the table is a simple way to build responsibility... and is a mess-free way for kids to help!

Setting the Table for Time Together
Table Setting & Dishes with Young Kids
Color Your Own Place Setting Placemat

4. TABLE ACTIVITIES

From conversation starters to games, the activities during dinner can strengthen relationships.

Dinner Games
Mad Libs
Technology Off
Conversation Starters
Connecting with your kids during dinner

5. CLEAN UP

The dreaded clean up is not so dreaded with a little help from your little friends.

Tips for Getting Kids to REALLY Help
7 Ways to Make Cleanup Easier

6. SHARE

Conversations with each other and the community can strengthen your efforts.

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At-the-table-Planner
At-the-table-Planner
At-the-table-Planner

Family Dinners Can Lead To Healthier Kids: Arch Fam Med. 2000 Mar;9(3):235-40.
Family Dinners Can Lead To Better Grades: Can Fam Physician. 2015 Feb; 61(2): e96–e106.
Family Dinners Can Lead To Happiness: Utter, J. , Denny, S. , Robinson, E. , Fleming, T. , Ameratunga, S. and Grant, S. (2013), Family meals and adolescent well‐being. J Pediatric Child Health, 49: 906-911. doi:10.1111/jpc.12428
Family Dinners Can Lead to Better Manners: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158(8):792-796. doi:10.1001/archpedi.158.8.792


Get Started by Downloading September Sunday Suppers Planner