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Step 1
Cook together. Get everyone involved in making dinner, not just eating it. Cooking a meal together can be a fun learning experience that allows everyone to feel like they've contributed. Young ones can set the table, grate cheese or get condiments together. Family members arriving late can toss salad or cut bread.
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Step 2
Use themes. Theme nights can be an interesting way to keep dinner fun and expand your culinary tastes as a family. Start with basic themes like barbecue or Italian night. Make theme nights even more fun with breakfast for dinner or meals whose foods are all the same color or begin with the same letter of the alphabet.
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Step 3
Set a date. If your regular dinner time conflicts with band practice or football games, pick a night of the week that is free and designate that as Family Dinner Night. Make a rule that no one will go out or have dates on that night and agree that everyone in the family will be there.
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Step 4
Have a guest of honor. Use family dinner nights to celebrate one member of your family. Serve all their favorite foods, seat them at the head of the table and take turns sharing fun memories or facts about him or her.
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Step 5
Make it a buffet. Family dinners can be simple and fun if you eliminate the pressure of cooking a big meal and serving everyone. Instead, buy ingredients for tacos, pizza, or different kinds of pasta and sauces and put together a buffet. Lots of variety will guarantee that everyone will get to eat what they want. Buffet night can also be a great way to get rid of leftovers.
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Step 6
Take them out. Family dinners don't have to happen at home to be fun. Find a new restaurant to try that no one in the family has been to or put the names of everyone's favorite restaurant and pick a destination at random. Eating out means that no one gets stuck with the clean-up, and everyone can spend more time together.
