Dinner time is usually pretty crazy in the house. The kids are hungry and tired, and so are mom and dad. One of the things that we are starting to do is involve the kids. The first thing to do is give the kids a snack. This quiets them down, keeps them busy and if done right minimizes dinner friction. The best snack is something healthy like carrots or berries. When kids are hungry they will eat almost anything. By giving them healthy food first, they eat that and then they still have room for the meat or starch when you serve the meal. This way you are not fighting with them to eat veggies that they do not like after their stomach is full of things that they do like.
The next thing is to start to involve kids in the kitchen making food. This takes more time in the beginning but eventually will save time and teach them self sufficiency. You can give them busy jobs like washing carrots or you can have them mix ingredients. One trick is to pre measure the ingredients and then have the kids add the ingredients to a pot before putting it on the stove. Example: if you are making rice, measure a cup of rice and cut off a little butter and leave it on the counter. When the kid comes in, tell them to get a pot and add the rice and butter to the pot. Also have some water pre measured. As they get older, they can start to take more steps.
Involving the kids or giving them a healthy snack before dinner cuts down on the pre-meal tension, teaches them confidence in the kitchen and encourages an activity that you can do together.
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