Dinner Games

$15.95   - Item #FP100 - Dinner Games
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$25.15 - Item#FP125
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How to Play the Dinner Games?

To play, families just sit down to their dinner, pick a card, and read it aloud to play.  Kids love picking the cards, so give all of them a chance to choose.

While the dinner games have been designed for either ages 5 -  12 or ages 3 - 6 (depending on the style you choose), you may want to change some of the games slightly so they are either easier or more challenging.  There are suggestions on each dinner game card to help parents with this. 

The dinner games are stacked randomly.  You can play them in order from 1 - 51, or you can simply pick out a card.  Each dinner game card is color-coded for your reference. 

For the Original Dinner Games (ages 5 - 12) the color codes are green for number & math games, pink for phonics and vocabulary games, blue for social skill games, purple for creative & critical thinking games, yellow for silly games, and maroon for memory games.

For the Beginner Dinner Games (ages 3 - 6) the color codes are green for the five senses, blue for social skills, pink for creative and critical thinking, purple for expressive language & listening, yellow for memory games, and orange for just for fun games.

What Makes these Dinner Games So Great?

• Quick and Easy - Each dinner game is quick and easy, taking only one to three minutes to play
   
• Appeals to a Variety of Ages - Dinner Games are available in two styles; The Original Family Dinner Games are designed for kids ages 5 - 12 and the Beginner Family Dinner Games are best for kids ages 3 - 6.
   
• No Hassle - The dinner games are designed to be played at the dinner table while the family eats their meal.  They require no advance preparation and most only require the use of supplies found on the dinner table.
   
• Educational - The dinner games are designed to sharpen the family's critical thinking, social, math, memory and language skills all in a fun way.
   
• Open up Conversation - Some of the dinner games use the family dinner to open up family conversation using thought provoking conversation starters.
   
• Encourage Good Eating Habits - Many of the dinner games involve food and encourage the family to eat their vegetables and drink their milk.
   
• Enhance Closeness - The games make the family laugh and encourage conversation both of which enhance a family's closeness.
   
• Mess Free - All of the dinner games are laminated making spills easy to wipe off and clean.

Sample Dinner Games

• At the count of 3, everyone puts one fist out toward the center of the table with their thumb either up or down.
   
• If everyone but one person has a thumb up (or down), that person must take a drink of his/her milk. (In other words, the odd person out, drinks milk.)
   
• If everyone does the same thing with their thumb, or your family is split, count to 3 and try it again.

Alternative: Also play this by eating vegetables instead of drinking milk. Or the odd person out must hug the person to their left….
 

• Someone starts the game by saying a color
• As a team, your family names all the food they can think of that are that color.

For example, red would be apple, radish, cherry, etc

Have a different person pick another color of the rainbow and play again
 

Get to know a little bit more about each other:

Each of the kids asks the adults 4 questions to see what they know about his/her favorite things.

For example: 

1. What's my favorite animal?
2. What is my favorite color?
3. What is my favorite book?
4. What is my favorite song?

Each adult asks the kids 4 questions about his/her favorite things while growing up.

For example:

1. What was my favorite food?
2. What was my favorite TV show?
3. What was my favorite toy?
4. Who was my favorite friend?

• Go around the table counting, starting with the number one.
• Whenever you get to an even number, say “Moo.”
• For example, “one, moo, three, moo, five, moo…”
• Anyone who misses a “Moo” or a correct number must take a sip of milk and start the game over.
• Variation - Try this with odd numbers, prime numbers, or multiples of 3 depending on the ages of your children. You can find this fun game as well as many more in Family Time Fun’s Family Dinner Games and Activities.

Each of the kids test the adults with 4 questions. For example:

• What do I usually play at recess?
• Who are my two favorite school friends?
• What is my favorite class?
• What is my least favorite school meal?

Then, the adults test the kids with their own 4 questions. For example:

• Where was I born?
• Where did I go to Elementary school?
• Where were my parents born?
• What cities have I lived in?

Make up your own questions to continue to learn more about each other.
 

One person begins by hiding a “secret” object in a clean sock. He or she passes the sock around the table and lets everyone feel the object. No peeking! Everyone guesses what’s in the sock, and whoever guesses correctly leads the next round. Alternative: Try using an oven mitt to make the game more challenging.

The Importance of Family Dinners

In today's busy world, sometimes we lose sight of the family dinner.  With work commitments, kids' school and extra-curricular activities, and the general craziness of life it is often difficult to sit down to a regular family dinner.  But family dinners are important and even though families may not be able to have a regular non-rushed family dinner every night, it is important to try and fit in a few each week.  Here are some reasons why family dinners are important:

• Family dinners strengthen family unity, connections, and communication.
   

• Family dinners help families stay healthy because most families who take the time to plan and have regular family dinners also tend to make healthier eating choices and tend to eat less fast food.  Regular family dinners also lead to less snacking.
   

• Family dinners provide kids with a predictable routine making them more secure and confident.
   

• Parents who make time for regular family dinners are more likely to hear about kids' worries and problems.

Dinner Planning Tips

Even though family dinners are important, no one has a lot of time pulling them together.  After a long day at work and school, families need to unwind not hyperventilate!  Here are some dinner planning tips to help.

• Use either a weekly meal planner or monthly family meal planner to help you plan nutritious dinners.
   

• Do as much dinner prep as possible on the weekends.  Things like cutting vegetables, defrosting meats, mixing marinades can all be done ahead of time. 
   

• Let the kids help by setting the table, emptying the dishwasher, setting out the dinner games, pouring drinks, and rinsing and putting dishes in the dishwasher.  Older kids may be able to make simple side dishes or mix a salad.
   

• Set themes for each day of the week.  For example, make Monday's chicken night, Tuesday's pasta night, Wednesdays crock pot night, etc.