Nowadays, life becomes more and more complicated, with everyone taking more and more responsibilities and having less and less time with their close family. Whereas in the past, everyday meals and particularly dinners were occasions for family interactions and value sharing, today more and more people tend to sit quietly and watch TV while they eat dinner, barely talking to each other than for asking for the salt. That is if they even have dinner together, as a lot of teens now prefer to take dinner in their rooms or in front of the compute. Of course, you'd like to do something about it, and have everyone share their thoughts and experiences at the table, but how do you manage that instead of getting the “let's watch TV instead” attitude that is so common these days. Well, that's why you have to make it fun for your family members with games that will make them look forward to dinner time.

Where is it from?

This is a very simple game that is very good for children. You take several containers or bottles of condiments and each person has to try to guess from what state the bottle or container comes. Depending on the age of the child, further questions can be asked, for example, what the capital of that state is, what is the state famous for, mentioning 2 or 3 important cities in that state, etc.

Categories

This is also a game that is very simple, and is also used for adults with certain variations. One person mentions a category, and each person takes a turn mentioning something that belongs to that category. Categories can be easy, for example “movies,” or more educational, for example “European countries.” People who can't name an item or repeat an item that has already been mentioned is disqualified.

Famous People at Dinner

This game is fun and has several variations. One person mentions a famous person (dead or alive) and the rest have to mention all the facts that they know about that person. For example, real name, nationality, famous inventions/discoveries, etc. More specific questions lead to more challenging games, while easy ones allow more people to participate. This is a particularly good game for teaching history to children.

Foreign Food

This one requires some extra work from you and is suited for older children, and it's more of a cultural activity than a game. You have to prepare a traditional dish from another country. Each family member will have to do some research about that particular country to present at dinner. The research should be appropriate for each one's capacity. So for example, younger children can be asked to draw the flag of the country, while older children can do research on the country's capital and traditions.

Cooking Both in the Kitchen and Online

Another fun activity is getting your children to actually help you with kitchen activities. Again, this depends on the child's age and the recipe you're preparing. Another alternative is to get your children to play cooking games online. While this will not prepare any real food, it will teach your child all the work that goes into preparing his or her favorite dish, without exposing him to kitchen accidents. There are hundreds of cooking games online that range from the simple to the complex and challenging one. It'll also be fun for your child to experiment with different ingredients. Not to mention that it won't turn your kitchen into a mess. Once your child develops a bigger interest in cooking, you might introduce him or her to real cooking.

Of course, as with any website, video game or TV show, you must supervise what your child is doing on Internet. However, this makes a good opportunity for spending quality time with him or her, so it's really a great time investment.