Phones Not Included: Our Family's Guide to a Mealtime Full of Fun
Creating a memorable and engaging dinner experience without relying on phones can seem rough, but my family has found a few simple ways to make mealtime fun and interactive. We'd love to share our strategies with you, so you can try them in your own home!
The Amazon Echo Show is our trusty sidekick.
We use it to get our brains buzzing with the "Question of the Day" and the "Riddle of the Day."
These stimulating challenges spark lively discussions and encourage teamwork as we collaborate to find the answers.
Next, we keep the momentum going with a round of "I Spy." Each person takes a turn choosing an object within sight and offers hints, while the rest of the family tries to guess the item. This classic game fills our dinner table with laughter, anticipation, and the occasional triumphant "aha!" moment.
Our other favorite dinner activity is the "Can You Guess the Movie/Show?" game.
One family member describes a film or TV show, revealing hints about the plot, setting, or characters. The rest of us don our detective hats and fire off questions to determine the title. Imagine a description like, "The movie's main character is an animal, it takes place in a city, and the title is one word and starts with the letter "G". Can you guess it? It's "Garfield"!
These games have transformed our mealtime into a cherished, phone-free experience.
Give them a try in your home, and witness the positive impact on family connections. You can also tap into your creative side and come up with your own unique activities that foster laughter and bonding at the dinner table.
Oh, and here's a bonus tip for when things get a little too wild from all the fun from the previous games mentioned – we whip out the ultimate peacekeeper: "The Quiet Game." Yep, the name says it all. Everyone goes silent, and the first one to talk or laugh is out. I gotta say, as much as I love my little chatterbox, it's a nice break when we get a few moments of silence, especially from my youngest who never seems to run out of things to say.
Bon appétit!,
Temprance Williams-Bell
