Kids and Cooking

• It can be fun when a family prepares a meal together. Making homemade pizza is a great way to include even the youngest members of the family. Prepare the crusts ahead of time and have family members work together to add sauce and toppings. Food that is prepared in layers such as lasagna can also work well as a group effort. A Mexican meal also offers a potential for family teamwork. Place the taco or burrito fixings in the center of the table on a lazy susan and let everyone prepare their own entrees.
  
  

Themes

• Tell your family that you have scheduled a theme dinner. This can be as simple as adding candles and Italian music for a spaghetti dinner or paper lanterns and fortune cookies for Chinese food. Family dinners can also offer educational opportunities. Use dinner to teach children about what life was like on the home front during World War II by planning a "Victory Garden" dinner. Explain to the children that meat and other foods were rationed during the war years, and families would plant and grow their own vegetables. The menu for this meal can certainly contain meat. Meatloaf is a good choice because a small amount of meat can be used to feed an entire family. Other menu items could include a vegetable plate, homemade applesauce, and johnycakes.
  
  

Location

• Sometimes just moving the location of the family meal can shake things up. A backyard family picnic does not require expensive cuisine. Hot dogs and burgers on the grill are sufficient. Who says that every meal has to be enjoyed around the dining room or kitchen table? A change of scenery can add a little spice, especially for young children. Why not stage an indoor picnic on the living room floor? How about a family movie night? Rent a family-friendly movie and dine causally on TV trays in front of the television.