Tired of planning the menu, day in and day out? Turn hum-drum into fun by getting your kids involved in planning a weekly or monthly family night. From movie to color-based themes, the sky is the limit—and so are the opportunities to get your kids involved.
So you want to get your kids involved in meal planning, but you’re not sure where to start. It's always more fun to plan a meal for a special occasion, so how about planning a weekly family night where everyone takes turns deciding on the theme and the food? Themes can have a cultural or travel basis, such as African Safari or Hawaiian Luau, where the meals are planned around the culture. Or they can be organized around an activity or game. Like to hula-hoop? Make a menu with all round foods. Love Elmo? Create an all red menu.
Planning for a family night can be as simple or elaborate as time and creativity allows. Once kids get in the game, they will have lots of imaginative ideas to offer. Below is a step-by-step plan for how to get started.
Decide on a theme—culture, travel, sport, movie, a favorite color, or even a shape. Here are a few ideas:
- Using a world map, have your child close his eyes and point to a spot. Use that country as your theme—this is also a fun way for kids to learn geography.
- Then use a favorite game or book for your theme. Like Jenga? Plan a menu where all the foods are stacked, like lasagna, 7-layer salad, and a fruit trifle.
- Pick a color based theme. Are your kids wild about Shrek? Is your family Irish? Choose an all green menu and get creative about how to turn your food green. A little spinach pureed with mashed potatoes will make them light green. Guacamole with baked chips are a great appetizer. Edamame is a protein rich food that’s fun to eat.
- Have a favorite food, like eggs? Find two ways to cook them that your family has never tried. Pizza? Try making it from scratch and let everyone add their own toppings.
- Want to get your child to try a specific food, like seafood? Choose a Pirates of the Caribbean or Spongebob theme, and use food that comes from the sea.
- Visit an international grocery and pick out something that looks interesting. Then find out where it comes from and plan your family night around that.
Do your homework. Go to the library or use the Internet to find out some interesting facts that relate to your theme. Use this to plan the menu. Incorporate music, customs, and even dances that go along with the theme. Occasionally you may want to go all out, using decorations and even costumes.
Be positive about the food ideas your child has, no matter how strange the combinations. Helping to plan meals can really expand your child's food horizon—and might even expand yours, too!
Along the way, sprinkle sage advice about meal planning, or have a few requirements that the menu needs to have, such as: “It has to have a vegetable and a fruit and some protein.” Show your child the food pyramid to help him understand where the foods fit.
Keep the menus simple enough that kids can help, so that you don't feel overwhelmed! Small children have a very short attention span and will, more than likely, be messy cooks. Be patient. A great rainy day activity is to do the family night planning for a few months, or even the whole year!
Take plenty of pictures and remember that you are making memories that will be cherished for years to come!