I am going to switch things up a little today and post about meal time. Now, to be honest, meal time, especially lunch, is the one part of the day that stresses me out. I am not the best cook, but I try to stay healthy and try new things, and keeping the children occupied while I prep the meals is not an easy task. There are two things that I have implemented during meal times that have helped tremendously, a meal time routine and family style dining.
My daughter, Leia, like many other children crave a routine. If we skip something from the routine, she can go into a bit of a tail spin, so sticking to it is critical. The first thing the children do is, of course, wash their hands. The older children then find their seats and we sing the "open, shut them" song. We also go beyond the "open, shut them" and also do lyrics such as, "a part, together" "up and down" etc. Its a fun and easy way to add some movement and math (positional words/opposites) to meal time. The children will then sit with their hand in there laps and will wait for me to start passing around the food. This is where the family style dining comes into place.
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| Singing "open, shut them" |
Having the 2 year old children pass food and serve themselves, including pouring milk, was a little scary at first. My carpet is a pretty light and since beginning this, I have spot cleaned the carpet many times. However, in the long run it has been worth it. After the children have all of the food, we sing another song. This is a song that I made up, anyone that has worked with me on a professional teaching basis knows I make up random songs all the time. To the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus," "the children a the table eat their food, eat their food, eat their food, the children at the table eat their food at (breakfast/lunch/snack) time." The infants and younger toddlers are not expected to wait to start to eat, but will often stop eating long enough to "dance" to the songs.
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| Scooping pears onto plate |
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| Passing food |
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| Pouring milk |
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What are some of the benefits of family style dining?
- Taking turns
- Children pass the plates and serve themselves=less work for you
- Children learn to use "good manner words" such as please and thank you
- Working on their fine motor skills. It takes a lot of hand and eye coordination to pass around those plates, scoop food, and pour milk.
- It sets the stage for a relaxed environment, which can lead to great conversation with the children.
Points to Remember
- Be prepared-make sure all the food is at the table before seating the children. Also, remember to have paper towels handy because spills will happen. Allow the children to help clean their spills.
- Provide child sized cups, plates, and silverware for the children.
- Remember different children have different abilities. Some children may need a little more assistance than others.
Good luck, and happy dining :)
