Benefits of habit “Eat dinner as family”

✓ Brings family closer together
✓ Helps keep up to date with family members
✓ Reduces stress and anxiety
✓ Reduces disconnection

First step:

Once a week

Progress:

1. This week, have 1 family dinner together.
2. Next week, increase the number of dinners you have together to 2 per week.
3. Keep it up until you have dinner together every night.
4. If it’s possible, add breakfast or lunch together as well.

Helpful tips to make it a habit:

✓ Same time is key. Set the time for your family to gather around the dinner table. Better yet, set a time to cook dinner together and then eat it.
✓ Trigger your mind. Put together a family menu and hang it somewhere everyone can see it. That way you won’t forget about it.
✓ Let the app help. Set a reminder to ring when the time comes for dinner together.
✓ Reward yourself. Once you’ve gone through two weeks of successfully eating dinner together, treat yourselves and go out to eat as a family.
✓ Celebrate small victories. Every time you perform this habit, congratulate yourself! Say “I’m awesome” or “I’m so cool” out loud and with a smile on your face.

Tips for beginners:

✓ Make a menu. Decide on what your family’s favorite dishes are and plan those out through the week. Keep it varied, but tasty.
✓ Cook together. It’s important to spend as much time as possible together, especially doing tasks. Divide the labor of cooking amongst your family members and cook together as well as eat.
✓ Clean up together. Don’t just leave the table to one person. Clean up after dinner together, so this would become a family tradition.