Category: Newsletter

[:en] It’s February: the month of love and valentines and, depending on where you live, possibly very chilly temperatures. Some places have experienced record-breaking cold this winter. So when we were brainstorming the theme for this month’s newsletter, we thought what better topic to focus on than warmth? These five simple ideas and activities were…

[:en] Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Earlier this month we officially introduced our innovative new program: Food, Fun and Conversation: 4 Weeks to Better Family Dinners. Now you and your family can benefit from this free,online resource filled with loads of tips, tools and inspiration to help you set and meet your dinner goals…

[:en] Few times of the year are as steeped in tradition as the December holiday season. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or nothing at all, the traditions you practice as a family any time of the year strengthen your family’s sense of identity and contribute to a greater feeling of belonging. Traditions ground us;…

[:en] Tension at the table is one of the most common reasons families choose not to eat together. Whether it’s complaints about the food, a leftover fight from the day before, or lingering stress from a long day at work or with the kids, there are times that the dinner table can feel like a…

[:en] Seeing that it’s Bullying Prevention Month, we’ve dedicated our October newsletter to cultivating bullying’s archenemy: empathy. At the heart of this hardwired and important quality is the ability to relate deeply to another person’s experience. So, for example, when your child sees you a bit stressed out at dinnertime, he or she empathizes with…

[:en] Yes, it is back to school for many, but for us at The Family Dinner Project, it’s just another excuse to talk about eating together! Every transition brings with it an opportunity to reinvest in the habits that make our families healthier and happier. School schedules bring with them their own set of challenges,…

[:en] “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” ― Henry James You said it, Mr. James. I’m sure most of us would rather be thinking about fireworks, beach trips and cookouts on these summer afternoons than worrying about what to plan for dinner, right?…

[:en] Now that the school year is winding down, you might want to break out of a dinner rut and try something new. For instance, now might be the perfect time to involve your kids more in making and/or serving dinner. By inviting everyone to contribute to dinner, the experience not only becomes more fun,…

[:en]“That’s not fair!” may be the most popular complaint in the history of childhood. Kids seem to notice any real or perceived injustice from a very early age, particularly any injustice that befalls them. Yet how, exactly, does one even define what’s “fair?” The classic work in moral development by psychologist Laurence Kohlberg showed that…

[:en] Let’s face it: things don’t always work out the way we hope they will. For kids, this might mean receiving a mediocre grade, getting snubbed by a friend, or waiting for a college acceptance letter that never comes. But as one famous saying goes, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react…

[:en] Did you know that in Japan, most schools don’t employ janitors? It’s true! Rather than have someone clean up after them, students and teachers take 15 minutes to scrub the school themselves each day. The practice is called “souji,” and educators say it helps kids learn about responsibility.By thinking of responsibility as “helping each…

[:en] Even if you have reservations at a restaurant on February 14, you can still have a Valentine’s-themed family dinner sometime that week! Here are some tips for a fun, love-filled dinner: Fancy It Up: This is a great opportunity to make a meal feel special with extra flourishes, like a tablecloth and candles. In…