Parenting

Stimulate mealtime conversation with these smart expert tips s

Dinner chats

1 DITCH TECHNOLOGY

“Dinnertime should be screen-free time,” says leading parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson. oulson. “No TV, TV no tablets, no phones, no screens of any kind. When our kids engage with us at the dinner table, research shows they’re more likely to do well at school, have better relationships, develop healthy eating habits and be physically active.”

2 GET THE KIDS INVOLVED

“Involving children in meal preparation is important,” says clinical director of Sydney Child Psychology Centre, Dr Fiona Martin. “Then you can start a conversation about the food. It’s a bonding opportunity.”

3 TALKING TOPICS

“Find something to talk about,” says Dr Coulson. “I encourage families to talk about what they’re grateful for or what was great about their day. It’s a fantastic opportunity for parents to find out what’s going on in their kid’s lives, because they do share stuff when they’re given the opportunity.”

4 CHANGE THINGS UP

“Introduce different topics,” Dr Coulson adds. “One night you could talk about grateful things, another night you could talk about planning the next family holiday.” Meanwhile, Dr Martin says we should aim to “steer away from highly emotional topics during mealtime,” as it’s neither the time nor the place.