Dinnertime is the one time during the day that your family is together in one place. It’s precious time. So, I created “The Dinnertime Game” Place mats. They’re not just place mats. They are tools to facilitate meaningful conversations and lasting memories for all ages. Your kids will love it. Take a look!

Click on the link below to download your Dinnertime Game Placemats:

Dinnertime Game Printable Placemats

So, as a mother, you want your kids to talk to you, but sometimes it’s like pulling teeth. I hear it gets worse when they are teenagers. Well, The Dinnertime Game is a great way to get your kids talking in a non-threatening way.

Print and laminate place mats

The first thing you’ll want to do is send the Dinnertime Game Printable Placemats file to your local printer. I emailed the file to the UPS store and had them print all six pages on 11×17 cardstock and then laminate them.  They ended up being about $2 each, which isn’t bad.

Set place mats out for dinner

Now just set out the place mats and grab  some dice and you’re set. Each of the place mats are exactly the same except for the clipart pictures at the top. So, you’re keeping your table clean and having family bonding time simultaneously. Win-win!

Let the fun begin!

My kids couldn’t wait to try this out.  And it is so easy. Just take turns rolling the dice. Match you dice roll to the correct number on the place mats and then answer the corresponding question.

Almost all of the questions are opened-ended and the answers can vary from day-to-day. That way you can play this game over and over and it will constantly be changing. Plus, there are bonus rolls that might get your kids out of doing the dishes that night. Some of the other questions included:

• Say three nice things about the person across from you
• What was the best thing that happened to you today?
• What was the saddest thing that happened to you today?

You may want to add additional rules catered to your family. For example, we decided that if one person gets a bonus roll and doesn’t have to do the dishes, that no one else can get a bonus roll again that night.

Other conversation starter ideas

The Dinnertime Game Printable Placemats are just one idea. There’s tons of other conversation starter ideas out there to help connect with your kids during dinnertime. Here’s just a few:

• 150 Best Printable Conversation Starters for Kids
• How to improve your child’s mealtime behavior
• 50 Family Dinner Conversation Starters

What other ideas do you have to get the conversation going during your dinnertime? Leave your comments below.

Related link: 7 Powerful resources to help teach your kids about pornography

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