Celebrating holidays with members of your extended family will of course throw off your normal routine. The increased amount of people in your home may cause your children to become restless and fidgety at the dinner table. To keep your kids calm and happy keep these five tips in mind as they become restless during dinner:
- Provide a distraction. To help your kids last through the entire length of dinner at the table keep quiet activities close by such as paper, crayons and stickers. The activity will cure their boredom and keep them busy.
- Use incentives. Place a prize on the counter and tell all the kids that whoever sits politely throughout the entire dinner will win the prize. After dinner present all the kids with a prize for good behavior.
- Make the kids’ table cool. Have a teenager sit at the kids table so that they feel included and cool. You may have to bribe your teen with a little money to get them to play along.
- Let them to put on a show. Allow your kids to perform for your guests before dinner and after dessert. They have an incentive to sit through dinner and they will enjoy receiving the attention.
- Get them involved. Make your children feel important by allowing them to help prepare and serve food and clear the table. Simple a tasks will keep them busy until it is time to eat, as well as make them feel they are an integral part of dinner.
Have a happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Real Kids Shades!
Image from Country Living.