Early Childhood

Understanding Map

A visual depiction of the ways in which students make meaning and understand concepts. 

Family Dinner Project FAQs

This FAQ covers key areas: 

The Importance of Eating Together

Finding Time

Food and Cooking

Tips for Conversation

Games and Activity Ideas

Common Dinnertime Challenges

Children Are Citizens Book 2015

From the Introduction:

People from all around the world know about Washington, DC. They talk about it, write about it, draw it, and make movies and TV shows about it. But almost always, we hear only the opinions and ideas of grownups. For this book we invited some of our youngest citizens — children from Sacred Heart School, School Within School at Goding (DCPS), Seaton Elementary School (DCPS), the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, and Washington International School — to tell us what they think of our city. We asked them to share their ideas in order to help other children (and adults) know what they think is important about DC. We asked their teachers to help students research the city and discuss their ideas with classmates and children from the other schools. Each teacher guided their students in di!erent ways. The results are thoughtful, informative, and sometimes surprising. You can learn a lot about our city from reading this book.

The Family Dinner Project Conversation Cards

These conversation cards, designed for all ages, can help get the chat started around your family dinners. 

Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family & Healthier Kids

Kids need more than food. They’re starving for family dinners. Sports, activities, long hours, and commutes—with so much to do, dinner has been bumped to the back burner. But research shows that family dinners offer more than just nutrition. Studies have tied shared meals to increased resiliency and self-esteem in children, higher academic achievement, a healthier relationship to food, and even reduced risk of substance abuse and eating disorders. Written by a Harvard Medical School professor and mother, Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting even the busiest of families back to the table. Chock full of stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice, the book explains how to:

Whip up quick, healthy, and tasty dinners

Get kids to lend a hand (without any grief)

Adapt meals to the needs of everyone—from toddlers to teens

Inspire picky eaters to explore new foods

Keep dinnertime conversation stimulating

Add an element of fun

Reduce tension at the table

Explore other cultures and spark curiosity about the world

And more Mealtime is a place to unwind and reconnect, far from the pressures of school and work. As the author notes, family therapy can be helpful, but regular dinner is transformative.