Welcome back to Term 2! I am the School Counsellor at St Patrick’s, and I am hoping to be able to share some tips, ideas and food for thought with you by contributing to your school newsletter a few times each term.

The first theme is:

Food with the family

We all know the importance of eating a balanced diet, eating plenty of veggies and limiting the junk food. However, this doesn’t always feel so simple when it comes to everyday life. Today, instead of focusing on the nutrition of our food, let’s focus on how we can make food fun, and use mealtimes as a chance to connect.

Enjoying family mealtimes as much as possible allows the whole family a chance to check in with one another, perhaps try some new foods and even teach some communication skills like turn taking or talking about how we are feeling. 

You might be thinking...but evenings are always so busy/my children have sports/I need to work. It’s ok! It may be unrealistic to come together as a family for every meal, but it is worth thinking about particular days where we can make this happen or particular meals. Perhaps breakfast as a family is more manageable than dinner time or family dinners are possible only at weekends – no problem. Eating even a few meals a week together can impact positively on the mental and physical health of our children. 

Planning for success:

• Set aside regular times/days where a family meal can be enjoyed and allow time to enjoy the food and conversation
• Get everyone involved – from making meal choices, to helping cook or being the cook, to laying the table – allowing some involvement in choosing and preparing meals can encourage fussier eaters to try new things!
• Ask questions such as ‘What was good about your day?’ to encourage conversation and focus on the positive
• Why not plan a special meal – pancakes or waffles for breakfast at the weekend, a build your own pizza night with an array of toppings to choose from or a picnic lunch

I hope you found this contribution helpful. I’d love to hear feedback about how planning for family mealtimes goes. Please feel free to email me with any comments, questions or suggestions for future newsletter contributions on Samantha.hutchence@catholiccare.cg.org.au

Thanks for reading - Sam, School Counsellor (Provisional Psychologist)