Dinner Time Grateful Game

Family dinner time can get really crazy at our house. The kids are all talking over each other, complaining about the food, shouting their delight over the meal and causing a fight with the sibling who doesn’t like it, some are running away from the table, and it just makes for a stressful time. Not only is this bad for my digestion, but it breaks my heart that the few precious minutes we have all together as a family are being spent in this way.

After a lot of thinking and praying, we have come up with an idea to steer the conversation to a positive place. First we started having candlelight manners dinners. Once the novelty of that wore off, we started “Pass the Witch”- a game of compliments in October. That one was super powerful. Now it is November, and we have started “The Grateful Game.”

The Grateful Game

This is the simplest game. All you need is a die (you could use 2 dice if you’re really getting into it). You take turns going around the table, rolling the dice. What ever number you get, you have to say that many things you are grateful for. It seems really silly and simple, but the kids get really into it! Many times there are some pretty off the wall things said, but it has surprised me to hear the thought provoking insights some of them have.

I hope you enjoy this with your family! I’m bringing it to our family Thanksgiving Feast for everyone to play.