Starting A Family Meeting Routine

If your family has not started the practice of family meetings, now is the perfect time. Include all members who share your home and can fully participate. Include everyone in the post-meeting fun.

Family meetings can include a variety of components, depending on your family situation. You may wish to start small when children are young. Simply designate a time to meet all together, each week. Take time to show gratitude towards one another then take a walk or share a book or game. Add more components as children grow.

Try adding meal planning with your family meetings. Schedule cooks and assistants for each mealtime prep and clean-up as you review the family calendar for the upcoming week. Other components of a family meeting could include:

Agenda 

Typical family meetings include an agenda everyone can add to over the week. Family members might add special events, problems to solve, information to share and food requests. Post a new agenda after every meeting and invite everyone to add to it. Take minutes/notes on current agendas and save them for future meetings to review how things are working.

Goodwill

Some families begin their meeting with kudos, compliments or some other form of appreciation of one another.

Calendar

Review the family schedule to determine who will be home and when. This is an opportunity to fill in the family calendar with everyone’s activities; determine rides, child care, meals and other special arrangements.

Problem Solving 

Tackle the problems from the agenda, brainstorm for solutions, choose an option and try it for the week. You may decide to choose just a couple of issues each week. Problem solving can be hard work.

Big Finish

End the meeting at your designated time to show respect for the attendees. Plan a fun physical activity, snack, board game, or, whatever your family enjoys to end your meetings.