Parenting Summer Break: Fun Food Ideas

Copy of Pandemic Parenting Phase 2 (3).jpg — I love sharing fun and useful products for parents! Some links I use are affiliate links including links for Amazon.com. I get paid a small commission without additional charge if you purchase from the links. The commissions fund this site to bring parents fun and helpful content! Thank you!

Entertaining the family with food can be a fun way to keep them busy, teach them, and get them to pitch in during the dog days of summer!

Here are some fun inspirations for beating the old “what are we eating next?” syndrome. Pick and choose as needed!

Breakfast

Breakfast is an easy meal. Older kids can get cereal or make toast, but here are a few unique ideas to change things up!

Make a berry sheet-pan pancake, muffin-tin egg bites, or a fruit and yogurt cone. The Noteworthy Parenting Breakfast Board has links to the recipes.
Hang donuts on a string from a tree. (photo below) Tell the kids to eat the donuts hands-free! (You may want to place a tablecloth under the donuts in case they fall to the ground OR remind kids of the 5-second rule!)
Have a pancake picnic or backyard brunch with the kids. Lay out a blanket! Wear your jammies!

Lunch

Simple lunches are the best on a hot summer day! They can often be prepped and brought along to a park or just pulled out of the fridge.

Let kids use a cookie cutter to make shapes out of their sandwiches.
Make one plate of cheese, meat, fruit, and veggies and share the appetizer style.
Keep lunch simple by using leftover birthday party paperware.
Set up a blanket under a tree with books and lunch for some afternoon reading fun.
Make “campers in a blanket” or “superheroes in a cape” with hot dogs and crescent roll dough! (photo below)
Buy pre-cut veggies and a bag of lettuce to set up a mini-salad bar!

Dinner

Dinner is the prime time to sit and chat as a family. Get the kids to help out and have some fun!

Pick one night a week to have a themed dinner. Italian night? Light some drippy candles in an old bottle. Mexican night? Play some fiesta music in the background. Hawaiian BBQ? Break out the Hawaiian shirts for dinner.
Try new recipes. Let each family member take a turn to pick a new meal to prepare.
“Make your own” is always fun and great for younger kids as they begin to cook. Make your pizza? Build your burger? Stuff your taco?
Set a fun table once in a while. Keep an eye on the party clearance racks for fun plates or napkins to spice up the table.
Shish-ka-bobs! So many foods can be skewered! Grilled or chilled, shish-ka-bobs are fun!

Snacks/Dessert

Do you need a positive reinforcement tool for when the kids get restless? Get a box of brownies or cake mix. Tell the kids that they can add a scoop of mix into a jar when you catch them doing awesome things. When all the mix has been moved to the jar, it’s time to bake and eat the treat! I like using brownie mix so you can tell the kids they are earning brownie points! (photo below)
Another fun way to enjoy snacks is to have a Family Happy Hour.

Teaching kids to cook and work in the kitchen not only prepares them for adulthood, but it’s fun, and someday, they will be good enough at it to cook dinner! Here are two cookbooks we used in our family…