Fun Learning Games for Kids to Play Around the Dinner Table

The dinner table is an incredibly important part of family life. According to a wide body of research, children who regularly eat meals with their parents at the table do better at school, are happier, feel more closely bonded to their families and are more likely to make healthy food choices. Make the most of the evening family time with some fun table games for kids that encourage learning in everyday situations and will prompt even the most reluctant tween to put down their screen.

Tutti Frutti at the Table

The quick-thinking game Scattergories is based on a game known as Tutti Frutti (it also goes by a host of other names, including Jeu du Baccalauréat in France). All you need to play is a switched-on brain and some pens and paper.

Each player thinks of a letter and a topic. Write everyone’s letters and topics down, then come up with an answer to each within an allocated time period (say, 20 seconds). The aim of the game is to think of the most obscure answer. For example, for the letter “C” and subject “dog breeds”, you could say Cavalier King Charles spaniel or, for something truly winning, Canaan (it’s an Israeli herding dog). Players get a point for each unique answer (so if you and another player have the same word, it’s zero points for both of you).

What To Try

Draw All Over the Table

Fun ideas for table games kids can play at the dining table at home

Kids will be thrilled to be given permission to draw on the table to create their own placemats. Just make sure you’ve lined the table with a paper tablecloth or butcher's paper before they start! Place crayons, markers or pencils in the middle of the table and let everyone get creative. A good idea is to choose a theme, such as “My Day”. After the drawings are completed, have the children describe their artwork – which will also give you a rundown of what happened in their world over the past 24 hours.

What To Try

Where Did It Go?

Where Did It Go? is a great game to get younger kids to take note of what’s around them and use their memory. Simply line up several table objects – salt, a fork, a glass, a napkin – and have them memorise each of them. The hider will then instruct them to close their eyes and quickly whisk one of the items away. When they open their eyes, the kids have to tell you what’s missing. With older kids, you can make it trickier by not lining up the objects. Note: if you play with particularly cheeky, very hungry children, they may use the opportunity to steal your bread roll. You’ve been warned.

Around the World at Dinnertime

Go around the table naming countries, starting with the letter “A” and working through the alphabet; “A” is for Australia, “B” is for Bolivia and so on. For extra credit, kids can spell each country out loud as they say it. And if you get stuck, try spinning a world globe to search for new countries.

What To Try

Dinner Table Toastmasters

Fun and simple games for kids you can play at the dining table with the whole family

Playing Speech Club around the dinner table ticks many boxes: it helps develop kids’ public speaking abilities; encourages them to order their thoughts and hone their storytelling skills; and, most importantly, gives parents some insight into the often-mysterious thoughts of their children.

Family members have 30 seconds to speak, unrehearsed, on a topic. There are a few rules: you can’t say “um” or “like”, and any pause longer than three seconds is instant disqualification. Other family members choose the topic for the speaker – try focusing on something they’ve been learning about, such as a country, a book or an historical period. Alternatively, choose something ridiculous: see what they come up with for “the colour blue”, “eggs” or “underpants”.

Would I Lie to You?

In the British TV show Would I Lie to You?, skilled liars (er, actors) tell their opponents tall tales and the opposing team must decide whether the outlandish story is true or not. Try a version at the dinner table to get those creative juices flowing. The game is “Two Truths and a Tall Tale”: family members tell each other three stories of events from their day, with two of them being true and one of them being made up. The other family members must decide which of the three is the make-believe story.

Table Maths

Educational table games for kids: using food to teach toddlers about numbers and shapes

Kids grasp mathematics more easily when they see it applied in the real world and the dinner table is an excellent place to help them practise. What’s more, they won’t even realise they’re learning: for them, it’s just a fun game with their parents. Dinnertime is a great opportunity for toddlers to practise counting and shapes. Ask, “How many peas left on your plate?”; “Can you see any circles in your dinner?”; and “Have five more bites and then you can have dessert!”

For older kids, try some sums: “I bought a dozen potatoes today, and I cooked half of them for our dinner. How many potatoes are left for tomorrow night?”; “If there was a litre of water in the jug and three of us had 200ml in our glasses, how much is left in the jug?”; or “If you eat one bite for my every two bites, how many bites will you have taken if I’ve had 24?”

Make Up Your Own Story

Work on creative writing skills by playing Progressive Story. The family tells the story with everyone around the table adding one word at a time and each player must recite the entire story before they can add their word – it works particularly well when there are lots of people at the table, so try it when the grandparents are over for dinner. The stories may frequently be hilarious and will always be memorable.