Family Resiliency Center | Illinois

Mealtime Minutes is an initiative that provides real solutions to common shared family mealtime challenges. Research suggests that family mealtimes can boost children's health and wellbeing, reduce risk of obesity, improve nutrient intake, and promote language development and academic achievement. Recent research also indicates that families want to spend more time sharing a meal together but that they face multiple barriers. Mealtime Minutes will help families develop effective strategies to address these challenges and create quality shared time together.

The Mealtime Minutes materials that address the identified topics will include items such as Public Service Announcement videos, tip sheets, and conversation cards.  They will be developed using evidence based research and will be based in principals of positive parenting. 

The Mealtime Minutes Initiative is funded by The Pampered Chef®.  Since 2000, The Pampered Chef® has supported the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  In 2006, Doris Kelley Christopher Hall opened at the University of Illinois to house the Family Resiliency Center. 

Mealtime Minutes Topics

Sibling Conflict

While it is expected that siblings have some sort of disagreement up to 4 times an hour, families frequently identified this as a real barrier to family mealtimes.  The solutions for Sibling Conflict flows from the research work of Dr. Laurie Kramer’s More Fun with Sisters and Brothers program.  This empirically supported program has identified a number of effective methods for encouraging positive interactions in sibling relationships among young children.  It focuses on proactive behavior for children and parents.

Link to Sibling Conflict Mealtime Minutes