a little conversation never hurt

I have the privilege of being the creative activities leader for our local MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers). For the month of October, our topic was parenting, so for the craft I decided to have the moms decorate containers for the purpose of holding dinner conversation starters on slips of paper. I purchased a variety of rub-ons, stickers, and ribbon for the moms to embellish their containers and get creative! They really enjoyed it and many of them have even shared that they were going to make more of these for Christmas gifts.

The glass jar I found at IKEA for $1.99 each. I found the rub-ons (10 family-style sayings) at Michaels for $2.99 and of course, there are endless places to find stickers and fun ribbon.

Here is my creation...

FRONT

BACK

I believe that sitting down for a meal at the table is very important (although I'm not naieve enough to know that life is busy and this can not always be a reality every evening). Doing this brings the family together and gives them the opportunity to talk with one another when so often in the busy-ness of our lives, it doesn't always happen. The purpose of the dinner conversation starters is to bring fun, laughter, and communication to the table. (There are also some topics that are meant more for serious conversation, especially with older children.) Because of the ages of the children that our MOPS group activities are geared for, I was able to find a long list of fun questions that could be asked and answered by preschoolers and elementary-aged children.

Below are a list of links that might help you start your own little container of conversation starters and do a little more talking around the table.

Suite 101.com - Dinner Table Conversation Starters
Homebasics - Family Conversation Starters
Stouffer's - Mealtime Conversation Starters
Funplayfulparent.com - Conversation Starters for kids of all ages!
Building Blocks - Conversation Starters


**This cute container can also be used for many other things like potty treats, things you are thankful for, allowance, a good behavior jar...the ideas are endless. What might you use this container for (of course, besides your crafting supplies) in the area of benefiting your children?