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Oregon Health Authority

Family mealtime curriculum

Cook together. Eat together. Talk together. Make mealtime a family time.

WIC and the Nutrition Council of Oregon (NCO) want to raise awareness about the value of shared meals to help improve the health and nutrition of Oregonians. The governor’s proclamation making September 2013 Shared Meal Month in Oregon was the kickoff for activities promoting shared meals. 

In support of this promotion, WIC and OSU Extension worked together to develop a series of group sessions for WIC participants promoting family meals and emphasizing the Food and Nutrition Services’ (FNS) core nutrition message: Cook together. Eat together. Talk together. Make mealtime a family time. 

Each of the group session guides focus on specific strategies for making family mealtime happen. The sessions utilize participant centered skills and strategies to help families realize their family mealtime goals. The Cook Together session guide (with supporting materials) is the first in the series of four.


Trainer resources



Cook together

 Mother and father helping toddler aged child to put chopped tomatoes into a metal bowl

Parents spending time in the kitchen with their children teaches kids skills they will use for the rest of their lives. Choosing fast and fun recipes makes all the difference. During this group session, participants will get ideas from other moms about what has worked for them and be introduced to an online resource for kid-friendly recipes and tips for cooking with kids.



Eat together

Man and woman sitting with a school aged boy eating a meal together Children will take their lead from their parents. When they eat fruits and veggies, their kids will too. In this session participants will explore ways to teach their children about new foods and how to serve themselves at mealtime.



Talk together

 Young woman sitting with a child at an our doors table eating a meal.Help participants find ways to make family mealtime more fun and relaxing! This is a chance for your participants to hear how other families are successfully connecting with each other during meals and get ideas for getting the whole family talking and avoiding the common mealtime distractions.



Make mealtime a family time

 Family of four are sitting at a table together, eating dinner and talkingMealtime is the perfect time for family time. This session will help your participants create a special plan for their family mealtimes.


Additional family mealtime resources