My 15-year-old son recently came home from a week away at camp. A couple of days after his return, I noticed his dirty sheets had been stripped from his bed and put in the laundry. His school backpack was open, the AP history book waiting on the table where he does his homework. He asked if I could pick him up specific notebooks – in red, green, blue, and black – on my next trip to the store. “Time to get back to real life,” he sighed.

Where we live, school doesn’t start for another month, but I can’t help feeling the shift, too. Despite the fact that it feels as if summer has just started, I’m already plotting out the school-year sports and music practices on the calendar, looking at weekend tournament schedules, and thinking about stocking the pantry for packed lunches. And both my husband and I have noted the change in the rhythm of work life, as well; after a summer of seeing colleagues’ “out of office” responses and enjoying lighter-than-usual meeting schedules to accommodate people’s vacations and child care needs, the Zoom links are starting to fill up our inboxes again.

There’s something about the transition from summer to fall that flips an organizational switch in people. It’s not just parents and students getting ready for back-to-school time, either. I know plenty of child-free adults and empty nesters who still seem to spend late summer and early fall re-evaluating, planning, and organizing their lives. And for many of us, that urge to plan translates to dinnertime – I’ve seen more requests on social media lately for meal planning help, quick weeknight recipes, and favorite lazy Sunday meals than I think I’ve seen all year.

If the urge to plan for fall family dinners has overtaken your household lately, we’ve got lots of help to offer:

• Feeling the weight of the mental (and physical) workload? We dug into division of labor in our latest podcast episode. Who’s doing the lion’s share of the planning? What trends are influencing the way we think about sharing the load? And how can families make the work of dinner – planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning – more of a collective responsibility?
• Need more (truly) easy meal ideas? We’re talking seriously easy – low-cook, no-cook, minimal chopping (if any), and made for the busiest evenings. Our 20 No-Fail Dinner Ideas can help keep meals on track no matter how hectic things get. Keep the list handy to spark ideas for simple back-to-school dinners.
• Looking for better conversation starters? Our 100 Alternatives to “How Was Your Day?” has to be one of the most popular pieces of content we’ve ever created. There’s something here for all ages, from preschool through adulthood – and the questions are much more interesting than “How was school today?”
• Want even more ways to talk about the day? Don’t shy away from talking about work at the dinner table – it’s not always all about the kids and their school experiences! Dr. Anne Fishel explains why talking about work and the realities of adult life can be great for everyone, and offers age-by-age tips for helping kids understand the working world.
• Have kids who struggle with the back-to-school transition? This interview with Dr. Khadijah Watkins was originally intended for the transition back to in-person classrooms after pandemic lockdowns, but her wisdom on returning to routines is helpful for any family dealing with back-to-school anxiety and difficulty with change.
• Facing your first fall family dinners in an empty nest? That’s a new stage of life that can be hard to plan for – but Dr. Anne Fishel has comfort and advice for parents whose dinner tables will be a lot quieter this September.

Whether fall means back to school, back to work, an empty nest, or some other transition for you, remember that the simple routine of sitting down to share a meal with a loved one can help you feel more grounded. Here’s to keeping family dinners on the calendar this fall!

Food

Back to “real life” often means busier mornings as well as evenings. We’ve expanded our family breakfasts this school year – check out all of the quick and easy food, fun, and conversation ideas!

The Family Breakfast Project

Fun

Our Grocery Store Scavenger Hunts are a great way to get kids and teens helping out more during the busy school year. 

Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt (Kids’ edition)

Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt (Teen edition)

Conversation

Trying to divide the dinner workload can be tricky. These conversation starters may help you and your partner get on the same page about priorities, responsibilities, and what family dinner “success” means to you.