12 Clever and Fun Dinner Theme Night Ideas Your Kids Will Actually Love
Whether you’re a diehard meal planner or a seat-of-your pants dinner maker, theme nights bring a certain sense of order and a lot of fun to dinnertime. Good ol’ pizza and taco nights are the reigning champs of the theme-night game, of course, but the arena is full of worthy contenders. I talked to a dozen caregivers to get their fun, creative, and totally doable suggestions for themed dinner ideas that keep kids happy, plus a couple of ideas of my own. (Parent tip: Print out a calendar of your theme-night schedule for the fridge to make meal planning a breeze!)
Taste Test Night
Something about putting on your lab coat (literally or figuratively) and taking a scientific approach to dinner encourages even the most hesitant kids to try foods they might not normally eat, for science. Mother of three, Syreeta C., says, “It’s amazing what they will eat when it’s part of a taste test.” Her kids have tested and ranked raw and cooked vegetables like bok choy, radishes, and purple carrots; fruit, like guava, papaya, and starfruit; and even tinned fish. Use little portions to create the spread. Round your meal out with the standards, like rolls or roasted potatoes, and some fruit (unless you’re taste testing fruit, in which case, maybe some chicken nuggets!).
Make it fun with score cards, and then compare notes to determine the best and worst of the bunch. Bonus: By paying attention to what they like, you’ll have a better idea of what ingredients will (theoretically, at least) be welcome at other meals.
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Dinner + A Movie Night In
Perfect for a weekend night with a little more time to spare, pop in a favorite family movie and pair it with dishes inspired by that film, like ratatouille for the Disney movie of the same name, a big pot of gumbo for The Princess and the Frog, or Hawaiian chicken skewers for your 1000th viewing of Moana (just me?). It takes a bit of planning, but you can batch up a few ideas in separate envelopes, then pick them out when it’s time to go shopping! (Check out this great TikTok account for more Disney menu ideas.)
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Super-Cute Mini Food Night
Miniature foods were a hot trend a few years back, but they’ve still got big appeal, especially for kids, according to mother of two, Kyra N., who introduced the diminutive theme when her kids (now in high school and college) were still little themselves.
Trader Joe’s has a great selection of hors d’oeuvres that fit the bill, including mini quiches, croissants, and samosas. Or, you can find or make your own sliders or mini tacos. Throw in a few miniature veggies, like sweet snacking peppers or, if you can find them, cucamelons (bite-sized cucumber-y melons). And don’t forget mini ice cream cones or ice cream sandwiches for dessert. The Toll House mini chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches are a particular favorite.
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Fond of Fondue Night
Fondue feels like an extravagant affair, but busy mom Chastity H. wisely points out, “the only work involved is chopping up the dippers and heating the fondue pot,” and that’s a pretty strong argument for a very fun meal.
The Hise family doubles down on their fondue fix — a cheese course for dinner, with crusty bread, pretzel rolls, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and apples for dipping. Then they swap out the cheese for chocolate, using dark chocolate melting wafers. Strawberries, apples, bananas, pineapple, and pound cake all get dunked in chocolatey goodness. Let your little ones know that the fondue pot will be hot, and provide assistance if necessary. The long-handled fondue forks can be a fun challenge for kids, and remember if someone drops food in the pot, they’re supposed to give a kiss to the host (only if they want to!).
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Jetsetter’s Delight Night
Sneak in a little geography and spin the globe for an international night. The premise is simple: Pick a spot on the map, and then cook the foods of that region. This one requires some planning, so pick your country before you head to the grocery store, and research dishes from that part of the world. It’s a great way to get the kids involved and learning through the lens of food. And, if you aren’t quite so adventurous, write a few cuisines you’ve mastered on scraps of paper, add them to a bowl, and let kids draw one out!
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Picnic in the Park (or Living Room) Night
Picnics are relaxing and charming, and who doesn’t want to feel relaxed and charmed on a Wednesday night? Picnic night is blissfully carefree. Arguably the least work-intensive idea here, all you have to do is fill your basket with ham and cheese on baguette, pasta salad, and some fresh fruit and throw down a blanket in the backyard. Or, if you can’t make it outside because of the weather, lean into those picnic vibes in the living room. Add some music via Bluetooth speaker for a bit of a festive flair.
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Superhero Night
Busy caregivers are basically heroes, but even they need a hero of their own once in a while. Enter: hero night. The kids dress up in capes and masks (Bonus activity: Have them make their own masks while you’re preparing dinner) and everyone comes together for hero-style sandwiches. You can make your own or outsource a six-foot hero if you’ve got a big crowd to feed. Giant sandwiches are objectively thrilling, no matter how old you are. At dinner, talk about what kind of superpowers everyone would have and who their supervillains are. This idea is especially fun if you’re celebrating an accomplishment (maybe your kid learned to write a new word, scored an amazing goal, or volunteered to help a friend).
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Spuds Aplenty Night
The humble baked potato is a blank canvas for a myriad of toppings, from the traditional butter and sour cream to more inventive toppings like steamed vegetables, chilli, sautéed mushrooms, and any kind of cheese you can dream of.
Baker G. says her two kids, Lilly and Beau, who were 9 and 6, respectively, when we originally published this list of ideas, love it because they get to pick their own toppings (they gravitate towards cheese, sour cream, and salsa). She loves it because, “everyone’s happy, and it’s an easy dinner.” There’s a reason baked potato bars are now an entertaining must! This is also one that is perfect for leftovers: Just add your toppers to a bento box and bring it out the next day.
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Tea for Two (or More) Night
Veronica La Marca, the registered dietician and certified diabetes educator behind Eat 2 Grow, says tea party night is a hit for her two girls, who were 2-and-a-half and 5-and-a-half at the time of publication. The girls dress up in their tea-party finest and sit down to a meal of sandwiches, fruit, and pretend tea. La Marca says it works equally well for lunch or dinner, at the table, in the park, or even on the living room floor. You could even let them “invite” their stuffies and dolls. Bonus: While you’re prepping dinner, the kids can make invitations and deliver them to their honored guests.
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Family Favorite Night
Kids love feeling like they’ve got input in the meal planning process, so writer Thao Thai came up with a brilliant way to let everyone’s voices be heard: “While my daughter loves anything cheesy (she is at least 80% Velveeta, I fear), I love seafood. My husband enjoys comfort food, like chili and meat braised for hours in a slow cooker,” Thai explains. “So, as a compromise and a lesson in trying new things, we began adding our favorite dishes to a planning app. At the beginning of the week, we take one item from each of our lists — like plain cheese pizza for the kiddo, shrimp pasta for me, slow-simmered carnitas for my husband — and add them to the joint meal plan. It not only makes meal planning way easier (3 meals down!), but it also ensures that everyone has a role in the chore.”
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Cookbook Night
As a recipe developer and food writer, I own more than my fair share of cookbooks (over 100, and those are just the ones that are on display). They line the shelves of the china cabinet that overlooks our kitchen table, and while I enjoy having them around, I have to admit that I don’t use them as much as I would like. So a few years ago we started having semi-regular cookbook nights, in which we’d each take turns picking a different cookbook to provide recipes for that evening’s meal.
There are several different ways to make a cookbook night fun for the whole family. Sharing the selection process — of both the book and the specific recipes — is a great way to start. From there, you can go all out with multiple courses from the book, or make it a weekly thing that’s more casual, with just one recipe as a focal point. Some of our favorite family cookbook nights have featured recipes from Let’s Party by Dan Pelosi, Pass the Plate by Carolina Gelen, Break an Egg: The Broadway Cookbook by Tara Theoharis (my theatre-loving 14-year-old’s choice), and Hetty McKinnon’s Linger. If you don’t happen to have your own trove of cookbooks, head to the public library!
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“Oops, All Appetizers!” Night
The appetizers are always the best part of the meal. There, I’ve said it — and I’ll die on that hill. When I’m at a restaurant, those little shared bites before the entrée arrives are always, hands-down, my favorite part. But at home, I rarely make time for appetizers. Just getting dinner for four people with wildly different tastes on the table is usually more than enough for me. Appetizer night flips that around and makes apps the star of the meal, offering a little something for everyone.
Let your family weigh in on appetizers they love, and create a spread with a few different options — maybe three or four. You can serve a combination of homemade and store-bought apps. I like hitting up the frozen section at Trader Joe’s for app night; some of our favorites include Pork and Ginger Soup Dumplings, Pastry Bites with Feta & Caramelized Onions, and Mini Chicken Tikka Samosas. Encourage your crew to try a little of everything — you can even vote for the best appetizer of the night!
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