How to hold family meetings (and stay sane)

FAMILY meetings will look different for everyone, but it only takes 3 steps to hold a successful one.

Step #1 Choose a time for your family meetings

To help your kids get in the habit of participating in meetings, try to be as consistent as possible.

Pick a day and time that tends to be less busy for your family, and then hold to that like you would a doctor’s appointment! But make sure it’s not before a meal!

Trying to keep everyone’s attention when they’re hungry won’t go well. Trust me.

Step #2 establishes ground rules

One purpose of family meetings is to create a safe space where everyone can share. In order to make that possible, it’s important to establish a few ground rules. Have your kids help create a list – but keep the list short. For example, you could stick with these 3 rules:

• No interrupting

• Listen respectfully to whoever is talking

• Don’t judge The last rule is for the parents too. Try to make your meetings a safe zone for sharing anything and everything. Kids need to know it’s safe to be vulnerable.

Step #3 Prepare an agenda

Preparing an agenda ahead of time will make sure you stay on track, cover the things you want, and get through the meeting faster. It also makes it possible for the kids to be involved!

Once you’ve held a few meetings, start letting the kids lead. You can help when needed. Additional jobs will help your kids be even more involved. They can help with little jobs like prayers (we always include prayer in our family meetings), helping to teach a quick lesson, or arranging treats.

You can prepare your own agenda, or you can use this free agenda template, which is the one we use. It comes with two templates, a prefilled one and a blank one so you can customize your own!

What to include in the family meeting agenda

Here is the agenda we use each week.

There are topics we cover in every meeting, which are printed onto the agenda. But there is also blank space to add other items when needed. Family meetings work best when everyone is included and roles are assigned, such as leader, prayer, lesson, and treats. Review weekly schedules to coordinate activities and support each other.

Create time for sharing highs and lows, and nominate family members for positive actions. Check in on individual and family goals, discuss important issues like budgets or holidays, and teach short lessons on useful topics.

End with “anything else?” to capture final thoughts. Keep meetings consistent, simple, and positive, allowing kids to lead, avoiding lectures, and fostering an open, judgment-free environment where everyone feels safe to share.