Christmas dinner table activities

[Deinonychus]

How do you keep your kids entertained at the table in between courses on Christmas Day?

Kids are aged 3-8 and they sometimes have to wait up to 40 mins for adults to finish eating and get next course ready. There isn't room on the table for board games, and the little ones are too young to build a Lego set. Are there any Christmas activity packs that come recommended?

We let them get down from the table between main course and pudding if they're fidgety.

I always let mine get down. I normally wouldn't, but on Christmas Day with a meal lasting 2/3 hours it's just too much for them sometimes. And I know this is awful, but people just want to relax around the dinner table. If you're up sorting out the meal, some people might not want to entertain the kids solidly for 30 minutes till the next bit arrives!

We always let ours get down between courses. In fact the children had their own table joined on to the main dining table that was laid with Father Christmas table cloth, children's crackers and Christmas glasses with funny straws. Table presents were sticker books for something fairly quiet to keep them occupied. This worked well for us for lots of years but there were always at least twelve for Christmas dinner so I realise this wouldn't work in smaller families.

40 minutes! What are people doing?

Let them get down! Why do you want to keep them there?

I was wondering the same why such a long wait in between. I have 4 children and we just chat at the table. When they were younger they may do a bit of drawing or a sticker book from their stocking but we do the same as we always do at the table chat. I have a kitchen dinner so don't know if that makes a difference.

We don't do starters. And forty minutes is just too long for me to wait between courses let alone my DC!

Do you have a starter? If so, could the adults not just have the starter, then bring the children to the table for the main course? You could also wrap sticker books & colouring books for them to open after the main course, might be more likely to play with them than if they'd opened them earlier. That said, we all have a long break between dinner & pudding and all get down from the table. But I wouldn't make the children sit at the table for 40 mins

We have a separate kids table with Xmas TV on next to it.

I just put them in the shed. I do put the lights on and leave them cheese.

Table presents are usually something like a Lego mixel or small play mobile to keep them amused. We also have ditched a formal starter now and the adults just have baked Camembert and crusty bread as an informal appetiser on the island in the kitchen. Cuts down on the waiting around at the table.

No starter.
Crackers pulled before we eat so paper hats are on and there are jokes and riddles to read out and bits of tat to play with. After the main we clear the decks and get out the wind up toys and race them along the table. We have a load of reindeer from previous year's crackers, bugs from Hawkins Bazaar and the Royal Family and Beano characters! I've seen wind up sprouts in crackers too.
Then it's time for the flaming pudding.
Kids help with fetching and clearing.
Seems to keep them busy

We don't do starters, there's 18 of us at ours for Christmas dinner, 4 dc under 5. They can leave the table when they've had enough and come back for pudding.

We have Christmas colouring packs for in their stockings that I'm going to place on the table or we picked up colouring in xmas placemats for dc. Although if there is going to be a very long wait I would probably let them leave the table tbh

God, just let them get down. I'd get pissed off waiting for 40 minutes for someone to finish a meal