2007 News

FamilyTimeFun's Original Dinner Games features 51 quick and unique games to play while you eat, for kids ages 5 to 12. The cards area easy to read and spill-proof. Most games do not require any materials that aren't already on the dinner table. The games are educational; some are thought-provoking conversation starters, while other are just intended to be fun. Beginner Dinner Games are also available for kids ages 3 to 6.

 

FAMILY Magazine editor, Amy Bevins, shares her favorite "Must Have" holiday toys in a video:

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/3602-select-the-must-have-holiday-toys

FamilyTimeFun Dinner Games

Let the dinner games begin!

Sitting down and having dinner as a family is a wonderful opportunity to spend time together. But with busy schedules, and picky eaters, sometimes the dinner table isn't as much fun as it can be. FamilyTimeFun Dinner Games will add fun to your next family meal.

With younger kids you can play Beginner Dinner Games, and with older kids Dinner Games & Activities are more suitable. Whichever level you choose, you are bound to have fun with your family. Each game card will help improve family communication as well as nutrition and good eating habits. You'll learn more about each other and everyone will enjoy the clever activities. From critical and creative thinking, to numeracy and literacy, and even encouragement to eat more veggies, FamilyTimeFun has created the perfect way to create wholesome family fun!

Mom Tip: FamilyTimeFun Dinner Games come in a recipe-style tin box with spill-proof cards that are easy to read. Don't miss out on quality family time at the dinner table - buy a set today for your family! And, these make great hostess gifts for friends and family members with children!

"FamilyTimeFun Dinner Games encourage discussion but not chaos at the family dinner table. They also help bring closeness during mealtime."

Friday, March 16, 2007

John Pandiscio thinks that children should play with their food.

Their parents should get in on the game, too.

Two years ago, as a laid-off advertising executive, Pandiscio developed a series of games that could be played at the dinner table. He gave up looking for a day job and found a couple of companies to buy the concept to put on their packaging.

His entrepreneurial dreams nearly came to an abrupt end when his contacts at those companies moved on to other jobs. They took with them any enthusiasm for the project and he was back at square one. This is the point at which many would-be entrepreneurs give up. Pandiscio thought about doing the same.

"I was devastated," he said.

But there had been so much enthusiasm for the concept from his family and from friends, as well as others, that he decided to take a risk and create the product himself under the name Family Time Fun.

The ability to switch gears sets apart those who will succeed and those who will crash, says Jack Calkins, chair of the Boston chapter of SCORE, Counselors To America's Small Business.

He has advised Pandiscio since the entrepreneur first decided to pursue the games concept.

"You need to realize going into it that things are going to change," Calkins said. "You will have to constantly evolve."

The original games concept spawned from conversations Pandiscio's wife had with their children at supper. She would ask them about the best thing that happened to them and then the worst.

Pandiscio developed a game using a ketchup bottle. The person holding the bottle at the dinner table gets to make a smiley face with ketchup after saying something about his or her day.

In another game, players go around the table counting, only they have to say "moo" instead of the odd numbers.

Pandiscio created more than 50 games and had them printed on spill-proof cards. The cards are packaged in a small tin box, the size used for recipe cards. He cautiously started with an order of just 5,000. "Because I'm paying for this myself, I can't afford to make mistakes," he said.

He relied on free publicity and low-cost advertising to get the word out - a big change from the big budgets of his days in the corporate world.

Still, the lessons learned there helped, and his game cards sold. His second order was for 10,000, and then 25,000.

The company lost money in the first year, but Pandicscio says it's since started to turn a profit.

Dinner Games & Activities is sold mostly on the Internet, and through independent stores and catalogs.

Pandiscio is developing another type of game for the dinner table while looking at new ways of promoting the first effort.

He is talking with companies, including a restaurant, about how they might use it. He's also trying to find new ways to get the word out.

Now that the business is taking off, he's more sure than ever that he doesn't want to go back to being a small cog in a big wheel.

"This is what I want to do for the next 10 years or more," he said.

Designed for families with kids 3 to 6 years old, this set includes 51 quick and easy games for families to play while they eat dinner.
- The games utilize "the food, utensils and people at the dinner table; no gameboard or game pieces are required," said John Pandiscio of FamilyTimeFun. "Moms love the Dinner Games because her family stays around the dinner table longer and her kids eat their veggies and finish their milk. Kids love them just because they're fun!" Launch date: February 11, 2007. 1/8/2007

Recipes for Dinnertime Fun

Get the family talking around the dinner table using the games and conversation starters inside this recipe box. Each spill-proof card suggests an activity families can do with little to no preparation. Just pop open the box and play. Activities promote family communication, creative thinking and healthy eating habits.