5 Reasons to Have Regular, Sit-Down Family Dinners

Eating together is good for a child’s stability. Studies show that children who eat with their families are significantly less likely to have trouble with drugs and alcohol and are more likely to perform better in school.

Eating dinner as a family offers a great opportunity to simply talk and helps children develop social skills. One way to get started is to go around the table and ask everyone about the best and/or worst parts of their day. For other ideas on how to spark conversation and keep kids of all ages interested in participating during mealtime, visit: http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/.

Eating as a family provides a way to have time together without the intrusion of cell phones or other screens — especially if you make the dinner table a gadget-free zone. It’s also an ideal time to give your eyes and back a break from too much screen time. Bending over a phone is bad for your posture and constantly focusing on a small screen can cause eyestrain. All the more reason to put devices away.

Kids who have dinner with their parents often have stronger vocabularies simply from being exposed to adult conversation.

According to a recent study published in the journal, Pediatrics, children of families who eat together are 24% more likely to eat healthier foods, while children who do not eat with their parents at least twice a week are 40% more likely to be overweight. Regularly preparing dinner provides an occasion to talk about what healthy eating is and isn’t — from the menu to portion control. Family dinners also offer a way to introduce new foods and expand a child’s palate in a comfortable environment.