Celebrate Family Meals Month

Good for the Brain

Shared meals with the family are an excellent time for children to discuss what they learned in school and reinforce their knowledge. Researchers have found that for young children, dinnertime conversation boosts vocabulary even more than being read aloud to (Washington Post.) Older children also experience benefits from family meals. Research found that adolescents who ate family meals five to seven times a week were twice as likely to get A’s in school as those who ate dinner with their families fewer than two times a week (Washington Post.) Overall, sharing that experience as a family builds self-esteem and confidence which positively impacts every facet of childhood.  

Good for the Body

Family meals are often more nutritious. Studies show that families who eat together are twice as likely to eat their five servings of fruits and vegetables, compared to families who don’t eat together (FCC.) Shared meals also help prevent obesity, as people tend to eat less during family meals because they eat more slowly and talk more. Lastly, kids who eat family meals tend to become less picky eaters and tend to eat a wider variety of foods.  

Good for the Soul

Family dinners have been found to be a more powerful deterrent against high-risk teen behaviors than church attendance or good grades (Washington Post.) Studies show that having regular family dinners lowers the change of high-risk teenage behaviors, such as smoking, violence, school problems, and more. Eating more meals with your children, whether they be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, will only strengthen your family connection and heighten their self-esteem. Having that daily meal-time connection can allow your children a time to openly communicate and share a positive experience. It also gives parents the opportunity to be role models and set an example of polite table manners.