Eating together as a family reaps a host of benefits. Researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education tracked literacy skills in early childhood development and found that young children learned, on average, 143 words by reading with their parents and 1000 words by eating meals with their parents. The research showed that, not only do family meals increase a child's vocabulary, children who sit down with at least one parent for five meals or more a week, for a minimum of 20 minutes for each meal:
- get better grades
- are less likely to abuse drugs/alcohol
- are less likely to develop eating disorders
- show fewer depressive symptoms
Social scientists agree that the family meal can make a huge difference in child development. When parents sit down to eat with their children, parents can model healthy eating behaviors, manners and social-emotional skills. Parents tend to cook healthier meals when everyone gets together, and dining together allows parents to communicate with their kids, practice taking turns listening and talking, and to honor the family unit, regardless of any tension or conflict that occurred that day.
When parents hear the data about the importance of the family meal, they often feel guilty if work schedules and kids' extracurricular activities keep them from eating together. The key is togetherness, not timing. A family that is scattered at the dinner hour might be able to meet regularly for breakfast instead; and even adding one or two more family meals to the week is better than nothing.
Predictable family mealtimes, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, offer children stability and a sense of belonging in the family. A shared meal, not once in a while but regularly, anchors a family. Children learn about their family history, parents learn about their children, and any issues that need to be discussed can take place when everyone feels they have an equal place at the table to share their thoughts.
Eating together as a family can build connection, foster effective communication skills, promote balance and variety in kids' diets, relieve stress, encourage literacy skills, and protect kids from feeling lonely and depressed.
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Contact Sara Shaw, M.S., MFT for a parent consultation: sara.shaw@alumni.northwestern.edu
Comments
Sara,
Your message is 100% right on. Good for you for passing on this simple yet so effective concept.
Keep up the great messages.
Page Larkin
Thanks for passing by my article. And sure you may link to my article. :-) Let me know when you have it written and I will link to yours too. Thanks!
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