These days, dinner is rarely a time of togetherness with the hectic schedules held by many modern kids and parents. However, parents might want to arrange more family meals now that researchers have shown the activity to benefit kids and teenagers. Parents can help their kids develop happily and healthily by holding regular family meals. Below are eight reasons why this is a great idea.
1. Broaden Their Horizons
Family meals can be a great opportunity to expose kids to new foods with different flavors from around the world. Don’t try to force them to eat these new foods. Instead, let them choose new recipes to try and give them chances to see how exciting new dining experiences can be.
2. Demonstrate Preparation and Cooking Skills
Many modern children never learn to buy groceries, plan meals and cook them to completion. Your kids will be better prepared for adulthood if you show them how to do all this for themselves as they grow up.
3. Show Money-Saving Skills
Restaurant meals cost far more than meals cooked from scratch at home. It can take a significant time commitment, but showing kids how much money can be saved by cooking their own food can serve them well for a lifetime.
4. Promote Healthy Living
Researchers have found that when families eat dinner together at least five times per week, children and teens are less likely to drink, smoke and use illegal drugs. For this reason, it’s vital to examine each week’s schedule and arrange for sit-down meals with kids of all ages.
5. Demonstrate Good Manners
Eating together is a chance to show kids how to eat and interact politely. Make sure the occasion stays relaxed, and always show good manners by example rather than being critical or instructive.
6. Promote Better School Work
When kids sit down to eat meals with their families more often, their school work improves. When teens dine with their families at least four times per week, they’re more likely to have better grades compared to their classmates who eat dinner with their families twice or less each week.
7. Support Communication and Social Adjustment
Dinnertime talks between family members gives a chance to connect with one another and strengthen familial ties. This way, everybody can keep track of how the others are spending their days, and kids and teens will have a chance to grow up feeling like they belong.
8. Maintain a Healthy Diet
Foods prepared at home are generally more nutrient-rich than foods from restaurants. The increased use of vegetables and fruits means that everybody gets more fiber, vitamins and minerals and less sugar, building better health for the present and the future.
Eating dinner as a family has many benefits that make it a worthwhile part of a busy schedule. In addition to giving everybody in the household a valuable sense of belonging, it can also keep tensions to a minimum and develop healthy habits in terms of diet and social interaction.
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Paula is currently blogging for a maternity photographer morris county site. When she is not busy blogging or being a full-time mommy, she enjoys helping with the photography and drinking wine.
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