The new calendar year is often marked by resolutions for the coming year. For families with school-age children, the new school year can also be the time for new resolutions. For many reasons, one worthwhile resolution is to consider starting-or continuing-the practice of regular family meal times.

Improved Nutrition

In research published in the Archives of Family Medicine, children were more likely to eat balanced meals-those that offer the vitamins, minerals, and protein they need to grow and stay healthy-when they are sitting at the dinner table eating prepared meals with others. Important attitudes and habits about eating can be developed during regular meal times. Useful nutritional information is also more likely to be discussed by adults and children when sitting down at a meal together ([2], pp. 5-7; [4]).

Enhanced Language and Conversation Skills

Family meal times provide a built-in opportunity to connect with others and practice the art of good conversation. Children learn how to ask and respond to questions about their experiences during the day and to listen to other family members share stories from their day during meal time conversations. Research suggests that regular conversation in natural environments between adults and children-such as family meal times-contributes to children's vocabulary and early literacy skills. Well-developed listening and speaking vocabularies, in turn, contribute to children's reading success in elementary school [5], pp. 1-2; [8], p. 399).

Reduced Likelihood of Risky Activities in Adolescence

A study conducted by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (NCASA) found that teens who regularly ate dinner with their families-six or seven times a week-were less likely to smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs than those teens in families that almost never ate dinner together [6]. Other studies have underscored the protective factor of close family relationships for youth. Eating dinner together will not guarantee parent-child closeness, but it does insure a regular occasion to talk together, a major ingredient of family closeness. Treating the family dinner as sacred-more important than a business meeting, a phone call, or a favorite television show, for example-also sends an important message to children: family time is a top priority ([3], p. 8; [9], p. 15; [1], p. 23).

How can busy families with full schedules build in regular family meal times? Bill Doherty, director of the marriage and family therapy program at the University of Minnesota, encourages families to reduce the number of scheduled individual activities in order to permit more family time. Build in family times first, suggests Doherty, and everything else second. For example, families might decide to have at least four dinners together a week. All family members must then commit to these dinner times together (, p. 2).

Finding time to be together as a family can be challenging, particularly as children get older. Families can feel overwhelmed with work, school, and activity schedules. It is precisely because of such full schedules that families need to structure time to be together ([7], p. 2). Regular meal times together allow individuals to connect as a family, strengthening family ties.

For more information

The Importance of Family Meals
http://npin.org/pnews/1998/pnew298/pnew298h.html

The Role of Rituals in Strengthening Family Ties: An Interview with William Doherty
http://npin.org/pnews/2000/pnew1100/spot1100.html

Vegetarian Teenagers
http://npin.org/pnews/1998/pnew498/pnew498d.html

Healthy Eating from the Start: Nutrition Education for Young Children
http://npin.org/library/1998/n00015/n00015.html

Sources

[1] Carpenter, Siri. (2001). Teens' risky behavior is about more than race and family resources. Monitor on Psychology, 32(1), 22-23.

[2] Gillman, Matthew W.; Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl L.; Frazier, Lindsay A.; Rockett, Helaine R. H.; Camargo, Carlos A.; Field, Alison E.; Berkey, Catherine S.; & Colditz, Graham A. (2000). Family dinner and diet quality among older children and adolescents. Archives of Family Medicine, 9(3), 235-240. Available: http://archfami.ama-assn.org/issues/v9n3/ffull/foc9011.html

[3] Heath, Dwight B. (1998). Being an effective parent requires making the time to do so. Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 14(7), 8.

[4] Lagoni, L. S.; Martin, D. H.; Maslin-Cole, C.; Cook, A.; MacIsaac, K.; Parrill, G.; Bigner, J.; Coker, E.; & Sheie, S. (1989). Good times at mealtime [Online]. Available: http://www.nncc.org/Series/good.time.meal.html#anchor177969

[5] Lynn, Leon. (1997). Language-rich home and school environments are key to reading success [Online]. Available: http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/1997-ja/language.shtml

[6] National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (NCASA). (2001). CASA announces "Family day-A day to eat dinner with your children" [Online]. Available: http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsletter1457/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=55835

[7] Patten, Peggy. (2000). The role of rituals in strengthening family ties:
An interview with William Doherty. Parent News [Online], 6(6). Available: http://npin.org/pnews/2000/pnew1100/spot1100.html

[8] Reese, Elaine. (1995). Predicting children's literacy from mother-child conversations. Cognitive Development, 10(3), pp. 381-405. (ERIC Journal No. EJ512385)

[9] Sagarese, Margaret, & Giannetti, Charlene C. (1999). 10 simple ways to trouble-proof your young adolescent. Our Children, 25(2), 15-16.