Thanksgiving Dinner is upon us. I love the turkey and mashed potatoes, the pie, ALL the delicious sides- but I also love the time with family! There’s something special about sitting all together at a big meal, enjoying the good food together.

Thanksgiving is definitely the perfect time to do that, but it shouldn’t be the only time! We can enjoy dinner together with our loved ones ALL the time. Now granted, sometimes life is crazy and busy and it’s not always easy to get the family together at the dinner table. But it’s always worth it.

And this isn’t just me getting on a soap box- there is science to back me up!

Like, so much science. There are so many articles and studies that have shown MASS benefits to eating together as a family.

For one, it’s healthier. Studies show that eating together as a family tends to lend itself to healthier eating habits. You’re more likely to be eating a healthy home-cooked meal when sitting down as a family, rather than grabbing fast food on the go. It also encourages a healthier relationship with food!

Family dinners are also a great time to foster communication amongst family members. You can model appropriate conversation topics for your children, but most importantly, it provides a natural setting to ask your children about their day and for them to open up and talk. In fact, one source says that 80% of teenagers say that family dinner is when they are most likely to talk about their day, and many listed it as one of their favorite things to do. That says a lot, if you ask me.

Family dinners are also a great time to review manners and etiquette that your children might not learn otherwise. They certainly aren’t going to learn those things on their own ;).

And that’s not the only learning effect of family dinners. Multiple studies have shown that children do much better academically when they are eating dinner as a family at home more regularly. In fact, one study showed that only 9% of teens that ate dinner as a family regularly did poorly in school. Those are pretty impressive numbers!

And while good academics is definitely a worthy goal, good mental health is an even better benefit! Mothers that eat dinner with their family were shown to be less stressed out versus mothers that ate alone, and teens have shown much more emotional stability when eating dinner with their families regularly.

In fact, here is a list I found with specific benefits that studies have shown come from regular family dinners:

• Better academic performance
• Higher self-esteem
• Greater sense of resilience
• Lower risk of substance abuse
• Lower risk of teen pregnancy
• Lower risk of depression
• Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
• Lower rates of obesity
• Better cardiovascular health in teens
• Bigger vocabulary in preschoolers
• Healthier eating patterns in young adults

There are also benefits for adults, including:

• Better nutrition with more fruits and vegetables and less fast food
• Less dieting
• Increased self-esteem
• Lower risk of depression

THAT is an impressive list. If this doesn’t make you want to have family dinner, then I don’t know what will!

I’ve linked the articles I read down below if you’re curious as to more of the specifics, but suffice it to say- the proof is irrefutable. Eating together as a family is critical. The ideal is at least 5 meals a week, but if you can only make it happen once or twice a week, that’s better than nothing! Get creative, plan ahead, and do whatever you can to make family dinner a priority. Your kids need it. YOU need it.

What do you do to make sure that family dinner stays a priority in your home? I’d love to hear your ideas! Share with us in the comments below!