Family life is so busy – work, child care, pre-school and school, after-school activities, homework and more. Regular family meals give everybody a chance to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. Here’s how to get the most out of your family meals.

Benefits of family meals

Family life often comes with a busy schedule. It isn’t always easy to put a meal on the table, let alone get the whole family to sit down together to enjoy it. However, having a regular family mealtime is worth the effort.

Whether it’s nightly dinners or a special Sunday lunch, family meals are perfect times to catch up, connect and communicate with each other. This can be especially important for busy older children and teenagers.

Your child can also learn a lot about food and eating by watching what you do at mealtimes. For example, eating with the rest of the family helps younger children learn to eat the same healthy food as everyone else. It can encourage picky eaters to try new foods.

You can also use family meals to model good eating habits, as well as the behaviour you want to see when your family comes together. This is about learning to use spoons, forks and chopsticks for younger children. It’s also about things like taking turns to talk and listening while others share their news.

Six ways to make family meals enjoyable