Why eating together is so important

What children can learn from eating together

Food is a central element in our lives. We eat multiple meals a day to meet our energy needs and provide our bodies with vital nutrients. But the importance of eating goes far beyond just physical satiety. Last but not least, eating together with the family is an important social activity, with many processes taking place in the background that influence a child’s social development. The child is unconsciously taught values ​​that shape the assessment of his environment and strengthen his position within the family. This essentially involves three aspects.

Establish a connection to a healthy diet

Parents certainly try to feed their children as healthily as possible so that they can develop well. To ensure that your child later has a balanced diet independently and maintains healthy eating habits, it is of the utmost importance to eat together regularly. Firstly, a reliable eating rhythm can help children learn to consciously perceive and respect nutrition as an important part of their lives.

Second, parents play an important role because there are significant similarities between your own eating habits and those of your child. It is based on how their parents treat food, both positively and negatively. This primarily concerns the child’s willingness to try a new food and accept it as part of their diet. In addition to the fact of how available or present the respective food was, the way in which one feels about this food also determines what is eaten and what is not. So parents don’t just have to cook healthy and balanced meals for their children, but set an example and set an example for their children to eat healthy as a natural part of everyday life.

Pleasant atmosphere is important

Another important factor affecting the positive evaluation of food is the right atmosphere during the family meal. Distractions such as the TV on, music on the radio, or toys at the dinner table should be avoided as much as possible. Because such distractions only lead to the fact that children do not perceive the meal as an independent event, but as something that happens on the side. As a result, they cannot adequately appreciate the food they have eaten. One should therefore try to create a quiet eating environment in order to encourage children to enjoy the various foods. In this way, they will also later be more conscious in their choice of what to eat and what not to eat.

But not only the action of the meal itself, but also the design of the trappings is important. Food should not just be consumed, but consciously “experienced”. Children should therefore be included in all processes – be it cooking, setting the table or clearing the table after the meal. This makes it easier for them to become aware of where the food comes from, when they eat what, how and whether they like it and when they are full.

Meals are made even better and more special for your child when they can eat with child-friendly crockery and cutlery, as large knives and forks can be difficult for children’s hands to hold.

Learning social norms while eating together

Small children in particular still have to learn the rules of social groups that make it possible to live together without conflict. Eating together can serve as a kind of microcosm in which the children learn to assess social structures. They learn about social etiquette and good manners while eating with the family. Here, too, the behavior of the parents plays a major role. There is little point in telling the child to sit up straight and not to talk with their mouth full unless you do the same yourself. The role model function of each parent is therefore also a supporting pillar of social upbringing.

Children find their place

The third aspect that makes eating together so important – children find their place within the family. That’s why it’s important to have a meal together at least once a day, for which everyone involved takes enough time. Regulated mealtimes are a clue for a child to organize the day and to calm down. A clear beginning and a clear end of the family dinner are very important. Reliable structures and recurring appointments are particularly important for small children. Eating together can thus serve as a ritual that offers the child security and consistency.

Eating with the family is also a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas with the other family members, to engage with each other and thus strengthen family cohesion. After all, cooking for someone is always a symbol of caring and caring for one another. The eating community thus becomes a closed group within which children clearly position and classify themselves. This strengthens self-confidence, even outside of this community.

Eating together as a social school

Eating together with the family should not only be seen as eating food, but also as an opportunity to pass on values ​​and norms to one’s children. If you take enough time to eat and concentrate completely on it without being distracted by side activities, the meal can become a positive communal experience and a fixed item on the program that gives children security and a reliable point of reference in everyday life and thus makes them independent and independent to become self-confident people.