The powerful benefits of Family Dinners for Young Girls

Please share with your friends!

Last Updated on July 11, 2023 by alli

This statement may sound a little strange to some, but here it goes… One of the most powerful and beneficial things you can do for your daughter is to make time to have regular family dinners.

In our home we have a dinner time ritual. My daughter sets the table, I prep and cook, and my partner cleans up. We always eat dinner together as a family when our schedules allow.

We don’t bring our phones or any device to the dinner table. It’s just our family, eating a meal together, and communicating.

I know for some families it’s difficult to do this. Some parents work evenings or late. Kids have extra-curricular activities and appointments can get in the way. But when you can schedule in a family dinner, it will benefit your children. The more consistently you do it, the more benefits they’ll receive..

6 Powerful Ways Young Girls Benefit from Family Dinners

Family dinner is a little like ‘family therapy’. There really is a lot to be gained from it. In fact, Anne Fishel a family therapist has this to say about it –

“I sort of half joke that I could be out of business if more families had regular family dinners, because so many of the things that I try to do in family therapy actually get accomplished by regular dinners.”

Here are some interesting (and surprising) benefits to be gained by young girls from having regular family dinners.

Introduces Better Nutrition

When families eat together at dinner time, they’re eating healthier home cooked meals with better nutrition and meal portions. A simple repetitive thing like this is an education for a little girl within itself. Personally, I always cook a healthy dinner not just because I want the whole family to be eating a nutritious meal, but because I’m also mindful that I’m teaching my daughter about nutrition and what a healthy meal looks like.

Enhances Emotional Well-Being

Sharing meals with family members creates a sense of belonging in children. It also encourages open communication and promotes positive mental health for little girls. The National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that girls who frequently have family dinners experience lower rates of depression and anxiety.

Builds Self-Esteem and Confidence

Regularly eating dinner with family can make young girls feel valued, heard, and appreciated. When they engage in conversation and express their opinion, girls develop a sense of self-worth and confidence in their abilities. When family members listen to their thoughts, ideas, and aspirations, it makes them feel important and capable, which helps them to grow into confident teenagers and women.

From my experience, I can honestly say that my daughter always engages in conversation during dinner, because we include her and listen to her opinions.

During this time, I’ve learnt so much about what’s happening with her at school. Like, how her friendships are going and how she’s been feeling in general. She finds family dinners a safe time to open up and tell me (and her dad) about things that are troubling her. She has surprised us many times by revealing things that we weren’t aware of, like:

• Students that have bullied her.
• Her feelings of anxiety and self-doubt.
• Worrying about some of her grades.

Don’t get me wrong. Our conversations aren’t always serious and depressing. There’s also a lot of fun and laughter too, and that helps build a stronger family bond. Whatever my daughter has to say, she knows she is being listened to and heard. This makes her feel important which helps to build on self-esteem and confidence.

Encourages Healthy Body Image

Social media is a concern for many parents with young girls, because it often negatively impacts a young girls’ perception of her body. Family dinners are a fantastic opportunity to talk to your daughter about all the unrealistic beauty standards she is being bombarded with by social media.

By serving healthy meals and engaging in conversations about healthy habits, we can teach our daughters how to value their bodies and individuality.  

According to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, young girls who have regular family meals are less likely to develop eating disorders. This is because family dinners provide an environment where healthy eating habits are practised.

Provides Mentoring and Role Models

I always keep in mind that my daughter is learning from me, and I’m her main role model. I know this is true because of the number of times she has expressed the same opinion as me or copied me in some way. Sometimes it’s scary because she picks ups on the bad stuff too!

Family dinners give young girls an opportunity to watch and learn from role models within their own family. This is usually the parents or older siblings. From them, they can learn how to hold a conversation, resolve an argument and how to show respect and empathy.

When an older family member shares stories, opinions, and life experiences over dinner, they may not realise it, but they are mentoring the children who are at the table.

Lowers Risk of Substance Abuse

A university in the US discovered that young girls who have regular family dinners are less likely to engage in risky behaviours such as substance abuse. This is because they have stronger bonds to their family and are regularly connecting and receiving support and guidance from them.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we have discussed negative influences and peer pressure over dinner with my daughter!

If you’d like to read more about the multiple benefits of family dinners, I highly recommend The Family Dinner Project website!  It’s full of really interesting stats and information like –