Studies suggest that families who have regular meal times built into their routines tend to eat healthier meals and have an overall more positive outlook on life. But that’s not all—there’s a cornucopia of other benefits, too.

Checking In—coming together at the end of the day gives everyone a chance to reconnect with other family members, and see how they’re doing. This regular “check-in” can strengthen family relationships, and promote mental and emotional well being. It gives parents the opportunity to ask some deeper questions—like “What was something that made you smile today?” or “What are you most looking forward to this week?” It gives kids the opportunity to ask questions too. This kind of back-and-forth lends itself to quality conversations that can’t be skipped with simple answers like “fine” and “good.”

A Labor of Love—By the simple act of cooking for your little ones, you demonstrate an unspoken commitment to their physical well being. They may not always show appreciation outwardly, but all of that effort adds up. And it gives the kids a chance to pitch in too—whether it’s helping to peel or cut vegetables, set the table, or help wash the dishes afterward.

A Captive Audience—Similar to merely cooking for our kids, mindfully reserving time everyday to get into the nitty gritty of life also shows them we’re listening, and that we care. With food as a centerpiece, we can have higher quality conversations with eye contact, we can ask more open-ended and meaningful questions, and frankly, no one is walking away because they’re bored or distracted.

The holidays can be especially fertile ground for memory making around food. Many of those treasured moments take place in the kitchen (or around the dinner table eating Grandma’s delicious fill-in-the-blank-here). It is here that traditions are made, and continued. Preparing food together and eating together with family and friends, especially during the holidays, and on special occasions reinforces our sense of community, our love for one another, and reminds us of some of the sweetest times of our lives.

This holiday season, we want to focus on celebrating those moments, recording those feelings, and preserving family traditions (especially the delicious kinds!). We’ve provided a few ways to do that over on our Chowtown channel, and in our Thanksgiving holidays & events section.. Make a chef’s hat with your little one and prepare to get your hands dirty. Or create a recipe box complete with recipe cards so your family can keep those delicious traditions alive throughout the year. No matter how you do it, you’re headed for some joyous memories.

Happy holidays from all of us at GoNoodle!