Households only spend about 50% of dinners together as a family. While previous generations prioritized families sitting down together at the kitchen table, eating meals, and sharing how each other’s day went, people these days are busier and more distracted. But while eating as a family might not be as common these days as they were in yesteryear, that doesn’t mean it isn’t crucial.
According to one source, specific benefits of family dinners include — but aren’t limited to — higher self-esteem, reduced risk of depression, and lower obesity rates. So, there are good reasons to prioritize having dinner together as a family.
You’ll find that outdoor cooking and dining can improve family togetherness in these three ways.
1. Prep Meals Together
Cooking on the back deck or in the backyard will allow your family to prepare meals together. Yes, you can do that in the kitchen. But being beyond your indoor kitchen’s four walls and ceiling will provide more space for everyone to participate. In fact, your kids might express greater interest in rolling up their sleeves and helping with the meals if you’re outdoors.
When the time comes to prepare a meal outside, one menu item sure to get your kids excited and engaged is creating and baking pizzas. It’ll be even more fun if you have an outdoor pizza oven. Cooking your pizza in a wood-fired outdoor pizza oven will give you an authentic pizza rivaling or exceeding anything you could ever order from one of your favorite pizza joints.
Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world, so having everyone in your family create their own mouth-watering personal pizza is a good idea. Look up some recipes or get creative and build your own from the ground up — the outdoor pizza oven will do the rest.
2. Eat Meals Together
Spending time with family and friends can be good for your health. Socializing with people you care about can help you cope with stress, lead to a longer life, improve cardiovascular health, and boost psychological well-being.
When you prepare food, sit, eat, and socialize with people you care about, you’ll see your family unit become closer. Studies have demonstrated that eating meals together as a family can positively impact kids. For instance, it can discourage anti-social behavior, encourage healthy eating habits, and foster a sense of well-being. But there are also benefits for adults.
Whether you cook burgers on a grill, bake a lasagna in an outdoor oven, or bake a family-size pizza in an outdoor pizza oven, you and yours can grow closer through sharing meals together. It’s a great way to touch base and enjoy meaningful conversations with loved ones.
3. Experience Fun Times Together
You don’t have to limit outdoor eating to your property either. Being out in nature will provide opportunities to get physical activity. Adults require two and a half hours of moderate-intensity and two days of muscle-strengthening activity per week, while children require at least one hour of physical activity daily. So, it makes sense to figure out how to get everyone moving.
Do you and your family enjoy going camping? There’s nothing quite like being outdoors where trees, clean air, and wildlife surround you. You and yours can enjoy hiking, biking, swimming, and cooking outdoors.
Packing your bag, loading them into the car, and heading to a national park or campsite with your family can provide many opportunities for physical activity and outdoor cooking.
If you’ve ever thought about outdoor cooking, you now know some benefits you’ll receive. At a time when people’s busy schedules sometimes get in the way of having meals as a family, it makes sense to make time for the people nearest and dearest to you.