According to professors at Newport University, family mealtimes are essential for teaching children healthy eating habits and helping to nurture social and communication skills, which in turn are essential to good performance at school.
The study of 400 nine-year-olds found one in four watched TV on their own or with their siblings while eating dinner. These children often reported they found using cutlery difficult, which the study claims is vital to helping children develop writing skills.
Researchers recommend a return to formal school dinners - where a teacher sits at the head of every table and a monitor fetches and serves the food - to teach children skills they no longer learn at home.
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