It's 6:00 p.m. You and your husband just got home from work, your daughter is coming in from soccer practice, and your son leaves for orchestra rehearsal in a few minutes. It's hard enough to get food on the table, much less gather everyone around it.Trying to accommodate multiple schedules might have you thinking you're better off feeding your family in shifts.

But the benefits of sharing dinner together far outweigh the convenience of separate mealtimes, according to Miriam Weinstein, author of The Surprising Power of Family Meals: How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier and Happier. Whether you're ordering Chinese or cooking chicken Parmesan, family dinners provide an important opportunity for everyone to check in with one another. "For many families, this is the only time they actually see each other over the course of the day," says Weinstein, a mother of two.Numerous studies detail the positive effects of family dinners. Children who eat with their parents and siblings are more likely to maintain a healthy diet and less likely to battle obesity or eating disorders as they get older. Research also shows that they have greater emotional stability, earn better grades in school and are more likely to avoid experimenting with alcohol and drugs. While coordinating your family's hectic schedules may be difficult, Weinstein recommends that you take a close look at everyone's commitments and agree to make occasional sacrifices in order to dine as a group. That might mean that you finish work at home after dinner or sign your kids up for fewer extracurricular activities.

To get the most out of family meals, it's vital to establish a regular routine—and stick to it. "Follow through as consistently as you can," Weinstein says. Decide how many dinners you'd like to have together each week, outline the plan to your family and explain why it's so important for all of you to make time to be together. Be sure everyone shows up for these meals!Eliminate distractions by turning off the TV and ignoring the phone. The goal is to really focus on one another during the meal. Try to keep the conversation positive and remember that dinner isn't the time to discuss chores or curfews. Beyond that, what you talk about is up to you: Some families have conversations about current events; others tell jokes and play word games. If there's absolutely no way to meet around the table in the evening, try making breakfast your family meal—or plan regular evening get-togethers or Sunday brunches. But whatever you do, strive to be together as often as possible. After all, the most important part of family dinners is the family.

Recipes for Fun

Try these entertaining activities to spice up your regular dinner routine: