Let Your Child Eat Breakfast Before Going to School

Go to a regular elementary classroom and ask the students if they eat breakfast before they go to school. Chances are more than half of them do not. Do you let your child eat breakfast before going to school?

School kids MUST eat breakfast before going to school. It is the MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day. Studies have shown that students who eat breakfast perform better in class - in all areas - cognitive, affective and psychomotor.

Cognitive. Students who eat breakfast are more alert then those who don't. They are able to pay attention to what the teachers are discussing. They are able to stay awake and participate in classroom activities.

Affective. Students who eat breakfast are able to relate to others better. Students who do not tend to become either grumpy or sluggish. Other students stay away from them.

Psychomotor. Students who eat breakfast have the energy to move about. They can perform tasks better than those who are sluggish.

So what must you let your child eat for breakfast. Here is a list of food that you can give them in the morning. Try to have variations so they won't lose interest.

1. Bacon. This you can serve with toast or with fried rice. You can partner it with egg. You can also make it into a sandwich with tomato and cheese.
2. Hotdogs. This you can serve with toast or with fried rice as well. An egg on the side will be great. You can also cook it like steak. Slice it into small pieces and onion slices then cook like the way you would cook steak.
3. Ham. This can be prepared similar to the two above.
4. Eggs. You can have this scrambled, boiled, sunny side-up. You mix it with slices of bacon, ham, sausage, mushrooms, cheese, bell pepper, etc.
5. Cereals. Kids love this but they'll get bored if this is what they have always. Choose different flavors. Also alternate milk with chocolate.
6. Oatmeal. Like cereals, kids love oatmeal. To make it more nutritious and healthier mix fruits like banana, apple or grapes.
7. Toast. This is good but have different spreads like jam, jelly, butter, cheese, peanut butter, etc.
8. Pancakes. For this you also need various toppings like honey, butter, jam, etc. You can also top the pancakes with other fruits for added flavor. Make sure that you prepare the pancake mix in the evening to save time.
9. Baked potato/Mash potato/Fries. This is another good source of energy. Have cheese spread, bacon bits or other toppings and side dishes.
10. Bagel, Buns, Pastries, Cakes. These are also sources of energy but only give them once in a while especially the sweet ones.

In order to convince your child that he or she needs to eat breakfast, you need to make him or her excited to eat. Do this by preparing really good breakfast. Interchange the food suggested above. Make them look forward to what they are going to have the next day. Also, make sure that they do not 'feel' pressured during breakfast time. Prepared food early so they will not feel the 'rush'. And most importantly, join them for breakfast so they would know that it is a really important meal.