Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
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How to get your child to eat breakfast

By Mary Silva updated by Dr Robert Needlman
 
 

Research has found that children who eat breakfast have better levels of concentration, increased problem-solving abilities, and a more positive attitude about school. Children who miss their morning meal often are irritable, tired, restless and easily distracted. Furthermore, children who skip breakfast can have impaired memory and verbal skills.

Schoolgirl eating mango
 

How well your school-age child does in the classroom involves more than just good teachers and a backpack full of supplies. It also depends on whether he starts the school day with a healthy breakfast. Several studies now show that breakfast helps a child perform better at school.

Benefits of a morning meal

Children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight and appear to have a decreased risk of heart disease. Youngsters who sit down to a meal before school aren’t overly hungry by lunchtime. This means they can keep their minds on schoolwork rather than their empty stomachs. Also, they are inclined to eat fewer high-fat foods during the rest of the day.

The foods eaten at breakfast can be the same ones that are eaten any other time of the day. What’s most important is that the types of food help to sustain energy levels at a constant rate.

A child who eats a balance of different types of food, including carbohydrates, protein and fat (rather than simply sweet food such as sugared cereal and fruit juice), will have energy levels maintained over a fairly long period of time.

Parents usually recognise the benefits of a healthy breakfast. But they often face several situations that prevent their child from going off to school well nourished and ready to meet the challenges of the classroom. Here are a few suggestions to overcome these obstacles.

‘I'm not hungry’

  • Offer a healthy milkshake. Just add fruit to milk and some ice, and blend until smooth.
  • Pack a cereal bar, a sandwich or a bread roll. She can eat it on the way to school or save it until she gets there, when she has more of an appetite.

Too little time

  • Help organise your child the night before by preparing his clothes and getting his schoolbag ready.
  • Save time by working together. Plan to share the breakfast preparation. Even young children can help in some way.
  • Set the table for breakfast before going to bed, or let your child choose what he’d like for breakfast the next morning.
  • The night before, put a selection of cereal toppings (such as sliced fruit, nuts, raisins, cinnamon and sugar, or wheat germ) in a muffin tray. Place the selection on the table with the cereal in the morning.

‘It's boring’

  • Break up the breakfast routine by serving non-traditional foods such as Asian noodles, vegetable sticks or a baked pasta dish. Make smiley faces on toast using sliced fruit.
  • Put yoghurt in a squeeze bottle so that your child can decorate pancakes or waffles with it.
  • Celebrate birthdays or special days at breakfast with the special foods you would normally serve later in the day.
  • Celebrate different cultures by learning about what people in other countries eat for breakfast and trying that.