Nutritious Breakfast Ideas for Kids

A nutritious breakfast is what gives children the energy they need for a long day of learning and studying. At school, where concentration and dedication should be at 100%, a balanced meal in the morning is essential.

The Ideal Breakfast during Childhood

The ideal breakfast during childhood, and perhaps at any moment of life, is one that contains all the essential food groups: those that give your body carbohydrates, vitamins, calories, proteins, minerals and fats.

To prepare a nutritious breakfast for your child and include all of those food groups, here are some ideas:

• A slice of ham, bread with peanut butter, and fruit juice.
• A glass of milk with cereal sweetened with brown sugar or honey, as well as a big bowl of fruit salad.
• An apple, toast with cream cheese and a glass of cold milk with jelly.
• A hard-boiled egg with ham, cheese and mixed vegetables, whole grain cookies, and a fruit juice or yogurt with chopped fruit.
• A banana, toast with honey or jelly, yogurt and a cooked egg.

Additionally, you can make changes based on what your child likes. Instead of hard-boiled eggs or cooked eggs, they could be fried or in an omelet. The fruit can be whatever fruit they like and the ham could be substituted for any other cold meat or sausage.

How to Motivate a Child that Doesn’t Want to Eat Breakfast

If your child isn’t hungry or it’s hard to get them to eat in the mornings, especially on school days, you should make a breakfast that motivates them. 

It’s important that they don’t feel an obligation as soon as they sit at the table, or a punishment, but rather that they want to be there.

Therefore, we can offer you the following suggestions:

Include Them when Making Food

Have them wake up a little bit earlier to participate in the breakfast-making process; have your child decide what and how they want to eat a certain food. 

This way, if they want to eat a certain food, you can give it to them without a problem.

Avoid Quick Breakfasts

A child that doesn’t want to eat breakfast needs time. The pressure of getting to class early will only make them lose their appetite and leave without properly eating. 

Therefore, it’s a good idea to get up with enough time so you can eat breakfast at their pace. A good option is to have them eat while watching their favorite cartoons on TV.

Combine Foods

Although your child may prefer only a few foods, combine them; this way, you can surprise them every day with a different breakfast and then, maybe you could progressively include some new foods.

With a breakfast that varies, you can keep your child motivated day after day and with the desire to wake up to see what there will be this morning on the table.

Set the Table

A table that’s set up well invites you to enjoy everything that’s on it; on the other hand, breakfasts on the go don’t make you want to eat.

Every morning, set the table in a suggestive way, with foods in alternating colors, make designs on the plate… There are thousands of ways to make it all look pretty so that your child will feel motivated to eat.

Have the Family Share Breakfast

Generally, when people talk about sharing a meal together as a family, they talk about lunch or dinner; but if your child refuses to eat in the mornings, it might be a good idea to include breakfast in the meals you spend all together.

Talking about plans for the day and other family matters, seeing the others eat and receiving invitations to try one thing or another will definitely be incentives for your child.

Pizza: Nutritious Breakfast for Kids

Although not all mothers consider pizza to be a good breakfast for kids since it’s different from traditional breakfast foods, keep in mind that the key lies in the ingredients.

The recipe that we’ll give you next is another example of an easy and nutritious breakfast that you can make:

Ingredients

• Pizza dough
• Tomato sauce (any kind of pizza sauce)
• Shredded cheese (white, yellow… whatever your child likes best)
• Chopped tomatoes (the pieces should be as small as possible, which is why it might be a good idea to put them in a food processor. Before adding them to the pizza, let all of the excess water drain out)
• Picked collared greens, chopped
• The yolk of a cooked egg
• Chorizo, chopped

Preparation

To make this pizza, the first thing you should do is spread the tomato sauce all over the surface of the dough. Then, mash the yolk in a separate bowl and sprinkle it over the sauce.

Next, add the cheese, collared greens, and chorizo. Put it in the oven and when it’s ready, serve the pizza with fruit juice. Your child will love it.