Breakfast is often referred to worldwide as the most important meal of the day — with good reason. As its name suggests, breakfast stands as the meal that breaks the overnight fasting period we undergo whenever we sleep, and is thus responsible for replenishing your body with what it needs to tackle the next day ahead.
Studies have repeatedly shown the numerous health benefits of eating breakfast, but did you know that it also improves the learning ability of preschool children and toddlers? Many parents underestimate the importance of breakfast and the role it can play in their children’s learning and development. Here are some of the key benefits a well-planned breakfast can give to your child:
Learning Benefits of a Well-Planned Breakfast
Increased Energy
When we sleep, our blood sugar count drops overnight. We often feel slow and sluggish in the morning because of this, with toddlers and preschool children even more susceptible to the consequences of low energy levels. Without the glucose their bodies require to get through the day, morning lessons can make learning unproductive and frustrating. A well-planned breakfast raises blood sugar to a healthy level and provides children with the energy they need to better absorb information and perform well in their nursery or preschool learning tasks and the likes.
Improved Concentration
A healthy, nourishing breakfast can help toddlers and preschool children have better concentration not only throughout the morning, but the rest of the day. When their day starts with a hearty breakfast, children can focus better on the tasks presented to them and become less distracted in their learning by external influences.
Enhanced Cognitive Performance
Preschool and kindergarten children often exhibit a natural decline in cognitive performance throughout the morning, but the simple act of eating breakfast reduces this decline by more than half, thereby facilitating better retention ability, memory recall, problem-solving, and creative thinking.
On top of the aforementioned learning benefits, a well-planned breakfast also improves the overall growth and development of children in nursery, preschool and kindergarten levels via encouraging better eating habits throughout the day; general improvements in physical health; better mental health; and its association with increased levels of physical activity.
General Breakfast Preparation Tips
The importance of breakfast lies not only in simply having it, but also what goes into it that makes it so essential. Here are some general breakfast preparation tips for parents of children attending nursery, preschool, or kindergarten:
- Make sure to include fibre and protein in your child’s breakfast
- Low-fat dairy has also been proven to be great inclusions
- Having foods that are carbohydrate-rich can give your child more energy
- Ensure that the foods you prepare for breakfast are low in added sugar
Curated Tips for Busy Parents
With all that being said, we also understand that preparing a nutritious breakfast for your children can sometimes be challenging for busy parents. We have thus curated this list of tips that can make breakfast preparation a little easier:
- Getting up just 10 – 15 minutes earlier can make a large difference
- Prepare breakfasts in batches where possible, either for the entirety of the week or simply for the next day, depending on what your busy schedule allows for; tasks that can be done beforehand include:
- Preparing fruits and vegetables in small portions
- Preparing slow-cooked oatmeal or breakfast bakes that can last for a week
- Fill up portion-sized bags of curated trail mix or cereal for fuss-free breakfasts
- Setting out your cooking tools, utensils, and ingredients to streamline the breakfast preparation process
- Ensuring that your kitchen is well-stocked with grab-and-go options such as fresh or cut fruit in a cup, single-portion yoghurts, hard boiled eggs, or whole-grain and low-sugar cereals and waffles
- Signing your child up for their nursery, preschool, or kindergarten’s breakfast programme
MindChamps’ Gourmet Moments™
MindChamps serves up nutritious breakfasts and more through our Gourmet Moments™ programme. To cultivate healthy eating habits in our Champs from young, we involve them in food preparation and introduce them to different cuisines as they create simple, healthy dishes. Not only do we ensure our children stay healthy and nourished, but we also offer opportunities for them to observe, ask questions, and discuss different foods from all around the world.
Start Your Kid’s Day Right with a Healthy Breakfast Routine at MindChamps
At MindChamps, we prioritise a holistic preschool learning experience through our proprietary enrichment modules and non-academic learning activities entailed by our preschool curriculum. A good breakfast is just the start and a component of our preschool programme at MindChamps.
Find the best MindChamps preschool near you today, and book a visit to any of our MindChamps preschools around Singapore to experience our learning centres first-hand.