Feeding School Age Children

Feeding school age children breakfast can be a major stressor. Not only are you faced with preparing a breakfast, but you probably have to prepare a school lunch. Feeding frenzy! A time and labor saving tip is to do as much advance preparation as possible. For instance, let the school age children make trail mix for lunches. This is a great way to teach math and measuring skills. Give your school children healthy options like raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds and whole grain cereals. Putting trail mix into individual bags helps develop hand and eye coordination. Labeling their bags will help with their penmanship and spelling. Just be careful to keep everything fun and not let it become too technical.

Breakfast can be easy! Set up as much as possible the night before. School age kids can help and they will enjoy being a part of the process. Set out cereal (read the labels and be sure to avoid any cereals that contain high fructose corn syrup), bowls, silverware, and napkins the night before. You can cover everything with a large towel to protect it and keep it clean.

To make a healthy, homemade version of honey nut cheerios, do this: Buy organic, whole wheat grain oat cereal and drizzle with honey (preferably local honey). Add a handful of chopped walnuts or almond. Enhance the nutritional profile by adding fresh fruit such as bananas, strawberries, apples and grapes. Buy organic wherever possible and if your budget permits. By making your own homemade honey nut oats, you will realize the following benefits: Local honey helps reduce allergy sensitive, and nuts add beneficial fats.

Here are some practical, inexpensive ingredients that can be added to breakfast foods to boost the nutrition for school age kids. Just 1 T. of nonfat dry milk power adds 2 grams of protein. Wheat germ is a powerhouse for nutritional goodness and gives you 4 grams of protein for every 2 T. you consume. When you add 2 T. of ground flax seed, you gain 3 grains of protein. Remember, an 8 oz. serving of milk adds 8 grams of protein to your breakfast.

Did you know that flax seed gives you: 4 grams of fiber, or the equivalent of 1 1/2 cup cooked oats? It gives you lignans equal to 30 cups of broccoli? It has the alpha linolenic acid equivalent of 2,400 mg. omega 3. Flax seed is one of the highest nutritional sources you can add to your daily diet!

School age children can clear the breakfast table and set the place settings for dinner while you wash dishes or load the dishwasher. Let them wipe the table and you are ready to roll. It is truly labor-saving and a clean, prepared kitchen will welcome you home.

Some school kids just don't have a morning appetite. Make it easy on everyone and fix them a nutrient rich smoothie drink. Use a dairy product, a fruit, some ice and a nutritional additive like wheat germ or ground flaxseed. Whir the mixture in the blender and serve it in a kid-sized take-along cup. Your children can sip it as you drive. It will provide them with a long-lasting, healthy breakfast and keep them satisfied until lunchtime.

You can win the breakfast battle and feed your school age children a healthy meal. It just takes a little preparation and commitment.