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September 22, 2025

The Importance of a Healthy Breakfast for Kids Before School

Why Is a Healthy Breakfast For Kids So Important?
How to Make It Easy
Foods to Avoid
How to Make It Fun
Healthy Meals for Kids

Let’s face it, morning meal time battles are not the way most of us parents want to start our day. We’re busy trying to get our children dressed up and ready for school, pack their lunch, and wake ourselves up mentally to tackle the day. Yes we have to pick our battles to stay sane, and battling over breakfast is tempting to let go of. Our thoughts could sound like “they’ll be fine, they'll eat when they get hungry”. This article is aimed at helping parents realize the importance of serving healthy breakfast for kids and remember that breakfasts are worth the effort.

Why Is a Healthy Breakfast For Kids So Important?

Starting the day with a nutritious meal has benefits that go beyond day to day wellbeing, it builds the foundation for developing healthy eating habits and long term health. Here are a few ways in which healthy breakfast for kids sets them up for success:

It Boosts Their Learning Skills And School Performance

Did you know kids’ brains use up more energy than adults? Their brains need that extra fuel to think, learn, and remember. On top of that, most children sleep longer hours, so by the time they wake up they’ve gone through a long fast which can deplete their glycogen stores (the brain’s energy backup tank).

When you serve kids a wholesome breakfast before school, you are giving them the fuel they need to stay alert, think more clearly and remember what they learn. Many studies have found that kids who have healthy breakfasts in the morning perform better on tests, and also show stronger memory, attention, and problem-solving skills than the kids who skip it.

It Helps Them Maintain Healthy Weight

A good breakfast with real food and fiber keeps kids feeling full for longer. Helping them with appetite regulation and cuts down their cravings for sugary snacks and junky foods. That's why kids who start the day with a nutritious breakfast usually make better food choices, develop more healthy eating habits and are less likely to overconsume calories, all of which support healthy weight. What a win!

On the flip side, skipping breakfast brings energy dips and midday crashes, so kids are more tempted to grab and attack that unhealthy snack. Leading to poorer food choices and filling up on low nutrient, high calorie foods, while increasing the risk of weight gain, obesity, and obesity-related health complications.

It Levels Up Their Nutrient Intake

Want to up your kid’s nutrition intake? Feed them breakfast. It’s a great opportunity to ensure they meet their nutritional needs by including a variety of nutrient-dense foods such as whole grains, fruits, dairy, and meats into their morning meals. This gives them a chance to upgrade their intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which are super important for their growth and overall health.

Skipping breakfast can put children at risk of developing nutritional deficiencies that can possibly lead to long-term health consequences. This is especially important with those “selective” eaters. I personally feel that struggle, as my child can be very picky, that’s why I make sure she gets a nourishing breakfast every morning, which puts me about ease of her meeting her nutritional needs.

It Has a Positive Impact On Their Behavior and Emotional Wellbeing

We all know that uncomfortable irritated feeling when we skip a meal or have it later than usual. Even as adults, it’s hard for us to control our mood when we’re hangry. Imagine how it is for kids who have less developed emotional regulation skills than we do? When kids are hungry it can negatively impact their behavior, they tend to act out without any apparent reason, have more meltdowns, or become avoidant and less willing to socialize or participate in the classroom. Breakfast is literally a mood lifter. Satiety induces calmness and can improve social skills and behavior in and out the classroom.

Healthy Breakfast for Kids made Easy:

Pack It With Protein

A University of Arkansas study in 8-12 year-olds found that protein-rich breakfasts kept kids less hungry and burned more energy for four hours compared with carbohydrate-rich breakfasts. Suggesting that a protein-rich breakfast supports weight control, hunger levels and energy regulation in school aged children.

Best high-quality protein to incorporate into your child’s breakfast:

Eggs: are versatile and can be served in many ways, scrambled, boiled, sunny-side up, or omelette, you name it. This protein champion food packs about 6-7g of protein in just one egg. That’s around 30-35% of the protein needs for kids (ages 4-8), and around 18-20% of the needs of kids (ages 9-13). Plus, eggs supply choline for healthy brain development. Start your kids off with eggs before school, you'll see the difference and so will their teachers.

Greek Yogurt: contains about twice as much protein than regular yogurt. Substitute regular yogurt with greek for a protein boost. Sprinkle in some granola, fruits, and a bit of nut butter to turn it into a colorful bowl that kids will eat with their eyes first. Not in the mood to eat or short on time? Make a greek yogurt smoothie and have them sip it on the way to school. It’s convenient, tasty, and packed with nutrition, making it a powerhouse addition to your child’s breakfasts.

Breakfast Meats: Most of us think of cereal, pancakes or waffles when we picture breakfast, but that’s mostly because of marketing and tradition. Breakfast is just as important as lunch or dinner, so it's totally normal to include lean meats like grilled chicken, turkey, or lean beef. These meats are packed with essential amino acids that help kids grow and keep them full longer. Try to skip highly processed deli meats, which often have a lot of sodium and preservatives that aren’t great for kids. For a healthier option, you can ask the deli to thinly slice plain roasted turkey or chicken breast. Breakfast meats work well in a simple sandwich, a chicken and egg quesadilla, or mini turkey egg muffins.

To learn more about the importance of protein for children check out the Calo Kids blog: Protein Power: What every parent needs to know

Foods to Avoid for Kids

Some foods are best avoided for kids, especially in the morning. They can make children feel tired, low on energy, and less able to focus. These include:

Avoid High Sugar

Unfortunately, we are accustomed to high sugary meals as the norm for breakfast. From colorful sugary cereals to maple syrup loaded pancakes, sugar overload has become the everyday norm rather than the exception. Consuming high sugar low fiber meals after a night’s fast significantly spikes kids’ blood sugar levels. This can negatively impact a child’s behavior as it usually causes them to experience restlessness, hyper-activity, lack of concentration, and overstimulation.

Sugar highs are typically followed by sugar lows, where energy is depleted, the brain feels foggy, and usually a messy, fussy, easily irritated mood. This dip in blood sugar also makes kids feel hungry faster so they tend to crave more sugary foods, creating a yo-yo cycle of sugar highs and lows that eventually lead to metabolic imbalances and weight related complications. Here’s a list of common high-sugar breakfast foods to avoid:

Sugary Cereals:

The best cereal to eat is the cereal with lowest sugar and is whole grain based.

Nutritionist Tip: I highly advise checking the nutrition label of packaged cereals before purchasing, choose the ones with 5g or less added sugars.

Flavored Yogurt

Surprisingly, some flavored yogurts contain about 16g of added sugar per serving, that’s over half of a child’s daily limit! Isn’t that crazy?

Nutritionist Tip: What I do for my child who loves flavored yogurt is blend in some berries or mango into plain yogurt to create a healthy fruit yogurt version without all that added sugars.

Refined Grains

Such as white bread, white flour, and white bagels. Refined grains are stripped of their naturally occurring fiber and vitamins. They're mostly empty calories that fill children up without giving their bodies the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.

Nutritionist Tip: When preparing pancake or waffle batter, use whole grain flour or, what I like to do is use a flour blend that’s 40-50% whole grain to boost fiber and nutrients without compromising that soft, fluffy texture.

Unlimited sugary spreads & syrups

People often assume that if the source of sugar is natural and unrefined that means it’s healthy and we can go all out with it. But whether refined or not, sugar is still sugar and overconsumption can harm children’s health.

Nutritionist Tip: I strongly believe that deprivation is not the way to go. Instead of depriving your child of syrups and sugary spreads, limit to 1 tablespoon or less per serving to ensure they don’t overconsume.

Cereal/granola bars, pop-tarts, and biscuits

Watch out! Don't be fooled by the “whole grain” claims on the box, a lot of these are basically dessert disguised as breakfast. Made mostly of added sugar, refined flour, and harmful oils. The result is quick energy, quick crash, and hunger again by 10 am.

Nutritionist Tip: If you need a grab and go solution, use these guidelines that I follow when choosing breakfast bars to make sure they are healthy and will support my child’s health:

Has a short and clean ingredient list (no weird unreadable ingredients, basically no nasties!)
Has less than 5g added sugars
Has at least 3g of fiber

Make it Fun!

I’ve noticed this again and again: make it playful, and they’ll eat it. Here are quick breakfast ideas for kids to make this meal something they won’t ever want to skip:

Use heart or animal shaped cutters to fun-up the sandwich look.
Bake eggs in mini muffin molds so they’re bite sized and cute to their eyes.
Use colorful cutlery, plates, and fruit picks with their favorite character.
Turn it into an activity and let them build their own breakfast bowl or breakfast bento box.
Use star or heart shaped cucumbers and carrots to garnish their plates and give it that extra magic touch that will spark their joy and enthusiasm to eat
Let them build their own weekly breakfast menu so they look forward to their own selections.
When preparing food for kids it works wonders when you involve them in the preparation by giving them simple tasks such as mixing the batter, chopping the vegetables or blending the eggs.

Healthy Food Delivery for Kids

At Calo Kids app, we are dedicated to providing healthy meals for kids designed by chefs and expert nutritionists to ensure every detail is perfected from taste to nutrition. We aim to simplify your mornings by launching our kids breakfast line, a menu packed with kid’s favorite breakfasts, only more nutritious and without the nasties. Coming out soon so stay tuned! Also, if you’re looking for healthy lunchbox or dinner meal solutions, you can subscribe to Calo Kids today by signing up through the app.

FAQ

What are the 5 reasons why breakfast is important?

Improves academic performance
Helps with weight management
Regulates appetite and reduces cravings for sugary and junk food
Supports calmer mood, better behavior, and smoother social interactions
Gives a nutrition boost and lowers the risk of deficiencies

How to make a healthy breakfast?

Ensure to include animal or plant based protein.
Swap refined carbs with complex carbs (brown bread or brown flour instead of white bread or white flour)
Ditch the sugar, or limit to 1 tbsp honey, unrefined sugary syrups or sugary spreads.
Include at least one serving of fruit or vegetable
Serve age-appropriate portions

What is the best breakfast for kids' brains?

A breakfast that supports kids' brains is rich in fiber, healthy fats (specifically omega-3), complex carbs and protein. Use these brain-boosting breakfast Ideas for inspiration:

Eggs on whole wheat toast + a cup of melon
Chia seed pudding with berries
Oatmeal porridge or overnight oats topped with nut butter, pumpkin seeds, and sliced banana
Avocado toast with a side of sliced apples
Fruit smoothie with regular milk or soy milk as base and added ground flaxseeds
Buckwheat crepe filled with yogurt and fruits

We hope this article inspired you to serve healthy breakfast for kids before school. For more health facts for kids and tips for busy parents, you can read about Healthy Food for Kids to Build Smarter Brains, and check out Calo Kids blog.