Entice your family to the breakfast table

[cappuccino]

(NC)—We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it isn't just because of the food you eat. According to child psychologist Dr. Tony Volk, breakfast is a great opportunity to fit important family time into a child's busy day. By gathering around the breakfast table as a family you can start your child off on the right foot for the rest of the day. Making it happen is not an easy task of course, so take a look at these helpful tips to get you started:

Set realistic goals

It is important to set goals that are attainable. If you never have family breakfasts, start by making the effort to do it once or twice a week. As it becomes more routine for everyone, increase it to four or five times a week.

Involve the whole family

Engage kids in the preparation process to get quality family time while helping them develop their own healthy breakfast habits. “Teaching children the importance of a balanced breakfast while they are young is the best way to ensure they stick to it later in life,” says Dr. Volk. An easy dish for kids to prepare is a breakfast pizza: start with a whole-grain pita and while one child spreads on the Nutella, another can prepare the fruit toppings.

Mix it up on weekends

Make weekend breakfasts special by incorporating quality family time. It could be a themed breakfast, you could invite the grandparents over, or even have breakfast-in-bed.

By incorporating a balanced family breakfast into your child's day you are helping to set them up for success from the moment they wake up.

To help make breakfast fun for the whole family, Nutella is giving away bread cutters. Pick up a jar to find out how you can get your gift while supplies last—visit www.facebook.com/TheBreakfastTable to find out more.

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