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This debate has been going on for years and you’re probably still wondering, is it true or is it just an old wives’ tale?
There have been numerous studies all over the world to find out the answer, and so far it is showing that there is a strong link between how a child performs and their breakfast choices.
Cardiff University studied 5,000 primary school children to find out whether there was a link between a good breakfast and their performance at school. At the end of the study, they found that children, who ate a good and healthy breakfast were achieving higher results at school. They were also twice as likely to achieve an above average educational performance.
What are the benefits of having a good nutritional breakfast for children?
- Better concentration
- Higher participation in discussions
- Better at solving complex problems
- More likely to attain better grades
- Higher and long-lasting energy levels, perfect if they have P.E. that day.
What should they be having for breakfast?
For a healthy and beneficial breakfast, they should be having carbohydrates such as porridge, whole-wheat toast or whole grain cereal. These will slowly release energy throughout the day, rather than sugar-loaded cereals that will cause them to have a sugar crash later on.
They should also have some fruit alongside the carbohydrates to start the day with one of their 5-a-day.
What can you do as a teacher to make sure your class have had a good breakfast?
Many schools across the UK are hosting breakfast clubs in the morning for those children whose parents may have to rush off in the morning to work, or to support parents who can’t afford to offer their children a proper nutritional breakfast.
If you’re thinking of getting involved, you can get in contact with the Magic Breakfast charity who may be able to help as they are already supplying free breakfasts to 480 schools in the UK.
If you can’t work alongside Magic Breakfast, just set up your own club. You’ll probably need to have a small fee for the food, unless your school can offer the funding for it but it will really benefit your students in the long term!