Teaching Kids About Nutrition with a DIY Balanced Breakfast Placemat Tutorial

Now that school is back in session, mornings are a little chaotic in my home. Between my teen having to be at school at one time and my kindergartner having to be there at another, it feels like the minute the alarm goes off, it’s a race to see how much we can all get accomplished in a very short amount of time. Since both of my boys are now in school, it’s essential to me that they learn about good nutrition and having a balanced start to their days. And while my teen is pretty good about going to the fridge, finding the breakfast shelf and serving himself, this year I’m working on teaching my kindergartner to make healthy choices in order to provide a balanced breakfast. As part of this mission, I’ve been finding delicious combinations that he enjoys eating and bringing them together with an easy printalbe DIY Balanced Breakfast Placemat that helps him to see how certain combinations of breakfast items can come together for a delicious breakfast that fuels his day.

So, why is a balanced breakfast important in my home? Well, with both of my boys in school, I know that I need to fuel their bodies and their brains. To do that I want to give them combinations of food that work well together to keep them going strong until lunch time. So, once a week I head to Walmart and stock up on our breakfast essentials like Great Value 2% milk, Del Monte Fruit & Veggie Fusions and Lender’s Bagels. With these essentials that my kids love on hand, it’s easy for me to build a better breakfast that I can feel great about them eating. And as an added bonus, right now, my purchases make a difference for children other than my own as part of The Great American Milk Drive…but more on that later.

Once my fridge is stocked with the milk, bagels and fruit cups (I like to keep them in the fridge because my youngest thinks they taste delicious cold) I’m able to quickly and easily prepare a breakfast that boasts protein, carbohydrates, Vitamin C and other vitamins that they just won’t get from other breakfast combinations. With my oldest, the tastiness of this combination is enough to have him reaching for it every morning. But with my youngest, I’ve taken things a step further and created a DIY Portion Placemat that helps him to see WHY we choose the breakfast items we do and how they work together to give him a strong body and a sharp mind!

What You Will Need:

DIY Balanced Breakfast Placemat Printable

Construction Paper (Color of Your Choice)

Self-Sealing Laminating Pouches

How to Make It:

For kids learning to eat balanced meals (like my kindergartner) having a guide can be a HUGE help! Not only does it start teaching them portion control but it also teaches about the different food groups. Thankfully, not only is this DIY Balanced Breakfast placemat so simple to make but it’s so much fun as well since it allows younger children to get involved in creating their own balanced breakfast. To start, I simply printed out my placemat (be sure to grab yours HERE).

After trimming the edges, I placed a piece of construction paper behind it and secured it with glue.

Now, while my balanced breakfast placemat was functional at this point, it definitely wasn’t going to stand up to spills and stains that always happen when little hands and food are in the same area so, in order to be able to use it again and again, I sealed it in a self-laminating pouch. After gently smoothing the pouch out, my DIY balanced breakfast placemat was complete and I have to say, my little guy was excited about giving it a try!

With my balanced breakfast placemat ready, all that was left to do was create an actual balanced breakfast that fit perfectly within the categories I had created. Thankfully, with the items I had picked up at Walmart, this was super easy!

My balanced breakfast placemat had four categories so one by one, we began to choose items that met all four nutritional areas. To start, we added a glass of milk to the table. This was a given for us since both of my boys LOVE milk and drink it constantly. In fact, between the two of them we seem to go through about a gallon a day but since milk is naturally nutrient rich and powers potential with 9 essential nutrients, including 8 grams of high-quality protein per 8 ounce serving, that’s just fine by me! In fact, it’s our beverage of choice to ensure that both the boys have the potential to play, learn and grow!

Once we had added our milk to our placemat, we moved on to the fruits and veggies area. Now, as a mom of picky eaters, I’ll admit that getting my kids all the fruits and veggies they need can be a challenge! But with Del Monte Fruit & Veggie Fusions, I can give them a fruit cup they want to eat! And the best part is, these tasty cups that come in a variety of flavors are the only fruit cups that provide one serving of fruits and veggies in a single cup! Confused? Don’t be because (shhhhh…) the veggie is in the juice but your kids will never know it!

After adding our Del Monte Fruit & Veggie Fusions cup to our placemat along with a few slices of bacon for protein, it was time for our final category, which just happens to be my boys’ favorite…carbs! Yes, my carb babies take after their carb loving mama so it only makes sense that we always have Lender’s bagels on hand! With their variety of flavors like Plain, Blueberry and Cinnamon-Raisin that are quick, tasty, nutritious and have the ability to fill my boys up, they are a perfect choice! And since there is a Lender’s bagel flavor for everyone, including plain for the teen and yummy blueberry for my kindergartner, I know they are a breakfast that will always disappear!

Available in the refrigerated diary section, they are the final step to a quick, easy and nutritious breakfast combination that pairs perfectly with my DIY Balanced Breakfast Placemat!

And the best part is, by providing my boys with balanced breakfasts that are easy to make and teaching the basic nutritional principals like including a carb, protein, dairy and fruit/veggie in every breakfast, I’m ensuring that they not only have a better breakfast but that they also have one that perfectly fuels their busy days!

Are you ready to build a better breakfast for your kiddos? It’s never been easier to ensure they have the nutritional base they need for their day. To start, look for specially marked Del Monte Fruit & Veggie Fusions packages on the shelf at Walmart for valuable coupons for Del Monte and Lenders products! Then add these morning essentials to your Great Value 2% milk and your favorite protein for a breakfast that’s just better!

To make it even easier, be sure to create your very own Balanced Breakfast placemat to help teach your kiddos about starting the day with a balanced meal!

But wait! Don’t stop with your kids! Right now you can share the gift of a balanced breakfast by joining Feeding America in The Great American Milk Drive! What is this program you ask? Well it’s based on the idea that childhood should be filled with playing, learning and growing. However, The Great American Milk Drive acknowledges that for many children who face hunger, even basic nutrient filled staples like milk are missing. In order to help correct this, the amazing Great American Milk Drive campaign helps deliver highly desired and nutrient-rich gallons of milk to hungry children and families who need it most. In fact, more than 14 MILLION servings of milk have been delivered to food banks through this first-of-its-kind initiative. But they need all of our help! By making any one of the above products like Great Value 2% milk, Del Monte Fruit & Veggie Fusions and Lender’s Bagels to provide balanced meals for our own families, we can partner with The Great American Milk Drive to provide milk to families in meed! Awesome right? And totally easy since these essentials are perfect for making a balanced meal for your own family. To find out more, Visit milklife.com/give.

So don’t wait! Start each day with a better breakfast that will make you feel like a winner while at the same time giving milk to those who need it more! And speaking of winners, don’t forget to enter the Better Breakfast sweepstakes from Walmart! You’ll have a chance to win weekly prizes, Walmart gift cards and even a new tablet! So go! Enter now!

#BuildABetterBreakfast Sweepstakes

Then tell me, how do you build a better breakfast for your kids?