Kids' Self Serve Breakfast Tray

Creating a breakfast tray for my kids at the weekend is one of my favourite ways to feed them. It has a fantastic dual purpose - it entertains them, while giving me time to drink my coffee while it's hot (Or write a blog post!)

My kids have come to absolutely adore their breakfast tray too. In fact the like it so much, I've found it a useful way to introduce new food items. Like today we're having toasted boxty instead of the usual toast. 

Sunday is brunch day so the kids usually have a light snack like a bit of cereal or toast early, as they wake around 7am. So sometimes the tray might just have toast, butter and jam, or yogurt, fruit and bread - whatever we happen to have in the fridge or cupboard.

I usually spend about 5 mins putting together a tray before I head to bed, and add any fridge items first thing in the morning. I then get to wander around my kitchen half asleep, making my fancy coffee from scratch, free for a few moments from the shouts of "Mammymammmymammymammmy" 

 

A self serve breakfast tray has TONNES of added benefits for children too:

*A feeling of independence

 

*Kitchen Skills / Fine Motor Skills like buttering, spreading, slicing with their Kiddikutter knives, spooning out, drizzling, sprinkling, peeling their fruit and more

*Choosing & Sharing - yes, actually sharing! My children are 3 and 5, and they have gotten surprisingly good at deciding who gets the last raspberry!

*Letter Recognition (they have their names  on their cutlery)

*An opportunity to try new foods such as a different bread, new fruit, granola (pictured above portioned in to their Rice DK cute face lunchboxes) etc.

...and did I mention I get to drink my coffee hot???!

I put a few controls in place to stop this being a total mess....cereal measured in to a easy pour container, milk in a jug - whole containers and cartons could be a disaster. Oh, and don't give them honey. That was NOT a good idea!

Some ideas of items to add to a Children's Self Serve Breakfast Tray:

- Granola, yogurt and berries, served in individual containers so children can add the combination they like to their own bowls

- Toasted Sliced bread, soda bread, scones, boxty

- Toppings for toast or bread such as butter, nut butter, jam

- Cereal of your choice with a jug of milk

- Whole fruits to peel and slice e.g. bananas, mandarins. You can give a head start here by starting the peeling, and leaving for the children to finish. In my experience though, a 2year old can manage to peel an easy peel mandarin in given the opportunity

- A basic kitchen juicer (lemon squeezer) and halved oranges, to squeeze their own juice. This is a messy one but very satisfying for kids! 

I started creating breakfast trays for my kids when the youngest was 2 years old, and I think it'll become a childhood tradition in this house!