Get your kids excited about tucking into a better brekkie

We’ve pulled together a few healthy recipes best suited to morning meals that the whole family can enjoy.

They’re so simple, your children can help you make them, which works wonders for actually getting them to eat up before school.

Use cooking to raise smart kids

There are so many lessons that can be taught while cooking. Math concepts like counting, measurement, and fractions naturally unfold when navigating recipes with kids.

Explaining how food changes with temperature or how certain foods can help our body be healthy provide great lessons in science.

Learning to cook at a young age can also set you up with positive dietary patterns for adulthood.

Banana oat pancakes

A healthier alternative to traditional recipes, these kid-approved pancakes are packed with fibre.

Plus, junior chefs can help with mashing and mixing while older kids can be trusted (some supervision still required) with the frying pan for the first time.

The fresh banana flesh adds a natural sweetness and they can be served with a dollop of creamy yoghurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, or any other fresh fruit on top.

We love the Rachels Greek Style natural yoghurt, which comes in a variety of different flavours. The choice is yours!

The kids will need:

• 125ml oat milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 small banana
• 100g rolled oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• few drops of vanilla extract
• oil spray
• low-fat yogurt and fruit to top

Follow these simple steps:

1. Put the oat milk, egg yolks, banana, oats, baking powder and vanilla in a blender and blitz to as smooth a mixture as you can get.
2. Whisk the eggs whites until they hold stiff peaks.
3. Whisk 1-2 tbsp of the whites into the batter, then fold in the rest.
4. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat and spray with oil.
5. Pour about 2 tbsp of batter into the pan and cook for 1-2 mins, until the base sets and bubbles appear all over the top. Flip and cook the other side for a minute.
6. Repeat in batches, until you're done.

Strawberry bliss balls

Fussy eaters will love this hands-on fruity recipe, packed with juicy strawberries. Grab them to help measure ingredients, which is great for little thinkers, and don't be afraid to let them do the rolling.

Parent perfectionists out there, try and remember it doesn't really matter what they look like, they all go down the same way!

This recipe also requires the use of a food processor, which is great for making slightly older children feel a tad more responsible (as long as they are still supervised from nearby).

The kids will need:

• 160g of sliced strawberries
• 120g rolled oats
• 140g sunflower seeds
• 60g desiccated coconut
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Extra desiccated coconut to roll and coat

Ask the littles ones to

1. Place all ingredients, except extra desiccated coconut, in a food processor and blitz until a dough forms.
2. Cover the bowl of the food processor and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
3. Use a damp tablespoon to scoop out portions of dough then roll into smooth balls.
4. Roll the balls in extra desiccated coconut to cover then refrigerate for 2 hours until firm.