How Important Is Breakfast In A Child’s School Life?

The behavior and performance of children inside the classroom are undoubtedly affected by different set of factors. In a set of children, it cannot be denied that differences in conduct and grades are to be expected from the children. Some of the children yield better grades and are more sociable as compared to the others. The difference in the demeanor of children while they are attending school can be traced to the different kinds of environment to which they are exposed and to the dissimilarity in raising methods of parents.

However, one such factor that is often overlooked is the consumption of breakfast of a child before he or she is sent to school by his or her parents. There is much study to show that having breakfast largely affects the performance of children inside the classroom. Studies show that breakfast, the first meal taken, is the most important meal of all.

“Breakfast intakes of food energy, calcium, riboflavin, phosphorus and magnesiun with a higher percentage of breakfast food energy from fat and saturated fat and lower percentage of food energy from carbohydrates” (Gordon, et.al. , 1995). As aptly stated in one article, the British Dietetic Association mentioned that this statement could be backed up by evidence. "Breakfast can be a very good source of vitamins. Many processed cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals which people can find it difficult to get elsewhere if they are just having two meals a day" (“Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal”). For growing children, it is most imperative that they get used to having breakfast every morning. As correctly stated,

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Children are continuously growing and changing every day, and a nutritious breakfast provides the sugar, starch, protein, and fat - elements necessary for children to ensure a sustained release of energy and a delayed onset of hunger. Eating breakfast also improves the intake of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, especially iron and vitamin C. Studies have shown that eating breakfast gives children the nutritional boost they need to get the learning process going - to stimulate learning - and there are other benefits as well (Booth).

Most people do not realize this reality and so there are people who skip this meal usually and don’t take the repercussions seriously. Some children even go to school without taking breakfast due to a lot of reasons. Some fail to have breakfast in the morning because they woke up late and the most common reason is that the kids just refuse to eat in the morning before going to school. What parents do not realize is that skipping breakfast could greatly affect the way children behave and perform inside the classroom.

Thinking of ways to make children have breakfast before heading for school is worth the while if only for the advantages it could afford in the betterment of a child’s performance in school. Naturally, after waking up in the morning, the child would need nourishment. As pointed out by Booth, “when the physical need of hunger is taken care of, these children can focus on learning and perform better in school, not only educationally but socially and emotionally as well. ” Truly, the concept and importance of breakfast have already been embarked upon by a number of studies worldwide.

However, it was deemed it necessary to further said topics by determining how children in school are affected by their failure to have this first meal before attending class. Based on observation and comparison of different children I have dealt with, it appears that a big difference clearly appears between those who regularly take breakfast before going to school and those who do not. This topic is relevant as it would provide the parents a clearer picture of the importance of making their children eat breakfast.

So also, this study will help other educators consider the possibility of imparting to children the importance of breakfast, and make them understand why behavior and performance of children in their class differ. Due to the relevance of the topic presented by the paper, different sources must be visited and analyzed. The study on the importance of having breakfast to school children is not a simple investigation or survey, but ultimately, it can be used as a guide for parents in order to help their children to become better in school.

So also, it can be a tool for teachers in order to monitor the behavior of their students. The observations performed inside the classroom have inspired the formulation of this paper because clearly, those who fail to take breakfast before going to class are having a hard time focusing on the lessons and dealing with other children in the classroom. Such failure does not only affect their grades but also the way they socialize with their fellow classmates.

In investigating on the effect of breakfast on the performance and demeanor of children inside the classroom, different forms of resources have been visited and thoroughly analyzed. This study, while based on observation of school children and on interviews of said children, cannot be complete without going through different researches conducted by experts on the matter. As proper nutrition is important to growing children, experts have conducted research as to how lack of proper nutrition hampers the growth and development of children.

In addition to this, books which have been written as regards the importance of breakfast would also have to be perused in order to come up with a clearer presentation of the issue at hand. For some time now, doctors and researches have been writing on the importance of having breakfast before one starts his or her day. As stated above, breakfast is more commonly referred to as the most important meal of the day. If indeed breakfast is considered as that important, then all the more should it be accorded magnitude when it comes to growing children.

During their growing years, they are the ones who are more in need of vitamins and nourishment. In school, as have been observed, children are just starting to learn the basics and so proper nutrition should be provided to them so that they are equipped with much energy that they would need for learning inside the classroom.

Participate in the class more often (and have increased attentiveness in the classroom and less anxiety). Behave better (less disciplinary actions or incidences and are more socially developed). Attend school more often (less absences and tardiness). Visit the school nurse less often. Hence, scholarly books and articles as regards proper nutrition of children were used for this paper. So also, materials tracing a child’s ability to concentrate and absorb learning in school to having breakfast would be used in order to strengthen the position of this study.

This paper shall also be based on personal finding and observation that have been conducted. Being around children makes it easier to determine how having breakfast could affect the children’s behavior inside the classroom. Every change in attitude or performance in academic activities could be used as a tool in furthering the objectives of this paper. Through day to day observation, it can be seen how each child responds to the lack of consumption of breakfast before going to school. Going through voluminous studies and scholarly articles would be helpful in preparation for this paper.

However, it was also considered that inputting own observations as regards the matter at hand would develop the paper. The observations that were conducted would then be related to the articles of other writers and experts and thus, a presentation of a clearer picture of school children and the need for having breakfast before heading to school could be made. Lastly, an interview of school children was conducted in order to ascertain how many of them actually take breakfast before going to school, why some children failed to have breakfast, and the presence of breakfast in the morning or lack thereof affects the child’s mood during the day.

By conducting said interview, it was easier to interpret the materials that were gathered and read as regards the matter. Taken as a whole, all the books, materials, scholarly journals, and internet articles that have been gathered helped in completing the study of how the presence of breakfast largely affects the behavior and performance of children is school. All of these, coupled with observations and interviews made possible the creation of this study. The observations on the behavior of the children inside the classroom were clearly noted down.

The students who were active in class and those who were silent and aloof were taken note of. Later on, during the interview, it was asked whether or not they had breakfast before they went to school. It was then related to the collected information from the articles and books that were used for the study. The objective of the paper is to establish and confirm the effect of having breakfast in the performance and behavior of children inside the classroom. The foundation of the discussion would be the importance of providing growing children with proper diet and nutrition.

Although providing children with adequate and proper nutrition would be mentioned throughout the paper, it must be borne in mind that the focus of this paper is breakfast as the source of said nutrition. Hence, other sources of nutrition would not be thoroughly discussed in this study. In addition, it must be pointed out that the subjects of this paper are growing children and thus, the effect of breakfast on adults, although it would be mentioned during the discussion, would not be the main focus of the study.

The study shall be restricted to effect of breakfast on growing children. The discussion of this paper shall be limited to the effect of breakfast on children who are already attending school. Although proper nutrition is essential to every child in general, the point of discussion of this study would be limited to children who are enrolled in school. The essence of this study is to impart the message that taking the first meal of the day could actually help children improve their grades in school and to help them make better their attitude and behavior inside the classroom.

Hence, only the performance of children in school would be the main area of discussion. As the observation was done inside the classroom, how the children behaved in school were noted in this study. How the children would deal with family members outside of the school or how these children would respond to other variables will not be thoroughly discussed in the paper. Although clearly, the lack of proper nutrition would affect a child’s behavior, only such behavior as exemplified inside the classroom would be discussed in this study.

Lastly, it is necessary to point out that the statements made in this study is restricted to the children that have been interviewed and were actually observed. Although a statements in general terms affecting children shall be made in the paper, it must be understood that the basis of this research is limited to the children that have participated with this study. So also, the possibility that other factors may have affected the demeanor of the children should be entertained.

As mentioned in the earlier part of the paper, there are also other factors which affect the behavior of children, some of which are the different environment to which they are exposed to and the difference in raising techniques and methods of their parents. Thus, in understanding the findings of this study, it must be borne in mind that the lack or presence of breakfast in a child’s morning is only one of the many factors affecting a child in school. This study is restricted to that factor, and all other factors affecting a child’s performance inside the classroom will not be touched upon.

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