Morning meal

About this visual support

In the morning the body is often not hungry yet, and breakfast slips by in the rush of clothes, teeth and bags. Hunger may only arrive in the car or at preschool, long after the chance to eat calmly has passed. An outside cue helps more than asking whether the child is hungry, because the answer is almost always no.

With visual support breakfast becomes a point that shows up even when the stomach is quiet. A picture of the bowl, the sandwich or the cereal says that now is the time to sit down, whatever the body happens to feel. Place the picture where the child's eyes land first in the morning, by the toothbrush or on the kitchen table, so it reminds them on its own.

In Routined you can put the morning meal in its place among the other morning steps, so the child sees where breakfast belongs in the routine. The pictures on this page can also be printed if you want them out on the kitchen counter.