Tried-and-True + Fresh-and-New Ideas to Celebrate National School Breakfast Week

It’s that time of year when School Nutrition Professionals across the country are gearing up to celebrate National School Breakfast Week (NSBW). Cafeteria decorations are being ordered, costumes are being coordinated, and special menu items are being planned to celebrate all things school breakfast. (Every year, the School Nutrition Association reveals a theme for cafeterias to be inspired by, and this year’s theme is the “Quest for School Breakfast.”) Typically, National School Breakfast Week is observed the first week of March, but schools are welcome to move the dates to fit their district’s schedule.

National School Breakfast Week is the ideal time to sing the praises of school breakfast, connect the cafeteria to the classroom, and engage the community on all the incredible benefits of school breakfast. Not everyone knows that 12 million balanced breakfasts are served daily to students nationwide. Or that “students who eat school breakfast are more likely to consume diets that are adequate or exceed standards for important vitamins and minerals than those who do not eat school breakfast.” We have the opportunity to share these research-backed benefits, remind families of how school breakfast can reduce the burden of hectic mornings, and, ultimately, encourage more students to eat school breakfast.

If you’re looking for a few fresh ideas on how to celebrate National School Breakfast Week this year, you have stumbled across the right blog post, my friend. But first, let’s review some tried-and-true ways to get staff and students excited to celebrate National School Breakfast Week.

Tried-and-True Ways to Get Staff Excited About NSBW

• Cafeteria decorating contest

• Team costume contest

• Recipe contest (relevant to the theme)

• Menu item or recipe naming contest (relevant to the theme)

Tried-and-True Ways to Get Students Excited About NSBW

• Coloring and art contests (Bonus: display students’ artwork in the cafeteria)

• Lucky Tray (student picks a lucky tray, and they win a prize)

• Potential prizes:

• “Skip-the-Line Pass” (like an amusement park’s fast pass or express pass, but for the cafeteria).

• Cafeteria, central kitchen, or bakery tour.

• Special fresh produce taste test with nutrition education for the class.

• Local farmer visits with a taste test.

• Rename menu items to match the theme.

• Design the menu with graphics relevant to the theme.

• Survey students to find out their favorite breakfast items and feature them the week of National School Breakfast Week.

• Feature new breakfast recipes and have students vote on their favorite from the week.

• Share student activity sheets with teachers to provide to students.

• Advertise the celebration via family communication platforms, a press release, social media, morning announcements, digital menus, printable menus, and flyers posted throughout campus.

Fresh Ideas to Get Students Excited About NSBW

Alright, now let’s get to the part you came to this blog post for (and the reason you have continued reading up to this point)... the fresh ideas.

1. Nutrition education in the classroom, but make it breakfast-themed. Connect with a teacher on campus who welcomes guests to lead a short nutrition lesson. But don’t make it just any nutrition education; make it interactive. 

• You can play “Breakfast Bingo” with students and share school breakfast facts.
• You can make a zine about school breakfast and have students cut and color it.
• You can teach students how to build a balanced breakfast plate and have them practice utilizing MyPlate and examples from your current breakfast menu.

2. Collaborate with a culinary class to create a school-approved breakfast to feature on National School Lunch Week. The ultimate way to get students involved in National School Breakfast Week is to have them develop a school-approved breakfast recipe (an entree, a side dish, or both), and then feature it on the menu! Not only would this allow you to educate students on the nutrition standards we have to follow, but it would also give students first-hand experience in the magic of making school breakfast.

3. Invite students to celebrate National School Breakfast Week with a curated taste test paired with nutrition education. Set up a student taste test with a brand-new item or a breakfast item you are looking to revive. A typical student taste test might feature a single item or two “competing” items, with students casting their vote. One way to change it up is to offer items on the side that complement the item being taste-tested, or that allow students’ feedback to guide which recipes this new item might fit into. Let’s use Eat Omega 3’s Mega O’s Cereal Bites as an example:

• The overall gist: Request free samples for your school and plan to sample the Mega O’s Cereal Bites one to four different ways, collect students’ feedback, then provide developmentally appropriate nutrition education to accompany each sample “style”.

• • Sample Style 1 - Mega O’s Cereal Bites by itself. Ask students to compare two flavors of Mega O’s Cereal Bites and have them vote for the one they like best.

    • Nutrition Education Idea: Discuss the importance of brain and mental health, and the benefits of eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

  • Sample Style 2 - Mega O’s Cereal Bites with milk. Serve Mega O’s Cereal Bites with Fat Free or 1% Unflavored Milk. (Students can pour the milk in the pouch and use the biodegradable spoon to eat the Mega O’s Cereal Bites, or students can drink the milk on the side while they enjoy their Mega O’s Cereal Bites.) 

    • Nutrition Education Idea: Discuss the senses and how they contribute to the eating experience.

  • Sample Style 3 - Mega O’s Cereal Bites with yogurt. Serve Mega O’s Cereal Bites with yogurt. Invite students to dip the Cereal Bites in the yogurt or to crumble it and stir it into the yogurt.

    • Nutrition Education Idea: Discuss the importance of whole grains, fiber, and carbohydrates as fuel for the brain and body.

  • Sample Style 4 - Mega O’s Cereal Bites with nut or seed butter. Serve Mega O’s Cereal Bites with nut or seed butter. Invite students to dip the Cereal Bites in the nut or seed butter.

    • Nutrition Education Idea: Discuss the importance of including protein and healthy fats at breakfast, along with whole-grain-rich carbohydrates.

I can imagine you might have some creative ideas to add to the lists above. (And if you do have some ideas to add, where were you when I was writing this? 😊) Hopefully, this has inspired some new ideas, or reinvigorated old ideas, for you and your team to celebrate National School Breakfast Week this year. I can’t wait to scroll social media to see all the ways you made this week fun for students across the country!