5 Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas for School Mornings

School mornings always tend to be busy – there’s making sure the kids get ready, getting yourself ready, preparing school lunches, and of course, breakfast. Before our recent move into a new home, our morning routine was actually not very hectic. That was because my daughter’s school didn’t begin until 9:20 am. (I know!) Trust me, though, it was both a blessing and a curse. However, it did allow ample time in the morning for preparing my kids’ breakfast, packing lunch, and getting ready without feeling too rushed.

Now that my daughter is at a different school, she needs to be there no later than 8 am, with an arrival time of 7:30-7:45 am being ideal. This means a drastically different morning routine for our family and much less time for preparing breakfast and school lunch. To help our mornings flow more smoothly, I try my best to prepare what I can the night before. Cooking the kids’ breakfast the night before has been a huge help and allows them to get started eating breakfast even if I’m not finished with my personal routine. Check out 5 simple make-ahead breakfast ideas you too can prepare the night before to ease your school morning routine!

5 Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas for School Mornings

1. Scrambled eggs with cheese: Scrambling a couple of eggs doesn’t take too long, so after dinner is done, go ahead and do this! Store them in a microwaveable container and add some shredded cheese before placing in the fridge. In the morning, your kids can simply heat up and enjoy with toast or a bagel! (Bonus: They’ll love the melted cheese!)
2. Boiled eggs: While dinner is cooking or the kids are doing homework, set a couple of eggs on the stove to boil. Then, de-shell, cut up, and store in the fridge in a microwaveable container. After heating up in the morning, my daughter likes to add some salt, pepper, and mayonnaise for a quick egg salad she eats with toast. But, you could just eat the boiled eggs as-is.
3. Breakfast burrito: For a little variation in their breakfast, after cooking scrambled eggs, add them to a tortilla and add toppings of their liking (cheese, bacon, sausage, spinach, tomatoes, etc.). Then, roll into a burrito, wrap with clear plastic wrap, and heat up in the morning. Check out the on-the-go breakfast burrito recipe we previously shared!
4. Oatmeal: While oatmeal is easy enough to prepare in the morning if you use instant quick oats, anything you can do the night before to ease your morning routine is better for your household (and your sanity), right? Plus, preparing individual servings of oatmeal for your children will, again, encourage their independence. Try these overnight oatmeal recipes, which you can serve either hot or cold: mango & coconut overnight oatmeal (in Spanish, but translate button available) or overnight oatmeal in a jar.
5. Pancakes or waffles: You can do this the night before, or even better, over the weekend. Make some extra pancakes or waffles with your batter and freeze them. On busy mornings, simply heat them in your toaster oven and serve with fresh fruit or yogurt!

Preparing breakfast for your kids ahead of time is a great time-saver in the morning. Plus, not only will it help your morning routine be less stressful, it will also encourage and empower your kids to prepare their own breakfast, helping them build independence skills!

What other make-ahead breakfast ideas can you share with us?

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™