Breakfast Bowl Builder

What you need

• a box of cereal
• a small plastic jug of milk, half full
• a bowl and a spoon
• a banana and a table knife

How to do it

1. At breakfast, put the cereal, the jug of milk, the banana and an empty bowl in front of your child.
2. Let them pour cereal into the bowl, stopping when it's about half full.
3. Peel the banana together and let them slice a few rounds onto the top with the table knife.
4. Then the milk: pour slowly, and stop before it covers the cereal.

Why it matters

Cereal, banana and milk each need stopping at the right moment, and getting all three right makes a bowl that's entirely theirs.

What they're learning

Pouring and stopping

Half full, not overflowing.

Slicing soft fruit

Rounds of banana with a table knife.

Making their own

A whole bowl, start to finish.

What to look for

Notice them slowing the jug down as the milk gets near the top.

A tip

A blunt table knife cuts banana easily. Keep sharp knives well out of reach, and fill the jug only halfway so a tip doesn't flood the table.

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