Weekend breakfast time - Fun for all the family

Take a trip. Turn your breakfast table into a holiday destination by having a traditional morning meal from around the world. One weekend you could be in France tucking into croissants and coffee, the next you’re off to Canada for pancakes and maple syrup.

You name it! Put name tags on each place setting – but make them the names of famous people or historical characters and get the family to choose who they want to be. To make it even more fun, get them to act ‘in character’ all through breakfast.

Eat outside. Al fresco eating gets some air into the lungs and makes you all feel like it’s the holidays!

Leave it to the kids. If you’re feeling brave, let go of the controls and hand over to the children. Let them decide what's on the breakfast menu – you just give them a hand with the cooking. They get a bit of independence, you get the chance to heap praise – and do the clearing up. Just make sure they get the serving sizes right for a balanced breakfast.

Play a game. Puzzles are a great way of stimulating the mind first thing in the morning. Even a few rounds of I-Spy can lift the mood and wake everyone up.

Telling jokes. A guaranteed way of bringing laughter to the table is for everyone to come to breakfast ready to tell their best (or worst) joke.

What about breakfast during the week? For tips to make those busy weekday mornings go smoothly, check out the 'Morning madness survival guide'.