Snacks can be fun for your kids, especially if they are both a craft and a snack! Get your kids imaginations spinning, their fingers creating, and their bellies filled with one, interactive snack.
1 – Pretzel and cereal necklace
Pull out your spare yarn and pipe cleaners for this craft snack!
- Tie a knot on the end so the snack doesn’t slip right off.
- Make piles/bowls of cheerios, fruit loops, pretzels (with a hole), gummy life savers, or any other snack that can be threaded.
- Let your kids craft their own snack necklace.
- Once finished, tie the necklace together and place on your child. Let your son or daughter enjoy the fruits of her labor!
2 – Frozen yogurt
This snack can be made in the morning and eaten in the afternoon. (Hint: it’s a good lesson to teach patience!)
- Give each of your kids a paper plate lined with parchment or wax paper.
- Drizzle yogurt onto their paper. You can set a cookie cutter on the plate and fill the inside of it. Or let your kids use their fingers or a clean paint brush to spread out the yogurt.
- Next, let them make pictures on their yogurt with fresh fruit, dried fruit, granola, or chocolate chips. See if they can make a sunshine, flower, or face.
- Place their plates (carefully) in the freezer. Freeze for a few hours, then let your kids eat their masterpiece!
3 – Fruit kabobs
A bowl of fruit can feel so boring to a little kid. But making a fruit kabob could be so cool!
- Give your child a kabob (preferable one without a sharp tip).
- Set out sliced strawberries, bananas, pears, apples, or whatever types of fruit your kids like.
- Have your child make their own fruit kabob.
This is an excellent activity for teaching patterns! Can your toddler make a strawberry-banana pattern? Older kids could string together apple-banana-strawberry-kiwi patterns. Hint: Have your kids make fruit kabobs for your block party, family cookout, or Fourth of July party!
4 – Frozen juice cubes
Teach your kids how to be a juice barista, while also encouraging your little ones to stay hydrated.
- Have a variety of juices available: apple, grape, orange, tropical, etc.
- Let your child combine juice flavors, then pour into an ice cube tray.
- Freeze the tray for a few hours until the juice is frozen through.
- Eat these as an outdoor snack (since they tend to get messy). Ask your kids which flavors they liked best!
Hint: For younger kids, pour the juices into a measuring cup with a spout, and then your child can pour from the measuring cup into the ice cube tray.
Hint: Do this in or near your sink so there is minimal cleanup from potential spills.
5 – Plate pictures with goldfish, teddy grahams, and gummy worms
Have you noticed how imaginative your children are? Their little minds conjure endless adventures and their hands can create fascinating scenes. Give your kids snacks that they can use to create their own story or scene.
- Fill bowls with snack characters, such as Goldfish, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Teddy Grahams, Gummy Worms, and Disney fruit snacks.
- Pull out tortilla chips, graham crackers, marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and cheese sticks as additional “art supplies.”
- Give your child a plate and allow your son to make a pirate scene or your daughter to create a princess castle.
- When finished, take a picture. Then let your kids eat away their imaginative scene.
Bonus: Snack station
Imaginations run wild all day long, which means your kids are burning calories and expending energy while they play. Have a designated snack station in your pantry and refrigerator of kid-friendly snacks.
In the pantry:
- Trail mix
- Mixed nuts
- Peanut butter
- Fruit leather/snacks
- Tortilla chips
In the fridge:
- Fruit
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Hummus
- Salsa
Play with your food
Encourage your kids to play with their food during snack time! If they play during snack, they can learn the boundaries to not play during dinnertime; plus, it’s beneficial for your young kids to use all of their senses to explore their food. Mama, don’t be afraid to jump into the fun too!
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