The Essential Nature of Snacks
Snacks are life. Every parent of a young child or early childhood educator knows this. More than a means to survive a trip to the doctors office, a cart-confining grocery trip or a long car ride, snacks are an opportunity to further nourish your child. Preschoolers especially are very active but have smaller stomachs that can only hold so much—making healthy and well-timed snacks important for filling nutritional gaps, and also, importantly, keeping some hunger-induced-crankiness at bay. (source) Keep reading and we’ll take a look at some delicious, kid approved, and nourishing snack ideas!
At Crestwood Childhood and Learning Center, we always make sure to give our students ample time to eat meals and have their snacks, so they are ready to learn and grow. Check out our center today!
What’s on the Menu?
Snacking is an excellent opportunity to fill your preschooler with extra nourishment—especially if a nutrient-dense veggie/meat/fruit/etc. was rejected at the last meal. Knowing food is the fuel for the human body, snacks are a secret weapon of ensuring your child’s nutrition needs are met. Below are some excellent ideas and recipes for snacks that can nourish not just your child, but you, as well!
Snacking at Home:
- Graham Crackers and Yogurt
- Greek yogurt fruit dip and fruit
- Ranch dip and veggies
- Fruit and nut butter or cheese
- Graham crackers with nut butter
- Cottage cheese and pineapple
- Pretzels with cream cheese for dipping (or other types of cheese)
- Homemade chocolate milk
- Steamed Broccoli with cheese
- Smoothies (milk/yogurt+ fruit+ sneak in some hidden veggies like spinach)
Easy Snacks for Out and About:
- Applesauce pouch and a cheese stick
- Pretzels with cream cheese
- Chopped veggies and hummus
- Beef stick and cheese crackers (like the beloved fish-shaped-ones)
- Cheese and meat stick wraps (these can be bought pre-packaged or can fall into the ‘make ahead’ category)
Make Ahead Ideas:
- This Granola Bar recipe and a cup of milk
- Homemade muffins (like this Blueberry Muffin recipe) and a cup of milk
- Cubed cooked chicken and ketchup
- Homemade trail mix (Check out some great nut-free options, here)
- Veggie nuggets (check out these Kid-Approved-Veggie-Nuggets!)
Finding Balance
All of these snack ideas pack a good amount of nutrition–aiming to provide a bit of protein and carbohydrates. This will help your preschooler stay full longer and maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
PRO TIP: Switch traditional yogurt with Greek yogurt in recipes or as a snack for an extra boost of protein! OR, if you are taming a sweet tooth, home-make your granola bars, muffins, chocolate milk and other sweeter treats so that you may control the sugar content.
Schedule a tour today and ask what we like to have for snack here at Crestwood Childcare and Learning Center!
Together Time
Take an extra few minutes while preparing snack and allow your child to help! Not only can this be great relationship-building time, but also an amazing opportunity to begin teaching life skills. In an article from the Mayo Clinic, it also says that children are more likely to eat food they’ve helped prepare. (source) So if you have it, take a few extra minutes and let your preschooler be part of their snack preparation. Not only will they likely be thrilled to help, but they might also be more prone to
eat a healthier snack if they get to be a part of its creation!
HELPFUL HINTS: Make it easy on yourself and pre-measure any ingredients you need so that your preschooler can participate without the worry of adding too much or too little of an ingredient.
Snacks are life
While the phrase “snacks are life” might sound like a phrase laughed out by tired parents simply trying to keep the peace until dinner, there is a good amount of truth in it. Snacks are a part of your preschoolers’ daily nourishment. Taking the time to ensure between-meal-noshing is not only kid approved but nutrient packed is key in rounding out your child’s nutrition.
Want to find out more about Crestwood Early Childcare and Learning Center’s nutrition ideas? We’d be happy to chat! Come visit us for a tour and see what’s cookin’!