Hi, parents! I hope all those frozen treat suggestions were a big hit with your little one for fun and healthy snacks. This week, we are staying on the topic of getting our children to eat relatively healthy food.
Try out these fun and healthy snacks with your kiddo.
In on the Action
Healthy food choices for little ones isn’t always easy. If you have time to allow your little one to assist you in the creation of the snack, that can be a wonderful way to encourage them to at least give it a try.
From there, hopefully it’s so yummy they can’t help but eat more!
You probably have heard of some of these suggestions of fun and healthy snacks. My kiddo gets into a habit when he likes something, so we stick with it until he changes his mind, usually within a week. So keeping things fresh and engaging our kiddos in the process can be a great way to encourage them to try something new that they might just love.
Chopping Time
First stop, the fruit kabob. A delicious summertime fun and healthy snack. This can be great if you’ve taken some tips from our earlier post on kids and childproof knives.
This snack can include as many fruits as you desire! If you are leaning towards fruits such as melons, it can be helpful to get a head start. Cut the melon up into more manageable chunks and then allow your kiddo to practice their chopping skills.
Feeling adventurous? Try pineapple! Banana, strawberries, you could even chop up a peach or plum and add that too!
While your little one assists, you can ask about the color and texture of each fruit. All you need for this suggestion is skewers and fruit. Although if you feel like branching out, add cheese too!
Joy of Dipping
This next idea also includes the option of involving kiddo for some extra chopping practice. This time, we’re talking veggies. Not a simple endeavor for fun and healthy snacks.
I am relying on the joy of “dipping” for this one. Yes, that’s right, a veggie cup. Grab your veggies (carrots, sweet peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, too!) Engage your sweetie in the chopping.
I prefer to fill the bottom of a small cup or bowl with ranch dressing and place the veggies on a plate surrounding the cup/bowl. You can combine the veggies and dressing if you’d like. My little guy just LOVES a good dip. If keeping those veggies out of the ranch encourages him to want to eat them more. Well, then I am ALL about it.
The Classic
The last stop on our healthy summer snack train is… ants on a log, of course! How could we discuss a healthy snack without the ultimate classic. I’m sure you may remember this snack from way back in the day when we were the picky eaters.
Just to recap, this snack starts with celery sticks. Here is a good opportunity to get your sweetie pie involved. Allowing them to attempt to spread the peanut or seed butter onto the sticks can be a silly sticky good time!
At this point, it’s time to grab those raisins. I know, it can be a struggle with the raisins. If your kiddo seems to be completely turned off by those shriveled up grapes, I have another option for ya! Try blueberries! Same effect, maybe a bit bigger. But, that’s OK. Try it out and see! This might be your little one’s next favorite thing.
I wish you all the best of luck. And don’t forget: every fruit or vegetable our little ones consume is a win for parents everywhere! We’re all in this together, and I know you’re doing a great job.
Sophie Hamel is a freelance writer and works as a crisis responder. Her son is three years old.
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