Preschool Snacks

Finger Sandwich Snacks

Looking for something a little different to give your preschoolers for snacks?  Finger sandwiches are always a hit with small children.  They are easy to handle and it doesn’t take a lot of time for them to eat.  In fact with a little help from you then can even make their own.

Peanut butter and jelly is a great idea for finger sandwiches.  Bologna and cheese work well too.  Kids like eating these types of foods so they make a bigger hit then other types of foods. 

Make your sandwiches ahead of time. It can be a little difficult having the kids try to spread peanut butter and jelly onto a slice of bread.  The easier for the children the better chance you will have at getting them to complete the task at hand.

Be sure each child has a sandwich of their own.  Find some neat shaped cookie cutters that are plastic and easy for the children to use.  Cookie cutters come in many different designs these days.  Hobby stores have them that even include numbers and letters.  You can also find them to fit many holidays so these finger sandwiches could work for just about any type of party you may be having also.

Let the kids cut out their own sandwiches.  Show them how to place the cookie cutter close to the edge to ensure they get more than one sandwich.  Let them pick one or more of the cookie cutters they would like to use.  If done correctly they can probably get 3 to 4 finger sandwiches from one regular size sandwich.

Now comes the best part.  Once they have cut out their sandwiches and showed them off to everyone else let them go ahead and eat them.  They will have a great time making and eating these goodies and you have a snack that has satisfied everyone.

Fruit Kabobs

Fruit is a great snack for kids.  It’s healthy and children seem to like fruit so they eat it with ease.  After a while a plate full of fruit can become boring to them.  You still want them to have something healthy but they don’t care if they eat it or not.  Try something a little different with their fruit and see if it doesn’t bring those snacks back to life.

Fruit kabobs are pretty easy to make.  You can use just about any type of fruit even raisins or other types of dried fruit.  Instead of using the large skews try using toothpicks.  These are easier for children to handle and they don’t feel overwhelmed by the large amount of food that is place in front of them.

Push the fruit onto the toothpick just like you would a regular kabob skew.  You can also use miniature marshmallows to give it a little something different.  With the toothpicks the miniature marshmallows work very well.  Get the colored ones to give your kabobs a little extra color and to make them more appealing to the children. Small cubes of cheese also work.

Once you have the fruit onto the kabob cut the pointed ends off of the toothpicks.  This will make them much safer for smaller children to handle.  If you want to make them really fancy use the toothpicks with the colored ends on them.  Kids love those and those ends aren’t pointed and sharp like regular toothpicks.

Now let the kids dig in.  You may be surprised at how fast these kabobs go.  Kids love them because they are something different.  They are getting healthy food that is pleasing to look at besides delightful to eat.  Try it and see if you don’t score big with those preschoolers at snack time.

Snack Mix Can Be a Hit

When it comes to snacks for your preschoolers you want something that is quick, easy and not too messy.  Snack mix has become the thing.  There are so many different ways to fix snack mix now that you can have it once a week all year long and never have the same kind.  Kids love it because it’s easy to eat and they like the idea that they can use their hands instead of silverware.

Look in cookbooks, magazines and online to find as many different recipes as you can find.  The more you have the better off you are. This gives you a chance to pick and choose what types of snack mix you want to serve and which ones are more expensive to make.  Most cookbooks and recipe sites also have a nutritional guide so you can tell if it is healthy or not. 

Take a rainy Sunday afternoon and make a few different kinds.  Believe it or not some snack mixes freeze well.  When frozen they can last for up to 2 or 3 months.  By doing this you can have enough snack mix to last you for a while.  Also if you place it in an air tight container most of these will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.  This can help if you want to make a double batch that you can serve for 2 different days. 

When you’re ready to feed your preschoolers their snack mix snack do something a little different.  Lunch paper bags are great to fill with snack mix.  You can even decorate the bags to fit a theme or to go along with a lesson you have planned for that week.  Saran wrap is another great way to serve these types of snack. Fold the saran wrap around the mix and tie it off at the top with a ribbon.  The kids will feel as if they have their very own present to open when it comes to snack time.

Snack mix can be a great idea for snacks in your preschool.  Finding the different kinds is easy.  Making it and storing it is a breeze. Why not try some snack mix for your class. It’s guaranteed to be a winner every time.