WHAT IS A GOOD SNACK FOR CHILDREN?
Identification - Kids love snacks. They pack snacks in lunchboxes to eat during recess at school. They expect to get a snack as soon as they get home from school before starting their homework. While commercials for snack foods, sugar-coated cereals, candies and chips provide the revenue streams for many programs directed toward children on television, they often market snacks that are not good for kids. Good snacks for kids share several common characteristics. They should be delicious, nutritious, not messy, colorful and easy to store. Finger foods prepared in advance that require no refrigeration or cooking make some of the best snacks for kids.
Expert Insight - A good resource to use when planning snacks for kids is the United States Department of Agriculture's "My Pyramid" for preschoolers. It recommends that children eat 3 oz. of grains every day. They should also eat "more dark green vegetables" like broccoli, spinach and other greens. These can be added to the other recommendation, "more orange vegetables," such as carrots and sweet potatoes. Kids who are given an assortment of vegetables along with a low-fat dressing as dip can be encouraged to make a design out of the foods before eating them. (If you take digital pictures of the finished artwork, the snack becomes even more fun.)
Types - "My Pyramid" also suggests that kids eat a wide variety of fruits but not a lot of fruit juice. Raw and dried fruits served with a fruit yogurt make similar hands-on fun and edible art. You can even fill an ice-cream cone with a scoop of canned fruit salad mixed with a spoonful of yogurt. The traditional party game, bobbing for apples, makes a fun snack experience as well. All it takes is a bit of creativity and a refusal to serve empty calories that come pre-packaged and appeal to children--not because they are healthy and delicious--but because they have cute characters on the boxes and in the commercials.
Vegetable Snack Idea - Ants on a Log is one easy-to-prepare snack that kids love. They can even make it themselves. First, cut celery stalks into sticks that are each about 3 inches long. Then spread a small amount of peanut butter on each celery stick. If your child has a peanut allergy, substitute low-fat, whipped cream cheese for the peanut butter. Place five raisins on top of the peanut butter on each celery stick. This snack provides a raw vegetable, a dried fruit and a nut.
Fruit Snack Idea - Monkeys' Tails are another snack that children love to eat. They must be prepared in advance, though. Since they are frozen, they are a great choice for a hot day. Peel one banana for every two children. Insert a Popsicle stick into the banana so that it can be held like an ice-cream pop. Roll the banana in hot fudge sauce. Then roll the banana in chopped nuts or toasted coconut. Freeze the banana for about a half hour. Serve cold. Again, this is a good snack for kids because it provides a fruit that is easy to prepare and doesn't make a mess when the children are eating.
Benefits - Even kids who do not usually eat vegetables or fruit can be coaxed to try either of these snacks because their names engage the imagination. If you serve Ants on a Log, for example, you can sing the old favorite children's marching song "The Ants Go Marching Two By Two...Hurrah, Hurrah." Then you can make up stories about why the ants are on the log anyway. When you serve Monkeys' Ta
ils, read one of the "Curious George" stories. Then have the children make up their own stories about how the monkey lost its tail.
Effects - "My Pyramid" also urges children to drink milk and to eat beans, nuts and lean meats. Good snacks for kids should use these recommendations. Serve a glass of milk instead of fruit punch. Provide bowls of mixed nuts unless you have children who suffer from peanut allergies, of course. Let the children roll up their own corn tortillas after spreading refried beans and grated cheese on top. Then dip them in individual bowls of fresh sweet-tomato salsa. You will soon find that snack time for kids becomes a great excuse for learning that also builds relationships and makes great memories at the same time.
For refreshing ideas on what to pack for your child in his or her lunchbox, visit the following websites:
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