Healthy Snacks for School with 5 new and fresh ideas for nut-free and healthy options for kids! PLUS, 3 versions of super simple and delicious kid-friendly oat bites that can go to school! These healthy snacks for kids aren’t to be missed!
I feel like it’s WAY to early to be sending these posts into your mailbox, but alas the time has arrived for back-to-school. These snacks for school are freezer-friendly, super healthy and are full of nutrient dense oats.
If I can ease even just one round of snack ideas for you, my mission is accomplished.
I found when my kids were in preschool and early elementary years, the more variety and colourful produce options I provided as healthy snacks for school the more likely they were to continue this trend as they grew.
Above shows crunchy mini bell peppers (sweet in flavour), the sweet juicy cherry tomatoes, and cheese flavoured puffed corn snacks.
I usually try to provide more options that have fewer pieces so that my kids gradually adapt to the flavours. That being said, I would never put anything in that my kids absolutely hated – one of my kids doesn’t like tomatoes so I would sub the above for either some snap peas, cucumber slices, or baby carrots.
Saltines, Kiwi, & Strawberries
We all need some easy crackers and fruit for snack some days. Throw a couple pieces of your kid’s favourite cheese in the snack pack for some additional calcium.
The variety of food offers them the opportunity to eat the rainbow, get all the nutritional value possible, and they’re most likely starving since they’ve been at school for sometime so they’re probably going to eat what I’ve packed.
If they don’t eat it, then they know what’s for lunch!
I love the idea of these kid-friendly oat bites, high on fibre, magnesium, and no processed sugar! They’re an awesome healthy snack for kids.
Make a batch at the start of the school year and park them in your freezer to pull out once or twice per week.
No sugar, simple pantry ingredients, and they’re incredibly quick to make, and they’ll last you a couple of months. Plus, this filtering of snacks means no one gets sick of them.
Some might be surprised to see a whole apricot here. If your preschooler isn’t familiar with eating fruits with pits, cut it in half, remove the pit and rub a tiny bit of lemon juice on the cut portions, this will prevent the apricot from browning.
I like school snacks, which is weird I know, but let me explain. I like that my kids show up and I’m not at the table listening to them whine about whatever might be in front of them to eat.
What do I do to combat poor eating habits? I change their healthy snacks for school all the time.
Are some days better than others? You better believe it. BUT, offering them different foods throughout the week or even month allows them to be exposed to lots of different foods, colours and flavours.
Thus, getting them onboard with being better eaters overall. Now, I don’t give my cheese hating daughter cheese, but she will see apricots in her lunch even though she prefers peaches.
Saltines, kiwi (HUGE vitamin fruit!!! Massive fibre and vitamin C producer), hummus (kids LOVE dips), and berries are all great options for kids snacks.
I added the carrots here so that food waste is minimized and leftovers get repurposed – smothered in hummus gives them a facelift kids like.
Looking for a good way to look after yourself with all the back-to-school chaos? I’m still in love with these Mocha Momma Bites!
More healthy snacks for kids:
- Homemade Fruit Leather and 9 other healthy snacks for kids
- Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Loaf and 9 other school safe snack ideas
- Kamut Marshmallow Squares and 9 other snacks
Our Top Reusable School Snack and Lunch Boxes*:
* most of these are non-affiliated links, we truly use them all at home.
- Omie Box with a built-in removable thermos (best for preschool and grades kindergarten through grade 2) – affiliated link but still use at home!
- Bentgo® Kids Prints Leak-Proof, 5-Compartment Bento-Style Kids Lunch Box (best for younger grades) – affiliated link and use a similar brand at home, only this Bentgo brand is better leak-proof and has a chilling option.
- Bentgo® Fresh Leak_Proof Lunch Box (best for kids as the grow into intermediate grades) – affiliated link and use a similar brand at home, only this Bentgo brand is better leak-proof and has a chilling option.
- Re Play 2 pack Snack Stack Food Storage Containers (indestructible and my preferred snack containers)
- Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag (all sizes are used including larger ones for taking popcorn to school for movie afternoons)
- YumBox (we use all sizes)
- Hydro Flask Water Bottles (brand that has lasted the longest for us through daily use, we’re about to move into year 3)
- Minimal Steel Insulated Food Jars (my girls have been using these for over 2 years now and they’re perfect for a mac and cheese lunch, leftovers, etc. Be sure to add boiling water or ice cubes to the jars before adding your hot/cold foods to keep the temperature in check all school day long)
One reusable lunch box brand that I ended up selling were Plantbox. I found them extremely expensive and possibly more importantly way too heavy for my littles to carry with a full water bottle. The smaller snack containers are fine, however are not leak proof.
3 versions of super simple and delicious kid-friendly oat bites that can go to school!
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups pitted dates medjool
- 4 tbsp hemp seeds OR chia seeds
- One of the options below:
- – 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp vanilla bean pasta
- – zest from 1/2 lemon and 1/4 dried blueberries
- – 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup raisins
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Place a few dates into a food processor at a time and blend until a paste forms.
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Place date paste, oats, hemp seeds, and flavours (either chocolate chips and vanilla, OR, lemon zest and blueberries, OR, cinnamon and raisins) into a large bowl. Mix by hand until all ingredients are well blended. Place bowl in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to make mixture easier to handle.
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Roll mixture into 15-20 balls. I found using 2 tablespoons of mixture made the right size of bite for my preference.
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Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Enjoy! xo
Homemade Fruit Leather – Healthy Snacks for Kids
