Top 10 Ways to Serve Kids Snacks

 There are 20 members of the Kid Bloggers Network that are sharing their top 10 ways to keep kids learning over the summer. While you may look at the topic I chose to focus on  (Top 10 Ways to Serve Kids Snacks) and think that it may not fit under the umbrella of learning over the summer, I would beg to differ. Children learn in many ways. Trying new foods, creating fun ways to each and exploring learning concepts while interacting with foods are all forms of learning. 

I have searched through the blog’s archive to find some wonderful snacks to illustrate ways to serve snacks and I have also made some sample snacks for this post.Before I share them with you, I want you to know that I totally understand that you may not have all access to all the materials I am going to share. If you don’t have all of them, you may have some. If you see one you like and want to plan to get them, know that I have purchased most of the using a weekly discount coupons I found online.

Here are some of the tools I use to make my son’s lunches and  kids snacks:

 

 

Without further ado, here are my Top 10 Ways to Serve Kids Snacks!

1. In a cookie cutter– I love to place a cookie cutter on a plate and fill it with a snack. It could be a dip like the one featured in the title picture or cereal that a child can  decorate like the gingerbread man snack below.
   
    
2. Buffet Style– Giving children the choice of ingredients when they create a snack gives them the freedom to try new foods and new combinations. My son was served a frozen banana and was given a muffin tin filled with ingredients to try on the banana. 
3. Food Picks- Toothpick or plastic food picks are wonderful for displaying and holding snacks. If you cut the sharp end of pick off, children can eat right off of the pick.
   
    
4. Cookie Cutter Shaped Foods- Both full size and mini cookie cutters are great for forming foods into fun shapes. Fun shaped foods may be eaten by picky eaters just because the food looks different and new. (Don’t through away the scraps! The outlines left in the food can be served along with the cutouts or used in salads.

   
   

5. Small containers- Containers like silicone muffin cups, cupcake liners, or old applesauce cups not only hold small amounts of food they also look less daunting to kids. My son seems to be more willing to try something new or understand portion size when it is in a small container.
   
   
6. Frozen- Whether it is smoothie ingredients, juice combinations, or applesauce mixtures, freezing them in ice cube or muffin tins makes them seem more appealing. Kids can suck on the cube or frozen shape or shave it off a little at a time with a spoon.
   
   
7. Character Shape or Themed – Using food to create a familiar character is a lot of fun. My son loves to see what I will serve him. Something he requests a particular shape and other times I just surprise him. Last year I made him a bento filled with Olympic symbols. He had had wonderful time watching the Olympics. He loved seeing some of its symbols.
   
   
8. Dips- Dips are a great way to encourage children to try new foods. It could be the dip itself that is new or the food they will be dipping. My son loves to be served spinach hummus, mixed vegetable dips, and yogurt based dips. If I put out a dip and some raw vegetables, he will inhale them. Without a dip he may pass up the vegetables.

   
   

9. Tiny versions of Favorite Foods- Small sandwiches with favorite fillings or mini muffins are great snacks. They look really cute too.
10. Sprinkles-  Sprinkles can be placed over some many foods. My son loves them on yogurt, applesauce, cream cheese on crackers, and even in milk. I recently had a friend tell me she told her son he could have sprinkles on any food he wanted to try them on if he would then eat that food.
    
     

I hope you were able to look over the Top 10 Ways to Serve Kids Snacks and find something you would live to try with your children at home.