Do you find your kids are starving after school? Me too! Be ready with easy after school snacks your kids will actually eat. Healthy after-school snack ideas you can feel good about your kids eating.
The key is making grab-and-go snacks that kids can get on their own. Quick after-school snack ideas for the week with a mixture of fridge snacks and pantry snacks.
You’re going to be amazed at how much better your kids eat when the snacks are ready when they get home. Follow along and get inspired with these healthy after-school snack ideas and find snacks your kids will love.
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25 Easy & Healthy After School Snack Ideas for Kids
Table of Contents
What Are Good After School Snacks for Kids?
The first step is deciding what are good after-school snacks for kids. Tasty snacks they’ll be excited to eat after a long day at school. This will help you focus on the best choices for your family snacks.
When picking out your kid’s snacks you should focus on these 4 things.
Healthy Kids Snacks
Find low-fat and nutritious snacks for kids. Snack time is a perfect time to fit in extra servings of fruits and vegetables. These can get missed in their school lunches so it’s a great time to add them to their diet.
If you are buying snacks make sure to read the labels to see if they are low in sugars, fats and preservatives.
Easy Snacks to Make at Home
Snacks you can make at home tend to have fewer added sugars, and artificial ingredients than snacks you buy at the store. Plus you can customize them to your kid’s taste.
The snacks also need to be something you can make quickly or prepare ahead of time. This is key for busy families.
Cheap Snacks for Kids
Stop spending tons of money on pre-packaged snacks. You can save tons of money on cheap snacks you make at home.
That being said sometimes your time is worth the extra money you might spend on snacks. I would suggest having a balance of snacks made at home to save money and a few store-bought snacks to save time.
Snacks Kids Like
This is number one! If the kids aren’t going to eat it then your just wasting food & money. Figure out which healthy snacks they’ll eat and put those out for the kids.
You can save the battle over which vegetables they should eat for dinner (:
Grab & Go Pantry & Fridge Snacks
To encourage your kids to choose a healthy snack over cookies or junk food use make-ahead snacks. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it’s really not.
All you need is 20 minutes a week to set up a grab and go station in your pantry or fridge.
The biggest difference in choosing healthy snacks over unhealthy snacks is having them ready. When the kids are whining they’re starving you need something quick.
Plus kids will love the independence of choosing their own snacks from the bins. They won’t even care if you’re regulating their choices.
Each of the healthy after-school snacks listed below can be made ahead of time so you’re ready after school. Just set up snack bins in your pantry or fridge and fill them once a week with quick snacks you want your kids to choose from.
Fun & Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids
Get inspired by this list of healthy after-school snacks and find snacks your kids will eat at home.
The list is divided into Fridge Snacks and Panty Snacks
Fridge Snacks
All of these snacks can be stored in a bin in your fridge to help the kids grab their own snacks.
Fresh Fruit
Use small zip-lock bags to store cut-up fruit for the week. Here are a few easy ideas
- Grapes
- Cuties (orange slices)
- Apple Slices
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
Energy Balls
Peanut Butter Energy Balls are a yummy snack the kids will love. It will give your hungry kiddos a good boost of protein which will help fill them up too.
These no-bake energy bites takes only 10 minutes to make and then your set for the week. There are only 4 ingredients to mix peanut butter, honey, oats, and chocolate chips.
Use this easy recipe for chocolate chip peanut butter energy ball.
Once your balls are made divide them up into small Tupperware containers for the kids to grab.
Carrot Sticks
Carrots are a sweet vegetable that most kids like. If your kids aren’t a big fan try serving them with hummus or ranch dressing as a dip.
You can add a small Tupperware container of a dip in your fridge bin for kids to grab with the carrots.
Another idea is to make a container with hummus on the bottom and vegetables sticking out of the dip like pictured above. You can use this idea for many of the vegetables listed below.
Celery
This vegetable has a mild taste so it appeals to more kids. You can cut up pieces and place them in a zip lock bag.
To make the snack more fun add peanut butter or almond butter and raisins on top to look like Ants on a log. Celery is also great with ranch or hummus dips just like the carrots.
Cucumbers
Another great mild vegetable that can be cut into long strips or circles ahead of time. If your kids don’t like the skin consider cutting it off when you’re making slices of cucumber.
Again you can add a dip with these if the kids like.
Peapods
This crunchy snack will be a hit. Just wash 6 or 7 peapods and add them to a small snack zip lock bag for kids to grab.
Bell Peppers
Use these colorful veggies to get your kids to eat vegetables. They’re very mild and can be eaten alone or dipped in hummus or ranch like the other vegetables.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
This is a great snack for an extra source of protein. Hard-boiled eggs when stored properly can be kept in the fridge for approximately 1 week. So you can easily make it ahead to add to your grab-and-go snacks.
Yogurt Sticks
When you don’t have time for homemade snacks yogurt is the perfect snack to put out. It’s high in protein, calcium, and vitamins so it’s a good healthy snack.
Plus it tends to fill up your kids longer so they can make it till dinner. Get the yogurt tubes and the kids can serve themselves.
Tip: You could also freeze these and throw them in kids lunches.
Cheese Sticks
Cheese sticks are super easy as they are already made and individually packaged for 1 serving. Plus they’re a great source of calcium.
If you want to save money you could buy a big block of your kid’s favorite cheese and cut up your own cheese sticks. Then individually bag in snack size zip lock bags.
Apple Sauce
Make your own small cups of apple sauce. You can make it from scratch or just buy a large jar of your favorite apple sauce. Then use small Tupperware containers to hold a snack-size portion the kids can grab.
These next three Snacks may need to be made the day you serve them.
Apple Slice Cookies
No-bake apple slice cookies are a real treat and guess what they’re not really cookies. Simply slice up apples and add peanut butter, nuts & chocolate chips on top.
Kids will think they’re eating a cookie but really it’s a fancy apple. You could even add a few sprinkles on top to make it fun.
Banana Sushi
Banana Sushi is another fun snack idea that’s really easy to make. All you need to do is layer a tortilla with peanut butter or Nutella. You can even do both if your kids like it.
Then roll a banana in the tortilla. Lastly, slice it up to look like little sushi. If your looking for a more filling snack this is it! Get the whole Banana Sushi recipe.
Bagel Thins
Toast Bagel Thins or Wheat Bread and add peanut butter on top. A quick snack that’s filling and using wheat bread or bagel thins keeps the calories down.
Pantry Snacks
Store your healthy after-school snacks in a small bin on your countertop or a section of your pantry This will help your kids grab the dry healthy snacks on their own.
These pantry snacks are perfect when you’re on the go and need snacks to take with you. Instead of grabbing junk food as you run out the door, you’ll have a healthy option to take with you to after-school activities.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit tends to be sweet snacks and can replace the unhealthy fruit snacks kids love.
Some Dried Fruit Ideas are raisins, apricots, cranberries, sliced apples, or bananas.
You can either buy a big bag and divide them into small zip-lock snack bags or look for ones that come in small individual boxes like raisins.
Here are some yummy Banana Chips.
Kids Trail Mix
Find a trail mix your kids like or make your own by mixing nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. It’s a quick healthy snack that’s perfect for grab-and-go snacks too.
Power Up Kids has a trail mix made just for kids with dried fruit, pretzels, and raisins.
Goldfish
A favorite snack of many kids is goldfish crackers. They are a healthier snack than chips but admittedly their not the healthiest snack.
Try Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies for an organic and preservative-free option.
Granola Bars
With granola bars, it’s a matter of finding healthier options. Some granola bars are very high in calories. I would suggest trying Cliff Kid Z Bar or Orgain Organic Kids Energy Bar both have lots of fiber and are low on sugar.
Apple Squeeze
Apple sauce in a pouch is an easy snack you can add to your bin or take on the road with you. You can even find ones that have hidden veggies in them too.
Fruit Bars & Roll-Ups
Kids love fruit snacks, bars, and roll-ups but they tend to contain tons of sugar and preservatives. Here are some healthier alternatives.
All-natural That’s It fruit bars contain only fruit and nothing else.
Another option is Bear Real Fruit Snack Rolls. They look like fruit roll-ups which the kids will like but they’re made with real fruit and nothing else just like the That’s It bars.
Popcorn
Popcorn is a fun and healthy after-school snack if you don’t add all the butter. Skinny Pop is an easy option if you want pre-made popcorn. Or you could pop a microwave bag of popcorn quickly after school.
Apple Chips
Dried apple chips are a yummy snack for kids. Just make sure to read the sugar content on the labels before you buy it. If you want one with no added sugars or preservatives try Bare crunch apple chips.
Pretzels
There are tons of fun pretzel shapes for kids. Find one they like and add it to snack bags. My kids are big fans of Pretzel Chips because they think their eating chips (:
Veggie Straws & Chips
If your kids really want chips try Veggie Straws. They are healthier than regular chips and do have some vegetables.
Cheerios
A classic breakfast for kids Cheerios is a good dry snack idea too. Make small zip lock bags of cheerios kids can grab.
Tip: Make sure to use zip lock bags as cheerios tend to go stale quickly if not airtight.
Almonds & Nuts
Nuts have healthy fat, fiber, and protein which makes them a healthy snack option for your kids. Put just a handful of nuts in a bag for your kids to munch on at home or on the go.
What Are Some Good School Snacks for Kids?
Finding a healthy and filling school snack for kids can be really hard. But making sure they have a good snack can make all the difference in how well they concentrate at school.
First look at what your school allows your kids to bring as snacks. There may be restrictions due to allergies in the classroom.
Fruits and vegetables are always a great option. Keep these cool by using a small snack cooler for the kids to bring along with their lunch bag. I like PackIt Freezable bags because you just throw the bag in the freezer, no need for freezer packs.
You can even pack small pre-made hummus containers to send as a dip with your vegetables. Our family likes the individual containers from Kirkland.
All of the Dry Snacks listed above would work great for school snacks. I highly recommend Skinny Pop as it’s free of most allergens and is usually an acceptable option for school settings.
Did you find some healthy after-school snacks for your kids? Make after-school time less stressful with grab-and-go snacks you make ahead of time.
Kids will like having the choice between a fridge snack or pantry snacks and you’ll love that they’re eating a healthy snack.
If you want more family-friendly meal ideas make sure to check out our Easy Family Meals. Filled with quick weeknight dinner ideas, crockpot meals, snacks, and desserts.
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