Creative After-School Snack Ideas

After a long day at school, students become kids again, and are bound to be two things: tired and HUNGRY! That said, it’s so important to have some after-school snacks ready that your children can munch on to hold them over until dinner. And keep them focused while doing homework, too...

Of course the snacks in your home will vary depending on your children's preferences, but if you’re looking for something new to try this school year, here are a few of our recommendations.

Solar system fruits

Who knew food could be so educational? For this snack, cut fruits of various sizes into circles (such as bananas and oranges), and then spread them out on a plate. From there, match the size of your slices to a planet and then place a corresponding label next to them so that your children know which planet they’re eating!

Frozen fruit kebabs

Instead of just preparing one fruit for your children to munch on, put together several. Start by taking your non-frozen fruits (such as grapes and raspberries) and placing them on a stick, alternating the fruits as you go. Then, place them in the freezer and let them get really cold before serving.

Apple sandwiches

Rather than use bread for an after school sandwich, cut open an apple and use the slices instead. You can ultimately put anything you want in between, but one suggestion would be to try peanut butter - after all, apples and peanut butter are one of the most the perfect combinations.

Chocolate-covered strawberries

Strawberries are a delicious after-school snack, but strawberries dipped in chocolate are even better! You can go about this in a few ways - either melt the chocolate right before eating and use it as a warm dipping sauce, or, you can prepare your strawberries the night before and stick them in the fridge so that the chocolate has some time to harden. Whichever method you choose, your children will think you're the greatest parent on the planet!

Strawberry and celery flowers

Using strawberries for the petals and celery for the stem and leaves, you can make some awesome flower-shaped snacks. For the petals, just slice your strawberries down the middle to open them up, and for the stem and leaves, cut your celery to be as long or short as you’d like!

Now, while this is all great for one or two children, if you’ll be watching a few of their friends after school, you may need a little more to keep everyone’s stomachs full! Our suggestion? A fruit bouquet! They’re super shareable and there is plenty to go around, so you can’t go wrong by having one ready.