---
title: Ideas for a Preschooler-Approved, Healthy & Fun Snack Time
description: At ISTP's Early Year's Center, we have quite a lot of experience with snack time. Healthy snacks are essential for fueling developing young minds as they learn and grow throughout the school day.
---

[Silicon Valley International School Blog](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org)

# [Ideas for a Preschooler-Approved, Healthy & Fun Snack Time](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/creating-a-preschooler-approved-healthy-fun-snack-time)

 Written by [Emily Warde](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/author/emily-warde) | Jun 18, 2018 7:00:00 AM

At our school's [Early Year's Center](https://www.istp.org/page/international-education/early-years-center-nursery--preschool), we have quite a lot of experience with snack time. Healthy snacks are essential for fueling developing young minds as they learn and grow throughout the school day. Offering a variety of snacks is important for complete nutrition and to be sure snack time stays interesting and fun.

Here are a few [INTL\* Preschool](https://www.istp.org/page/international-education/early-years-center-nursery--preschool)-tested snacking tips that you can adapt for your own child at home.

##### **Offer Preschooler-Approved Healthy Foods **

Young children are often picky eaters, so here is a list of foods that we know from experience will appeal to a vast majority preschool-aged children.

- Cheese (gouda, cheddar, string cheese)
- Plain yogurt with a small amount of jam or honey mixed in
- Mini bagel with cream cheese
- Whole wheat sliced bread with all-fruit spread
- Whole grain low-sugar cereals
- Crackers (whole wheat/salt-free pretzels, whole grain crackers, rice cakes) with cheese
- Fruits (banana, orange, apple, grapes, clementines, fruit salad, dried fruits/raisins)
- Dried seaweed snacks
- Lightly salted popcorn
- Veggie sticks with hummus

##### **Make Snack Time Fun!**

- **Make fun shapes with cookie cutters.** A boring piece of bread becomes a fun snack when cut into the shape of a flower. Smaller cutters transform fruit or vegetable slices into appealing but healthy treats.In addition to choosing the right foods, adding a small touch of whimsy and novelty to snack time can go a long way towards stimulating a young child's appetite for healthy foods.
- **Offer a variety of snacks in an ice cube tray** for a visually appealing treat. Kids love having the agency to make their own pick among an assortment of healthy choices.
- **Let kids play with "designing" their food**. Have them add raisins to a celery stick with peanut butter and it becomes a fun "ants on a log." Help them stick a green pepper stick onto a clementine with a toothpick and it becomes a "pumpkin." "Playing" with food engages kids' imaginations as well as appetites.
- **Bake healthy treats together**. There are many recipes online for healthy baked treats (such as muffins). If you have the time, whip up a batch with your child. Baking together will help your child learn about measurement, learn to follow directions, and refine their fine motor skills.
- **Chat with fellow parents about what snacks their kids enjoy.** You might even conspire to introduce each others' kids to new healthy foods, because a new taste can be much more appealing when tried with a friend.

Here's to happy & healthy snacking! 

\*In 2020, the International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) formally changed its name to Silicon Valley International School (INTL) to better reflect its bilingual programs, location, and international values.

[View full post](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/creating-a-preschooler-approved-healthy-fun-snack-time)

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