22 quick and healthy snacks for kids

Kids need to eat a meal or snack every few hours to power them through the day. But snacks aren't a free pass for all-you-can-eat chips and cookies. Even at snack time, it's important to offer your child a broad variety of healthy food that provides the vitamins and minerals kids need to grow strong and healthy.

Remember, too, that food preferences start in early childhood. The earlier and the more consistent you are with offering various healthy foods, the more likely it is that your child will love different flavors and develop good lifelong eating habits.

At every snack, offer choices like vegetables, fruits, legumes, nut butters, whole grain breads and cereals, and low-fat or nonfat dairy for kids over the age of 2. Limit added sugars, too much sodium, and foods that can be unsafe for younger children.

Read on for tips to make snacks healthy – and ideas for nutritious snacks your child will love.

16 snack ideas for kids of all ages

You can prepare nutritious snacks that your child will love in just minutes. When you're serving up snacks, be sure to stick to the standard rules on nutrition and portion sizes for kids.

Here are a few quick, easy, and healthy snack suggestions.

Fresh fruit

Kids love finger food, and nothing's better than fresh fruit: It's colorful, sweet, packed with vitamins and minerals, and full of fiber. Serve sliced apples, orange sections, half a sliced banana, a small bowl of sliced grapes, or a handful of mixed berries.

Dips

Let your child have fun mixing and dipping their favorite foods. You might be surprised at the combinations they're willing to try. Give your child a couple of wedges of pita bread paired with a tablespoon or two of hummus or spinach dip. Strawberries and apple slices go well with creamy yogurt, and pretzels taste great with a variety of sweet and savory mustards (or nut butters, if the flavor of mustard is too strong for your kiddo).

Cheese

Serve cottage cheese in a small bowl topped with chopped fresh fruit, or mix in peas and carrots to make confetti cottage cheese. Low-fat string cheese and cheese rounds can be a great source of protein and essential vitamins.

Eggs

Scrambled eggs are quick to make and full of protein. Try adding turkey and cheese, or mix in salsa and wrap in a tortilla for a burrito. Make hard-boiled eggs on the weekend and store them in the fridge for weekday snacks. Try topping the hard-boiled eggs with everything but the bagel seasoning for a little extra flavor.

Mini pizza

Toast half a whole-wheat English muffin and spread a tablespoon of marinara sauce on it. Add some chopped vegetables and a tablespoon of shredded cheese and broil in the oven for a minute or two, until the cheese melts.

Parfait party

Layer a small bowl or dessert glass with 1/3 cup of low-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup of chopped fruit, and a few berries or banana slices. Sprinkle a little granola on the top.

Mini quesadilla

Sprinkle half a small corn tortilla with a tablespoon of shredded cheese and microwave for 20 seconds. Fold in half and cut into small pieces. Serve with mild salsa for dipping.

Mini waffles

Toast half a frozen waffle, cut into strips, and serve with yogurt for dipping alongside some fresh fruit.

Vegetables

Get your child in the habit of snacking on vegetables. Fresh veggies like chopped carrots or green beans, roasted kale, and steamed broccoli or cauliflower are nutritious treats. Bake veggie "chips" with carrots, beets, or sweet potatoes. Or make a dip by mashing up some edamame, black beans, sweet potato, or avocado.

Frozen fruit bars

Buy frozen treats made with chunks of real fruit, or make them yourself with 100-percent juice and chopped, fresh fruit. Try orange, pineapple, peach, and banana, to name a few. They're a great summer refresher (and fun for your child to help you make).

Spreads

For a balanced snack, top a couple of crackers with a tablespoon of cream cheese or a thin layer of smooth peanut butter. Serve alongside half a banana or a handful of grape halves.

Fruit shakes

Throw half a banana, 1/4 cup of milk, and a handful of berries in your blender, and you've got a nutritious shake. Add low-fat yogurt for more flavor, protein, and calcium. For the best consistency, use frozen fruit.

Orange freeze

Blend half a peeled orange with a cup of ice in a blender. Adjust the flavor with a little sweetener.

Apple pita pockets

Cut pita bread in half. Spoon ricotta cheese into a pita pocket and add apple slices. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Mighty muffins

Mix a couple tablespoons of cream cheese with some sunflower seeds and chopped, dried fruit. Spread on half a toasted English muffin.

Granola bars

A crunchy granola bar has whole grains, fiber, and protein. But watch out for the sugar content: Some granola bars are more like candy bars. Serve with yogurt for dipping.

6 snack ideas for older kids

Once your child is 4, choking is much less of a risk. Add any of these older-kid snacks to your repertoire:

Edamame

These vitamin-packed soybeans are a great source of vegetarian protein. Look for bags of edamame shelled or in their pods in the freezer case.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a satisfying, high-fiber snack. For convenience, buy bags of pre-popped popcorn, but check the nutritional content; skip those that are have lots of butter or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for added flavor.

Peanut butter powerball

Mix peanut butter with cornflakes and shape into balls. Roll in crushed graham crackers.

Frozen grapes

Keeping rinsed grapes in the freezer somehow transforms them into candy in the eyes of kids. (If you're worried about choking, cut the grapes into smaller pieces.)

Raisins and dried fruit

Loaded with antioxidants and carbohydrates (an immediate source of energy), raisins are also high in fiber and iron. Plus, kids love those little single-serving boxes. Other good dried fruits include apricots, prunes, mango, and apples.

Nuts or sunflower seeds

Nuts and seeds contain the kind of fat that's good for the heart – and they're super filling. Make a custom trail mix with dried fruit and nuts for a portable, high-energy snack.

How to encourage healthy snacking

There are a few rules of the road when it comes to healthy snacking. Here are some tips to get you started.

Stick to a schedule

Kids love routines, and that goes for mealtimes and snacks. Instead of grazing all day, space out meals so your child can learn to recognize hunger and fullness cues.

Be mindful

Try to avoid watching TV while you're eating to prevent mindless munching. When your child isn't paying attention to what they eat, they're more likely to miss their body's fullness signals and eat too much.

Keep servings small

Remember, kids are much smaller than you are – so they don't need the same amount of food that you do. Kids ages 2 to 3 only need 1,000 calories per day, while kids ages 4 to 8 need anywhere from 1,200 to 2,000 calories depending on their sex and activity level. If you're not sure how much to serve, ask your child's doctor.

Focus on fiber, protein, and fats

Fiber, protein, and fats help keep your child feeling fuller for longer. Skip refined grains and instead choose fiber-rich whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread or pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain cereal. Fruits and veggies are also good sources of fiber, plus other good-for-you antioxidants and nutrients.

For extra staying power, pair whole-grain foods with a source of healthy protein or fats like low-fat Greek yogurt, hard cheese, beans and legumes (also a good source of fiber), nuts, or turkey slices.

Choose healthy fats

Our bodies need dietary fats not only for energy but to help with various processes, including the absorption of certain vitamins. But be aware of what types and how much fat your little one eats. Once your child reaches the age of 2, switch from full-fat to low-fat dairy. It's recommended that the fat in your child's diet be less than about a third of daily calories.

Try to cut back on saturated fats (found mainly in fattier cuts of meat and dairy) and trans fats (found in processed and baked goods). Instead, choose leaner cuts of meat and poultry and whole grains. And serve up more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, found in plant-based sources like nuts and nut butters, seeds, and avocados.

Don't fill up on drinks

Juice and sweetened beverages can add a lot of sugar and calories to your child's diet. Serve whole fruit and water or milk to drink. When you do give your kid juice, choose 100-percent fruit juice and limit your child to just 4 to 6 ounces per day.

Cut it up, for smaller kids

Until children reach the age of 4, they can't chew food very well. Cut your child's snack into bite-size pieces. If you're serving vegetables, cook them first so they're soft, then chop them so they're easy to eat.

Foods that may cause young children to choke include:

• Whole grapes
• Whole cherry tomatoes
• Nuts and seeds
• Chunks of peanut butter
• Chunks of raw veggies, such as celery or carrots
• Cherries with pits
• Popcorn
• Hard candy and chewing gum

Ask your child to help

Tap into your child's curiosity: Kids are more likely to eat and enjoy what they choose. And cooking together is an excellent way to foster good feelings about food.

Take your child shopping with you and let them pick out whatever fresh fruit or vegetable catches their fancy. If you have a backyard and a green thumb, consider planting a vegetable garden. Or find age-appropriate ways for your kids to help prepare meals – for example, by washing vegetables, adding and stirring ingredients, and tearing up lettuce.

Get creative

Have a little fun with food. Arrange carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper slices to look like a face on your child's plate. Make pancakes in the shape of your child's initials and cut toast into a heart shape. Set your child up with a colorful placemat and dinnerware.

Be flexible

It's not unusual for young kids to do an about-face when it comes to their favorite food. Your child may love cauliflower one day, then suddenly decide they can't stand it anymore. It can be frustrating, but try not to make it a big deal.

Keep this rule of thumb in mind: While you choose the quantities and types of foods you serve to your child, your child chooses if and how much of each food to eat.

For that reason, it's always a good idea to have several healthy choices on hand for snacks. If you're offering something your child hasn't tried before or doesn't like, ask them to try one bite and then let them enjoy the more familiar food. Don't insist that they eat a full portion.

Check out these other strategies to win over picky eaters.

Be neutral about food

How you talk about foods helps your child develop their own healthy eating habits. While you don't want to serve a cupcake for every snack, saving sweets for only "special" occasions and otherwise completely cutting treats out of a child's diet can backfire, leading to binging later on.

Avoid labeling certain foods as "good" or "bad." Keep foods neutral and focus on the positive. Explain how the healthier foods you serve help your child grow strong and healthy. Don't overhype treats or make dessert the reason for eating dinner.

Be a good role model

Kids learn to eat new foods by watching the adults around them eat and enjoy those same foods. If you want your child to eat more vegetables and whole grains, be sure you're piling them on your plate, too.