If your kiddo heading off to preschool this year and you need preschool snacks, this list of easy ideas has you covered. I aimed to include affordable and easy to eat options that are nut-free and kid-approved!
Preschool Snacks
Packing a snack for your kiddo is one of those parts of parenting that’s often harder than it seems—especially if you aren’t sure how hungry your kiddo will be or what they might be in the mood for. This list of preschool snack ideas has an assortment of healthy ideas that you can use individually or mix and match to pack a more substantial snack—because some kids are hungrier than others in the afternoon.
TIP: I know that many preschools have parents share snack duty, so this list will give you ideas in that situation too.
Preschool Snack Ideas
My goal with this list is to offer a range of ideas that require little to no prep work on your part, are appropriate for preschoolers from a nutritional and chewing standpoint, and that are foods kids usually like. There’s probably no snack that every single kid will eat, but I did do my best!
TIP: You can do just one of these or a combination of two of the snacks for a balanced snack. If there will be milk served, one snack item may be enough depending on appetite.
- Applesauce Mini Muffins
- Applesauce pouches
- Banana
- Banana and graham crackers
- Banana Mini Muffins (an easy egg-free choice)
- Blueberries
- Canned fruit in 100% juice
- Cheese stick
- Clementines
- Cucumbers and puffs
- Crackers (cheese crackers or whole grain) and cheese
- Crackers and hummus
- Dino Bars snack bar
- Dried fruit like apples
- Dry cereal (Cheerios, Kix, Chex)
- Fruit leather and crackers
- Kind Kids Granola Bars
- Milk and crackers
- Milk and or cereal
- Mini bagel and cream cheese
- Pretzels and cheese
- Raisins and sunflower seeds, dry cereal, or slivered cashews (not whole) if nuts are allowed
- Sandwich quarter or half
- Snap peas and hummus
- Snap pea crisps and fruit
- Smoothie in reusable pouch
- Toddler Trail Mix
- Yogurt, drinkable
- Yogurt pouch or tube
- Cliff Kids Z Bar
TIP: Find my favorite Healthy Snacks to Buy at the Store.
Easy Snacks for School
These foods are great to keep in mind for sending snacks to any school since most kids will be hungry by mid-afternoon. They’re kid-friendly, no matter the age, and can be expanded upon as kids get older.
Reusable Snack Containers
These three containers are ones that we’ve used for years and find to be super durable and easy to clean (and the first two are shown in this post).
Replay Stacking Snack Containers (these are the colorful ones shown above) and are sold in a set of 4 containers for $12.99.
Beaba Clip Containers (these are the clear containers shown above with the yellow and blue lids underneath) and are sold in a set of 6 for $14.95.
Bumkins Reusable Bags are great to use instead of plastic bags if you want a reusable option. I mostly rinse ours out but you can also run them through the dishwasher or washing machine. A set of 2 bags is $8.99.
Best Tips for Preschool Snacks
- Follow guidelines from your preschool or daycare on allergies or any other ingredient recommendations.
- Aim to include 1-2 food groups for balance and to keep the kids satisfied until the next meal.
- Trust the kids to eat as much as they need to fill their hunger cues.
- Remember that it’s okay to keep things simple. You don’t have to make snacks from scratch all the time!
- Rotate through favorites to expose the kids to a range of nutrients.
- Feel free to share this list with your preschool or daycare or parents association if you share snack duty with other families.
- You may also like my Fav Store-Bought Snacks, my Baby Snacks, and my Master List of Healthy Toddler Snacks.
If you have any questions or additions to my list, please comment below. The more I hear from you all, the better I can make my content for your families!
30 Healthy Preschool Snacks (Easy, Nut-Free, Kid-Approved)
Choose 1-2 foods from each category or use inspiration from the combinations in the post. Nutrition will vary based on the foods you choose for snack time.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 10 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes minutes
Total Time 5 minutes minutes
Author Amy Palanjian
Cuisine American
Course Snacks
Calories 125kcal
Servings 2
Ingredients
Shelf-Stable Produce
- 1 applesauce pouch
- 1 container canned fruit in 100% juice
- 1/4-1/2 freeze-dried fruit
- 1 fruit leather
- 1/4 cup dried fruit
Fresh Produce
- 1 banana
- 1 clementine
- 1/4-1/2 cup berries
- 1/4-1/2 cup sliced cucumber
- 1/4-1/2 cup snap peas
- 1/4-1/2 cup sliced bell pepper strips
- 1/4-1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
Whole Grains
- 1-2 Applesauce Mini Muffins
- 1- 2 Banana Mini Muffins
- 2-4 graham crackers
- 1/4-1/2 cup whole grain crackers
- 1/4-1/2 cup puffs
- 1/4-1/2 cup cereal
- 1 slice whole grain bread
- 1 mini bagel
- 1/4-1/2 cup pretzels
- 1 snack bar
Proteins
- 1-2 tablespoons hummus
- 1-2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 1 oz deli lunch meat
- 1/4-1/2 cup snap pea crisps
- 1 cheese stick
- 1 yogurt tube
- 4-8 oz milk
- 4-8 oz smoothie
- 4- 8 oz drinkable yogurt
- 1/4-1/2 cup cottage cheese
Instructions
Choose 1-2 items from the list above. Choose milk or water.
Offer to the kids or pack for preschool and let the kids decide how much to eat according to their hunger.
Notes
- Follow guidelines from your preschool or daycare on allergies or any other ingredient recommendations.
- Aim to include 1-2 food groups for balance and to keep the kids satisfied until the next meal.
- Trust the kids to eat as much as they need to fill their hunger cues.
- Remember that it's okay to keep things simple. You don't have to make snacks from scratch all the time!
- Rotate through favorites to expose the kids to a range of nutrients.
- Feel free to share this list with your preschool or daycare or parents association if you share snack duty with other families.
Nutrition
Calories: 125kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 152mg, Potassium: 300mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 130IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!