Every parent wants their kids to be healthy and one of the best ways to start them on the right track is providing them with easy healthy snacks from the start. Instead of a treat cupboard full of biscuits, chocolates and sweets, make your house treats healthy snacks, if you start this when they are young enough they’ll grow up thinking these are treats (at least until they get old enough to realise!). Here are 10 Easy Healthy Snacks for Preschoolers that they’ll love and want as a treat again!
Sign up for our free travel newsletter, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.
The trick with food for preschoolers is to make it fun for them, so try smiley faces, plates with different colours and shapes, and getting them to help make their snacks too.
1. Seedless Grapes
Although there are sugars in grapes they are very low in saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium and a good source of Vitamins C and K. Of course they are colourful, tasty and easy for a child to eat by themselves.
We love this caterpillar grapes idea from Funfamilycrafts.com.
For very young under 5’s it is recommended cutting grapes in half to avoid choking.
Check out this video with a trick for cutting grapes easily and quickly!
2. Popcorn
Popcorn is a handy snack to be able to make either buy the microwave version or do your own with popping corn kernels a little bit of oil in your pot and don’t forget the lid!
Put the popcorn into a little cup to serve.
You may also like – Healthy Snack Ideas So Good the Kids Will Want More!
3. Veggie Sticks
There are several vegetables that can be eaten raw and some provide more nutrition than when cooked. They are full of vitamins, anti-oxidants plus soluble as well as insoluble dietary fibre.
Just chop them up into small sticks or bite sized pieces and use them as a colourful healthy snack. Your child may not like them all but worth a try.
You can use carrots, cucumbers, celery, caulifower, tomatoes (yes I know they are a fruit), sugarsnap peas and baby sweetcorn.
You might also enjoy 12 Quick Ideas for After School Snacks & 14 Sneaky Ways to Get Vegetables into Kids Meals
4. Berries
Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries are perfect as healthy and colourful snacks for children. They are low in calories and full of vitamins and anti-oxidants.
To make berries even more fun then take your kids to pick them e.g. in the garden or on a Pick Your Own farm, then they’ll know where they come from too.
You might enjoy reading 10 Sensational Ideas For Strawberries For Kids and Strawberry and Banana Milkshake
5. Fruit
All types of fruit are good for your child’s health and growth being low in calories and fat. Packed with vitamins, especially vitamin C, and anti-oxidants, they are colourful and taste delicious.
As well as berries and grapes, there are lots to choose from: bananas, apples, oranges, melon, pears, peaches, mango, apricots, pineapple and lots of exotic fruits your child may develop a taste for.
Add a touch of cinnamon or peanut butter to jazz it up a bit if needs be.
You might also enjoy 5 Kid-Friendly Fruit Snack Ideas
6. Peanut Butter
If there’s no nut allergy issues, then peanut butter is a good option. It’s high in monounsaturated fats that are heart healthy. It’s also super versatile and can go with many types of foods, such as apples, celery, crackers and bread.
You might enjoy reading 10 East, Tasty Toppings for Crackers the Family Will Love
7. Eggs
One egg provides a 4-year-old with almost one-third of her protein requirements for the day. You can boil them up in advance and keep some hardboiled eggs in the fridge.
They last for 7 days and a tip is to write the use by date on the shell so you know when to throw them out. Have your child help to shell them and make their food a bit more fun.
8. Frozen Fruit Lollies
You can make your own using real juices and fruit, yoghurt and fruits or even a smoothie and freezing them into lollies or popsicles. Of course you can buy lollies too but you will have fun with your child making your own.
These Toogoo lolly moulds are available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
You might also like this Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
9. Sliced Fresh Meats
Meat contain proteins that all growing children need. It is also full of vitamins A, B and D plus iron, zinc and selenium which all aid to your children’s health and wellbeing.
Whether it’s leftovers from the Sunday roast or store-bought sliced chicken, beef and ham, they all make easy snacks your children will enjoy. You could roll up the slice when serving for a change, kids seem to enjoy the finger shape.
NB Avoid sausages or hot dogs for very young kids as again these can be a choking hazard.
10. Cheese
Cheese is full of nutrients like calcium, protein, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin B12. Although it has saturated fats, eaten in moderation cheese is important for the diet because the benefits of its nutrients.
Chop it up and even add pineapple, grapes or celery to make it more interesting and add some vitamin C.
Over to you now! What easy healthy snacks do you give to your preschooler? Tell us in the comments below.