School will be back in session for many in just a couple weeks! Are you ready? There is always so much to think about and prepare for at the beginning of the new school year. Have you thought ahead to after-school snacks?

In my opinion, an after school snack is actually a big part of the day. I homeschool, and so I don’t have the same schedule as most other families do, but I went to public school and definitely remember coming home to an after school snack! While it’s important for little growing bodies to have plenty of fuel and nutrition, I actually think an after school snack serves more of an emotional/mental purpose.

With all the chaos of the day, it’s nice to have a few minutes to unwind before running off with friends or doing homework. I remember sitting on our apartment steps and eating a big ol’ pickle, just enjoying the weather and taking a breather. I think it’s so good for our kids to be able to spend time reflecting and recharging if they need it (especially our little introverts!), and giving them some time to eat a snack provides exactly this.

It can also be a great time as a parent to reconnect with your child. As they are sitting eating, you can ask them about their day, get a feel for how things are going; who are their friends? Are they struggling with anything at school? Did they learn anything that confused them? Was there anything that happened at school that they want to talk about? It’s an automatic time to allow communication- which is so so important!

To help take some of the strain off, it helps if we don’t have to think about the actual snack part. Having a list of pre-planned snacks can really be a life saver! While it’s fun for kids to have pre-packaged Goldfish and cookies every once in a while, we want to make sure we’re giving them proper nutrition as well! Here are a few perfect healthy snacks for after school:

• Ants on a log (celery spread with peanut butter and dotted with little raisins or dried cranberries)
• Yogurt with granola
• Turkey slices with crackers
• Cottage cheese with peaches
• Chips and salsa
• Chips and guacamole
• Strawberries, dipped in sour cream and brown sugar (trust me on this one!)
• Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate
• Bananas with peanut butter and chocolate chips
• Apple slices with peanut butter
• Beef jerky and a handful of berries
• Trail mix (homemade or store-bought)
• String cheese and grapes
• Cherry tomatoes, cubed mozzarella and basil on a toothpick
• Kale chips. My kids love these! Just chop up kale, drizzle with oil and seasonings and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until they start browning just a little bit. They get crispy and so tasty!!
• Homemade smoothie (almond milk, banana, peanut butter powder and cocoa or chocolate protein powder is an easy hit! Be sure to add a handful of spinach for some added hidden nutrition!)
• A handful of nuts and a handful of home-popped popcorn
• Hard-boiled eggs with crackers
• Carrot and celery sticks with hummus

Any of these things can be made more “fun” with fun shapes, serving it in fancy dishes or a pretty platter, or using some kind of theme (fruity Tuesday, dipping Wednesday, etc). At the end of the day, whatever you serve, make sure you’re taking time to reconnect with your child, and make sure they have time to recharge and replenish from a busy day of learning! Good luck with the upcoming school year!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com