How To Make Snack Time Fun and Healthy at Daycare
Posted on: 26 June 2015
If you're a daycare owner, you take care of many children day in and day out, and you know that sometimes it's hard to keep them entertained. A good way to introduce new, fun activities is at snack time. Although most kids look forward to snack time, some are hard to please. As long as you have the patience, you can make snack time both fun and healthy by allowing the kids to help prepare their own snacks. Here are a few ideas:
Ants on a Log
Celery may not be the most talked-about food among the children, but when paired with peanut butter and raisins, they may change their mind. The "ants on a log" snack is an old favorite, but can still be very popular today with some updates. If you're looking for a bit of a healthier alternative, you can use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. Alternatively, you could use cream cheese. Don't forget to add the raisins or dried cranberries to mimic ants.
Critter Crackers
What kid doesn't love animal crackers? Provide a few crackers to each child and then allow them to use a bit of peanut butter to coat one side of each of the crackers and then push them together. This will make a layered cracker sandwich as well as a critter that the kids can "walk" around the table.
Heart Tarts
This one will need to be prepared ahead of time (possibly the day before or earlier in the day). You will take pie dough and roll it out. Grab a heart-shaped cookie cutter and allow the kids to cut out their own cookies. They will each need to cut out two for this snack. Let each kid place one of their hearts onto a pregreased cookie sheet and spread a bit of their favorite jam (strawberry, grape, etc.) onto it. Then, cover it with the other heart and seal it along the edges. Give it a light prick with a fork. Bake for roughly 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Allow to cool before the kids eat!
Butter and Crackers
More than likely, you have some empty baby food jars around the daycare center. Take these, along with about a tablespoon of whipping cream in each one, and give them to the kids. Make sure the lid is on very tight to avoid accidents. Tell the children to shake, shake, and shake some more. Eventually, and possibly with some of your help, a small amount of butter will form. This homemade butter can then be spread on some crackers.
While the standard juice and crackers will probably be adequate for the kiddos in your daycare, the truth of the matter is that the kids might get a little tired of them. The aforementioned ideas are a great way to get started with a more interesting snack time at daycare. To come up with more, all you need is a little imagination.
Conversely, if you're looking to enroll your child in a fun daycare, consider speaking with a representative from Cottonwood Montessori daycare to see if they're a good fit for you and your child.
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