Your child’s day at preschool is packed with exciting classroom activities and opportunities to grow. You can play a major role in their development and fuel their fun by providing your child with healthy, wholesome, and delicious snacks. Here are some ideas to get started, and they’re easy to customize for even the pickiest eaters.

Healthy Snacks Your Child Can Take to Preschool

1. Fruit

Packed with healthy nutrients, fiber, and natural sweetness, fruit will keep your preschooler happy during snack time. Opt for whole fruits, like sliced grapes, pineapple chunks, and berries, rather than syrupy fruit cups packed in sugar. Try using small cookie cutters in fun shapes to slice sturdy fruits like watermelon and honeydew.

2. Vegetables

Vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, but if your preschooler isn’t a fan of greens, there are easy ways to please their taste buds. Try serving veggies with tasty dips like hummus, salsa, or a natural nut butter. A classic combo is peanut butter on celery stalks, topped with dried fruit like raisins.

3. Whole Grains

Whole grains provide more essential minerals, vitamins, and fiber than refined grains, and they’re easy to incorporate into snack time. Pack whole-grain crackers with cheese and deli meat for a protein-filled snack, or slather nut butter and jelly on a piece of whole-wheat bread to make a quick and filling sandwich.

You should always ask your child’s preschool instructor if there are any limitations on what they can bring to school, and make sure you label their lunch bag with their name. With healthy foods in tow, your child will look forward to their snack time!

For more than 40 years, families in the Lexington, KY, area have trusted the staff at Big Blue Bird Early Childhood Center for their preschool, child care, and early education programs. This learning preschool is NAC-accredited, and their team was awarded three stars from the STARS for KIDS NOW program. To schedule a tour, call (859) 299-9277, or visit them online to learn more about their services.