Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids

Spring sports and Spring Break travel are upon us, which means it’s time to pack the snacks! A well chosen snack has the power to balance the eater’s energy, minimize mood swings, and tide them over to the next meal. But a poorly chosen snack leads to energy imbalance (burst! crash!) and cravings for even more snacks, all while lacking essential nutrients to truly nourish the body. 

I want to arm you with ideas for every palate. Below you will find some of my personal and family favorites. But first, let’s talk about what actually makes a good snack… 

What to Look for in a Snack

Most snacks are highly processed foods that are full of refined grains, added sugars, and junky chemicals. They are made with bright packaging and familiar figures, like celebrities or cartoons, to entice our youngest eaters. It’s sad, but it’s the reality. 

When it comes to packaging, don’t fall prey to marketing!  Unfortunately, even foods marketed as “all natural” or “gluten free” are often full of inflammatory seed oils, sugar, and other unnecessary ingredients. Greenwashing is a real thing, y’all. 

If you are purchasing a packaged snack, always flip it around and read the ingredients. Here’s what I look for:

• No/minimal added sugars
• No food dyes or colorings
• No natural or artificial flavors
• No preservatives
• Minimal ingredients
• Real food ingredients
• Ingredients that you know and can pronounce

This quick cheat sheet above will allow you to vet nearly any snack and determine whether or not it is a nourishing and good choice. 

Healthy Snacks for Kids

As a busy mom who’s often on the go – traveling to work commitments or packing baseball snacks – I keep my pantry and refrigerator packed with healthy snacks at all times. I like to have great snacks on hand (and always in my purse!), so I don’t land in a pinch and end up having to buy something I normally wouldn’t while out and about. 

I’ve found that having healthier alternatives to the conventional drinks and snacks is hugely helpful for my young children. When I say no to Gatorade because of sugar/food dye/etc., there’s no push back if I’ve already packed a stick of healthy fruit-flavored electrolytes to shake into their water bottle. Or if other kids at school are getting fruit roll-ups, mine are just as happy to eat their Bear fruit rolls. 

A quick disclaimer – I don’t claim every single food on my snack list below as a “health food.” Some of them (such as many of the chip options), are simply much better alternatives to what you might otherwise purchase and pack. That said, here are some of our favorites:

• TDW Bone Broth Protein for smoothies, baking muffins, healthy cookies, making energy balls, homemade granola bars (so much more recipe inspo here)
• TDW Electrolytes
• TDW Organic Lemonade
• TDW Organic Protein Pancake Mix
• Pure, unsweetened coconut water like Harmless Harvest
• Skout Organic bars and cookies (use code TAYLORDUKES)
• Bearded Brothers bars
• Thunderbird bars
• Mary’s Gone Crackers 
• Ella’s Flats crackers
• Flackers
• Top Seedz crackers
• Once Upon a Farm snacks
• Serenity Kids snacks – use code TAYLOR15
• Dried fruit (1 ingredient – no sugar added!)
• Raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds (no added oils!)
• Raw, chopped veggies (dipped in hummus or SideDish – use code TDW15!)
• Chopped or whole fruits
• Nut butter (no added ingredients except for maybe sea salt) – use for dipping fruits and veggies, spread it on rice crackers
• Bear fruit rolls
• That’s It fruit bars
• Rice thins – topped with seed oil-free hummus, nut butter, or mashed avocado
• Avocado oil seaweed snacks
• Paleovalley (use code TAYLORDUKES)
• Chomps
• Nick’s Sticks
• Country Archer Sticks
• Epic Bars
• Thrive Market green olives
• Poshi veggie packs
• LesserEvil popcorn
• Siete tortilla chips and potato chips
• Boulder Canyon chips (avocado oil, potatoes, and salt version only)
• Jackson’s Honest chips

I hope you’re inspired to stock your pantry and your purse with healthy snacks that will nourish you and your loved ones – delivering essential nutrients in each deliciously satisfying snack!

Other Kid Resources

• What I Pack in My Kids’ Lunches
• Traveling Well with a Toddler: Healthy Snacks and Screen-free Play Ideas
• Good Supplements to Have on Hand for Kids
• Family-friendly Recipes