5 Awesome and Healthy After School Snacks IdeasÂ
After School Snacks are, at least in my house, the difference between a happy or hideous walk home from school. I need strong after school snacks game as my kids look forward to it and are genuinely hungry after all that running about. I am fairly sure that once they return to school after lockdown this will increase as they are so used to just going to the cupboard whenever throughout the day. I am sure I can’t be the only one with after school snacks obsessed kids so I thought I would share some of our favourites and I have pulled together 5 after school snacks ideas for you to try with your own kids.
Why bother with After School Snacks?
When my eldest started school I didn’t even know that this was a thing. I didn’t know I was supposed to bring a snack, but it took me less than a nano second to work it out…
My apparently starved child threw a temper tantrum beside me because there was no snack. We hot footed it to Lidl and calm reigned once again. Â
After that I spent a term getting the snack wrong and he spent a term losing his sense of reason. It seems that as a mother you are supposed to know that just because he liked crackers on Monday it does not mean he likes them on Thursday. Eventually he stopped being so tired at the end of the school day and the tears dissipated, but the love of after school snacks did not!
After School Snacks Ideas –Â Treat Friday
My kids love of after school snacks runs so deep that I tend to plan them in advance now. I have introduced ‘Treat Friday’ so that they do not expect me to be arriving straining under the weight of doughnuts on a Monday afternoon. I just don’t want them to have sweet stuff everyday and feel like that is the norm. So now I think a bit more about what I am giving them so that I can use after school snacks to support the principals of healthy and balanced eating that I already try to instil at mealtimes. Try being the operative word as I have one very fussy eater!
Then once a week I give them something that seems more treat like and we have a babycino with marshmallows when they get home. Even in the Friday Treat I try to reduce sugar or at least replacing refined sugars and flours for more natural alternatives for example in these Chocolate Cookies. The kids don’t care if there is a bit less sugar in their cookie as long as it tastes great. The main thing is for them to learn that a little bit of a treat is totally fine, but not everyday.
Great after school snacks ideas
So now down to the important bit the actual recipes. I thought it would be best to do a dedicated post to each of my after school snacks ideas so that you could have all the detail you need to make them and so that you can bookmark the ones you like rather than always having to come back to this round up post when you needed an individual idea, but equally if you are looking for a school week full of ideas you can get it right here so here we go…
-  HomeMade Breadsticks – this is not as labour intensive as it sounds and sure you can buy them, but they will undoubtedly have more salt in them than you would ordinarily add to your kids food. Also I have found if I make them myself they are more filling and so the kids don’t decimate the supply in one sitting.
- Energy Balls – these are a huge hit with my kids as they taste chocolatey since they contain cocoa. They are great for giving a energy and filling up the kids until dinner. The only issue with these is they have nuts in them so we can’t eat them until we are clear of the school
- Cream Cheese Bites  these are perhaps the simplest after school snacks on my ideas list, but the kids love them! They literally take seconds to throw together and will get yummed up!
-  Homemade Fruit Roll Ups I won’t lie to you these do take time, but most of that time is spent with them in the oven so they aren’t labour intensive really and they do last a while and taste great, but of course you can always buy them if you don’t want to make them
- Oat and Strawberry Cookies A perfect low sugar, but high in taste and treat value for treat fridays on your after school snacks list. The great thing about these cookies is that you can swap out the dried strawberries for any dried fruit that your kids prefer. They also taste amazing with apricots and with raisins.Â
I hope that you enjoy making these after school snacks ideas and that they keep your little ones away from the snack cupboard for at least 10 minutes 🙂
If you enjoyed this post you may also find this one helpful….  School Lunch Ideas for Picky Eaters
I love this idea! My kids are all ravenous when they get out of school (you’re not the only mum who’s childrens’ first words to them are ‘what have you got me to eat?’. All too often, though, it’s something unhealthy that I’ve grabbed on the way out of the door because I’m running late x
This is such a GREAT READ, MY DAUGHTER IS DUE TO START PRESCHOOL THIS YEAR AND I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A THING!! tHANKS FOR PUTTING ME IN THE KNOW #FAMILYFUN
Hope it is helpful for you. It definitely is a thing – a big annoying one
My daughter is exactly the same – straight into my pockets looking for her snack after school. i’m trying to give a bit more fruit at the moment (raspberries or mango is going down well) but I still get into trouble for bringing the wrong thing such as a banana or apple! Might have to try the breadsticks they look yum! #familyfun
They really are. I ate so many of them this time though I had my carb quota for a month!
Yup my daughter is the same too – literally demands a snack even before saying hello to me at pick up – she is always so hungry after school. i try to mix things up too and breadsticks are a favourite but i’m looking forward to gleaning some more inspiration from you. thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub xoxo
My pleasure I hope some of them are useful
We always had treat friday growing up! These look like some great ideas for the rest of the week.
Thank you for joining the #FamilyFunLinky x
My pleasure
Yay! I love snacks! I can’t wait to see all the new ones next week. #DreamTeam
I only pick N up once a week from school, and he’s ok until he gets ome. But he has tennis after that over normal tea time so he needs something before then. I try for fruit, but sometimes it’s a hotcross bun, sometimes it’s whatever is available.
The rest of the week he’s at afterschool club. I doubt they give snacks, but he’ll have tea at 4.30ish there. They never give him enough though, and once he’s home he’s scavenging more food. When I mentioned it to them that he says he’s never given enough they’re amazed because quite often he’ll have 2 or 3 helpings. #coolmumclub
Mine don’t make it out of the playground without a snack
This must be a hard-wired, human nature thing that dates back to cave people. our littles do the same thing, and all behaviors are tossed out the car window if you are to show up empty handed. #dreamteam xoxo
it’s so true they just totally forget themselves.
#thesatsesh ohhh my, so glad you joined us, this blog is joyful! Im not sure why im shouting at you in caplocks either? but i am excited, soooo….daddy does pick up and i just asked him what our son says – apparently he just roars lol. I think if you were my friend id PROBABLY frisk you, these snacks are emense….love the breadstick idea.
Thanks lovely. I must say that quite a lot of these snacks do end up in my belly!! Especially the energy balls they are a delight and taste so very naughty and yet they aren’t at all. I love that your son roars – mine just grunt after the whole ‘snack snack snack’ chant
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I must say I’m looking forward to not having to produce 10 million snacks a day & just after school ones! #mischiefandmemories
These all sound great, I would be tempted to eat them on the way to school!
It’s so easy to give the kids a sugary snack and I think they have enough sugar in school so, I’m all for a healthier alternative
xx #mischiefandmemories
By the time my oldest was in middle school, I had finally realized that if I wanted a reasonable conversation between school and home, I had better show up with snacks for the ride!
I need this post as I am spending a small fortune on snacks for my teens trying to make up for everything that has gone wrong in the last year or so. Thank you! #MischiefandMemories
Great post – and great to see a bit of ‘normal’ too…been awhile since the lunch box ideas were needed.
I think my eldest would love making the breaksticks with me, even more so if we added parmesan cheese! #MischiefAndMemories
Oh yes they are great with parmesan
The first words out of my daughters mouth after preschool is ‘what have you brought me?’ she’s always so hungry! I like the idea of a designated treat day so I can get more healthy snacks in her.
Katrina x
#MischiefandMemories
These are lovely ideas – I resort to crisps way too often for after school snacks! #mischiefandmemories
My kids are ravenous when they get home! Sadly we usually resort to crisps and biscuits although they also love dried apricots and prunes! #MischiefAndMemories
Mine would 100% be into the crisps and biscuits given half the chance they are treat fiends. I actually have to hide stuff from them or they would eat the lot in one sitting. They can’t manage having just one.
Great ideas for after school snacks! During home learning the snacks have been EVERYTHING and even raisins got a big thumbs up. #mischiefandmemories xxx