Snack Plates for Kids

Artful Arrangements Attract Kids

• What: Snack Plate Presentation
• When: 18 months and up
• Why: Eat healthier, prepare snack faster
• Where: Your home

When it comes to food, it’s all about presentation, and I don’t mean catering to adults. Kids love pretty arrangements, too. I have three kids who all love to snack and come home from school starving. We often have extra mouths at our house, as well. Since I got sick of doling out snacks individually, I started serving up snack plates instead.

I usually find three or four items we have in abundance, and arrange them accordingly on a plate. I try to go for fruit or veggies, a protein, and a carbohydrate, but whatever you want works. You can make these plates fit almost any dietary restrictions, from vegan to gluten or nut free, and kids still love it.

Some options I’ve done included pear slices, crackers, cashews, and shredded cheese, or banana slices, peanuts, and prunes. Raisins, cranberries, cereal, and apple slices LINK also work great for making appealing arrangements all on one plate. For extra bonus points, you can put food on a flower or other fun shaped plate, but really any brightly colored non breakable surface will do the trick.

Next time you want your kids to have a healthy snack, try arranging simple ingredients with some pizazz on a plate and see what happens in your household.