25 Healthy School Snacks to Pack for Your Kid
Key takeaways:
Having healthy and healthful snacks at school can help kids feel satisfied between meals, provide key nutrients, and help with concentration and memory. Healthful school snacks can also help build good eating habits.
The best school snacks contain a combination of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Examples are cheese and whole-grain crackers, and hummus with veggies. Try to minimize sugar, salt, and artificial ingredients when you can.
Snacks don’t have to be homemade. Nutritious store-bought snacks include roasted chickpeas, air-popped popcorn, and string cheese.
Table of contents
Children eat a whole lot of their meals and snacks at school. So what you pack in their lunch bag makes a difference in their overall nutrition. But many packaged foods marketed to kids are ultra-processed foods, which are linked to health problems like heart disease and weight gain.
Luckily, there are many healthy school snacks that are easy to make at home or buy at the store. Sending your kids to school with nutritious snacks will ensure they have energy throughout the day. It also helps build their healthy eating habits. Read on to learn what goes into a balanced snack, and see ideas for 25 tasty, healthy school snacks.
What makes a snack healthy for children?
A well-balanced snack has three components:
Fiber-containing carbohydrates from vegetables, fruit, or whole grains. These foods are digested slowly by the body and provide fullness and energy for a few hours.
Protein from poultry, meat, dairy, nuts, or seeds to build muscle and support strong bones
Healthy fats from foods like nuts and nut butters, seeds, oils, and avocado, for cognition and brain health
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When planning snacks, try to pair foods containing carbohydrates (vegetables, grains) with foods that contain protein and fat (poultry, cheese, nuts). The protein and fat help the carbohydrates break down more slowly. This means the snack will provide energy over a longer period of time.
In addition to the nutrients above, try to focus on the following key nutrients, which support kids’ growth and development:
Calcium: Builds strong bones and teeth
Fiber: Helps with digestion, stabilizes blood sugar levels, prevents constipation, and provides “food” for healthy gut bacteria
Iron: Makes red blood cells
Vitamin D: Supports immune function
Omega-3 fat: Helps with brain development
You may not always be able to get all of these nutrients into every snack, and that’s OK. Foods eaten throughout the day (and day after day) add up to ensure children get all of the nutrients that they need.
Easy and healthy homemade snack ideas for kids at school
Some nutritious school snack ideas for kids include:
Mini-yogurt parfait: Layer plain Greek yogurt with berries and granola. Pack it in a transparent container for a nice visual effect.
Egg stack sandwich: Make half of a sandwich of sliced hard-boiled eggs sprinkled with “everything bagel” seasoning.
Cheese with whole grain crackers: Whole-wheat crackers are one option, but crackers can be made from other whole grains including brown rice or corn.
Edamame: Sprinkle shelled edamame (green soy beans) with salt, and pack it with a spoon.
Apple and nut or seed butter sandwiches: Use apples instead of crackers to make mini-sandwiches using a nut butter. If your child’s school is nut-free, try sunflower seed butter. Hearty Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples hold up best here.
Vegetables and hummus: Serve carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks with hummus.
Banana rolls: Spread nut or seed butter onto a whole grain tortilla. Roll a banana in the tortilla, then slice into rounds.
Sliced apples or pears with cheddar cheese: It’s normal for fruit to oxidize (turn brown) once it’s sliced. But to prevent cut fruit from browning, soak it in seltzer water for 5 minutes before packing it up.
Tuna dip: Mix canned light (skipjack) tuna with mayonnaise, and pack it with whole grain crackers for scooping.
Trail mix: Make a blend using your child’s favorite nuts, seeds, and unsweetened dried fruit.
Fruit kabobs: Use popsicle sticks to thread fruit for easy munching. Strawberries, cantaloupe, and honeydew work well for this.
Oatmeal balls: Mix 1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup of any nut or seed butter, and 2 tbsp of honey, then roll into bite-sized balls. Store in the freezer before packing them into snack containers.
Dressed-up veggies: Wrap green pepper or cucumber strips in sliced turkey.
Sliced red peppers with black bean dip: You can buy ready-made dip or blend it yourself using a can of black beans (rinsed), 1 tsp of cumin, a squeeze of lime juice, and ¼ cup fresh cilantro.
Two-ingredient mini-pancakes: Mash one ripe banana with two eggs and stir well. Drop 1 tbsp to 2 tbsp of batter on a hot, nonstick griddle. Cook for about a minute. Flip carefully and cook until golden, another minute or two. Pack in a thermos for a warm snack.
Best store-bought snacks to bring to school
Homemade snacks are great if you can swing it, but store-bought school snacks for kids are a convenient option. While many prepackaged snacks on the grocery store shelf — especially those marketed at children — are ultra-processed products, there are still plenty of nutritious options you can buy:
Roasted chickpeas, lentils, or fava beans: These crunchy dry-roasted snacks are high in protein and fiber. You can usually find them shelved near the nuts.
Individual yogurt cups: Choose Greek yogurt or skyr (Icelandic yogurt) for more protein than regular yogurt.
Trail mix: The best mixes are made with nuts, seeds, and unsweetened dried fruit. Opt for versions without yogurt-covered raisins or chocolate pieces.
Individually wrapped string cheese: Unlike processed cheese slices, string cheese is real cheese, and an excellent source of protein and calcium.
Nuts: Nuts provide protein and healthy fats. Choose nuts with no more than 150 mg sodium per ¼ cup serving.
Freeze-dried fruit. Try strawberries, raspberries, or mango.
Air-popped popcorn: Choose plain and lightly salted options, rather than sugar-coated kettle corn or caramel corn.
Snack packs of hummus and crackers: These convenient two-compartment packages are sold with hummus on one side and crackers on the other.
Oat- or nut-based granola bars: Choose snack bars that aren’t coated with chocolate, since those tend to be high in sugar.
Cottage cheese cups: Single-serve cottage cheese cups provide a significant amount of protein (about 10 g) per cup.
How can you encourage healthy eating habits at home? Modeling healthy eating, having family mealtimes, and not forcing your child to eat are a few ways to start.
Nutritious snacks that will keep you full: Snacking has a bad rap, but it doesn’t need to. These protein- and fiber-rich snacks will fill you up — and fuel you up.
Tips for picking a healthful granola bar: Not all granola bars are good for you. Avoid bars with a long list of unrecognizable ingredients, added sweeteners, and refined oils.
What are the benefits of having healthy snacks at school?
Children eat one-third to one-half of all meals and snacks at school. So what you pack in their lunch bag can make a difference in their overall nutrition.
Some potential benefits of having healthy and healthful school snacks include:
Better concentration: Eating balanced snacks can help concentration and boost memory.
Eating more fruits and vegetables overall: Most children don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. By incorporating fresh produce into school snacks, you can help your child meet their nutrient needs.
Building healthier eating habits: Children learn that eating energy-boosting, balanced snacks make them feel good. This may help them make healthful food choices on their own.
Promoting satiety (fullness) to reduce mindless snacking: One study found that providing a healthy morning snack at school was associated with feeling less hungry later in the day. This may make kids less likely to reach for unhealthy snacks.
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What types of snacks should I avoid giving my child?
There are no snacks that need to be totally avoided. All foods can fit into a balanced diet. But there are certain foods you should try to serve less frequently. These include snacks high in:
Sugar: Sugar provides a quick jolt of energy, but doesn’t sustain energy.
Trans fat: This type of fat can be harmful. Artificial trans fat is no longer allowed to be added to foods made in the U.S., but it’s still found in some imported foods. Trans fats are associated with an increased risk of health conditions like heart disease. To identify trans fats on a label, keep your eye out for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortening, and margarine.
Sodium (salt): Too much salt is linked to high blood pressure in children, which is a risk factor for developing heart disease.
Foods that contain a lot of sugar, salt, and/or trans fat fall into the ultra-processed food category. Children in the U.S. get about 67% of calories from ultra-processed foods. That’s problematic, since a high intake of ultra-processed foods in youth is linked to an increased risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Ultra-processed snacks that should be minimized include:
Candy
Sugar-sweetened beverages
Gummy “fruit” snacks
Chocolate
Ice cream
Cookies and cake
Chips
The bottom line
Kids’ school snacks make up a large amount of their daily calories, so it’s important to try to provide nourishing foods that contain essential nutrients. Try to pack your kids’ lunch boxes with snacks that combine protein, fiber-rich carbs, and healthy fats for sustained energy. This will help them get the nutrients they need, keep them satisfied between meals, and help their concentration and memory throughout the day.
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References
American Heart Association. (2024). Sodium and kids.
Castellari, E., et al. (2016). Can providing a morning healthy snack help to reduce hunger during school time? Experimental evidence from an elementary school in Connecticut. Appetite.
Faizan, U., et al. (2023). Nutrition and hydration requirements in children and adults. StatPearls.
HealthyChildren.org. (2020). Choosing healthy snacks for kids.
Micha, R., et al. (2018). Effectiveness of school food environment policies on children’s dietary behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One.
Muthayya, S., et al. (2007). Consumption of a mid-morning snack improves memory but not attention in school children. Physiology & Behavior.
Reynolds, S. (2021). Highly processed foods form the bulk of U.S. youths' diets. National Institutes of Health.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Trans fat.
