Make the Most of After-school Snacks

After a long day in school, many kids come home or go to after school programs and they are usually hungry. After school snacks should be healthful, easy to serve, and not too big since dinner is only two or three hours away. Here are some after school snack tips for parents and after school caregivers:

• The after school snacks should contain some protein like peanut butter, lean meats, or cheese.
• Add crispy raw vegetables and dip.
• Serve with water, milk or soy milk with your after-school snacks.
• Avoid anything sugary like candy, and cookies.
• Stay away from junky foods like greasy chips and cheese puffs.
• Avoid sugar sweetened soft drinks.
• Whole grain crackers are fine, but stay away from white starchy breads and crackers.
• Fresh fruits are also good after school snacks.
• Keep the portions light. This is just a small pick-me-up before afternoon studies or playtime, not a whole meal.
• If you need to serve pre-packaged snacks, try Nabisco KidSense snacks, small bags of mixed nuts, and little boxes of raisins.