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7.01.2024

Fun Summer Snack Recipes for Young Children: Quick and Easy Recipes and Opportunities for Brain Development

Nobody wants to spend their summer in a hot kitchen. These quick and easy recipes are designed to keep out the heat (no ovens or stoves needed) and provide opportunities for you to engage with your young child by having them help you prepare! 

No matter the age of your child, there are ways to help build young minds while making fun and engaging snacks that are healthy and fun. And it’s okay to get a little messy – have fun!

1. Frozen Yogurt Pops

• Ingredients: Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, honey.
• Instructions: Blend yogurt with fruit and a bit of honey, pour into molds, and freeze.
• Brain Development: Find fun shaped molds (check your local dollar store) and have your child help you fill the molds by pouring some of the mixture from the blender into a smaller container that they can hold and pour.

2. Fruit Bowls

• Ingredients: Various fruits (strawberries, grapes, melon, pineapple).
• Instructions: Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces and put mixed fruit into bowls or cups.
• Brain Development: Have your child name the colors of the fruits and touch them to describe how they feel. They can also help you count the number of pieces that go into each bowl or cup.

3. Banana Sushi

• Ingredients: Bananas, peanut butter, rice cereal. *You can substitute almond butter or another peanut butter alternative if your child has allergies.
• Instructions: Spread peanut butter on a banana, roll in rice cereal, slice into pieces.
• Brain Development: Ready to get a little messy? Have your child help you roll the bananas in the rice cereal – talk about how it feels and how much is enough.

4. Watermelon Slushies

• Ingredients: Watermelon, ice, lime juice.
• Instructions: Blend watermelon with ice and lime juice until slushy.
• Brain Development: Have your child help you count out the ice cubes. You can also stop blending at different times to have your child taste and feel to understand the different textures.

5. Ants on a Log

• Ingredients: Celery sticks, peanut butter, raisins. *You can substitute almond butter or another peanut butter alternative if your child has allergies.
• Instructions: Fill celery sticks with peanut butter and top with raisins.
• Brain Development: Young children can use a spoon or child’s butter knife to help spread the peanut butter (or peanut butter alternative). They can also practice numbers by counting the number of ants (raisins) to put on the log.

6. Veggie Faces

• Ingredients: Rice cakes, cream cheese, assorted veggies.
• Instructions: Spread cream cheese on rice cakes and use veggies to create fun faces.
• Brain Development: Have young children help make the faces and ask about which veggies work for the eyes, nose, and mouth. You can also use this opportunity to talk about feelings and what different facial expressions can mean.

These recipes are easy to prepare, nutritious, and perfect for involving young children in the kitchen. Enjoy a fun and healthy summer with these delightful dishes!

Want to share a recipe idea with us? Send us your recipe(s) along with a photo of you and/or your child making/eating the dish (photo is not required) to [email protected] – you might see it featured in our next newsletter!