EASY

SNACTIVITIES
SMALL MEALS
TO MAKE
HEALTHY FOOD FUN
 Table of Contents
Introduction:
welcome!
definition
benefits of snacktivities
helpful tips
Recipes:
DIY Banana on a Stick
Pink Piggy Smoothie Bowl
Rainbow Fruit and Veggie Skewers
Polar Bear Bagel
Apple “Donuts”
Cucumber Spiders 
Apple and Celery “Mess”
Avocado Toast Monsters
Bonus content:
helpful supplies (links included)
community (links included)
message from Heather
Hi, Welcome!
Do you want your child to enjoy a wider
variety of healthy foods?
Need some ideas for nutritious snacks
your child will eat?
Ever frustrated by "picky" eating or just
need some fun activities to keep
your little one busy?

Let's make snack time fun!

It's natural and normal for toddlers and young children to be

apprehensive about food. Most eating experiences are NEW
for them and new is scary! So, what do we do to encourage
our little ones to be more comfortable with fruits, veggies,
and more?? Make it FUN! We set up opportunities for them to
play and interact with food in a pressure-free, positive
environment. Not sure where or how to start making food
fun for your little one? I created this book to help you!

Happy Cooking and Eating!

Heather
Snack-tiv-i-ty:
noun
small amount of food eaten between meals that includes
an interactive, fun element to keep a child engaged and
create positive food associations.

Easy:
5 or less simple ingredients!
 5 minutes or less to put together!
No cooking required!

Doing Snacktivities with your

child can:
Reduce “picky” eating
Expose child to more fruits and veggies
Create positive associations with new
foods
Promote creativity
Develop fine motor skills
Keep your kiddo entertained 
Let's Chat!
Each recipe card in this book has a section titled "Let's chat!" The three
questions are there as suggested ways to help engage your child in the
snacktivity even further. They are also a great way to help a nervous or
uninterested child interact and play while creating and eating.

Helpful Tips:
Start slow. Use fewer ingredients and spend less time on snacktivities
when you are new to it
Snack Safely! Consider the age of your child and modify the snacks to
prevent choking. You can always cut food smaller after the snack has
been assembled.
Always include at least one "safe food" on the snack plate, one that
you know your child usually enjoys.
Use a child-safe knife. Prepping the produce for these snacks gives
your child a huge sense of accomplishment and allows them to engage
with the food even more.
Have your child help choose a snack in this book to try or choose one
or two of the ingredients to use in the snack.
Embrace that things might get a little messy. Have a kitchen towel,
wipes, and a drink of water nearby.
If things have gone from messy to out of hand, ask if your child wants
to eat anymore or move on to the next activity or plan.
Some food uneaten? Save it to include in another meal or snack. Or
eat it with your child (modeling helps!)
Don't follow the recipe...too closely! Feel free to swap out or replace
ingredients with what you have at home.
Give yourself permission to get creative and remember to have fun
too!  
 Everything is better on a stick!
This easy, nutrient dense snack gives your
child the opportunity to practice fine motor
skills and interact with food in a pressure-
free way.

Ingredients:
-1 banana
-1 to 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
(or any nut/seed butter)
-Toppings: sprinkles, hemp seeds,
crushed freeze-dried fruit, chopped
nuts…

DIY Banana on a Stick

How to:
Peel banana and cut in half. Carefully insert a popsicle stick into the
bottom of each half.
Place some nut/seed butter in a small container with a small spoon or
child-safe knife. Also set out a couple teaspoons of desired toppings.
Let child drizzle/spread nut butter on banana then sprinkle
on toppings. Enjoy!

Let's Chat!
“How do you think we get the toppings to stick to the banana?”
“Would you like to drizzle the peanut butter on the banana or dip
the banana in the peanut butter?”
“Which topping do you want to put on the banana first?”
 Smoothie bowls are just extra thick smoothies that
you can eat with a spoon like ice cream! In this
version, we blend up fruit, veggies (you can’t taste the
cauliflower!), and yogurt and decorate the top as a
cute little pig. Feel free to get creative or let your
little one take the lead and top the smoothie how he
wants to.
Ingredients:
-½ frozen banana
-3 to 4 frozen strawberries
-½ cup frozen cauliflower rice
-½ cup plain Greek or favorite unflavored
yogurt
-¼ to ½ cup milk of choice
Fruit to decorate such as fresh strawberries
and blueberries

Pink Piggy Smoothie Bowl

How to:
Have your child help add everything to a blender, starting with ¼ cup
of milk. Blend and add more milk if needed. You want the smoothie to
be very thick so be careful not to add too much liquid.
Spoon smoothie into a large bowl and spread evenly.
Top with fruit and enjoy!

Let's Chat!
“This smoothie recipe has cauliflower in it. Do you think you’ll be
able to taste it when it’s all blended in?”
“The blender might be a little loud when we turn it on. Let’s do a
countdown and then cover our ears. 3,2,1…”
“Let’s try making a piggy face on top! What animal do you think
we could make next time?”
 Pairing fruit and veggies together makes this
snack more approachable for kids may love
fruit but are apprehensive about trying certain
veggies. Add cubed cheese to the plate or serve
with hummus or dip on the side to make this
snack more filling. If using a skewer with a
pointy tip, make sure to supervise closely and
demonstrate how to use the skewer safely.

Ingredients:
-Different color soft fruit and
vegetables such as strawberries, bell
peppers, cucumbers, blueberries...
-Cubes of soft cheese, optional
-Small skewers or lollipop sticks

Rainbow Fruit and Veggie Kebabs

How to:
Have your child help cut produce into bite-sized pieces with a child-
safe knife.
Place produce and cheese, if using, out on a plate or cutting board.
Have your child sort everything into colors or in a pattern, if she’d
like.
Show child how to place food onto a skewer while being careful not
to poke themselves with the pointy tip. Continue to skewer in
rainbow order or let your child take the lead and make the skewers
as she’d like.
Eat! (Remove from the skewers or carefully eat produce off the
sticks from the side.)
Let's Chat!
“What red colored fruit or veggie would you like to add to your snack
today?”
“You just put a green cucumber on the stick. What color would you
like to put on next?”
“Can you make a pattern with the fruit and veggies? I’ll show you an
example.”
 Creating fun little creatures out of food is the
best way I've found to put a smile on a child's
face during snack time. Be sure to include both
"safe" foods such as a fruit your child likes as
well as some 'challenge" foods like a veggie or
two that he/she is apprehensive about. Don't
feel like making a bear? A simple smiley face is
always a win too!

Ingredients:
-1/2 a bagel, English muffin, or any bread
cut into a large circle
-Cream cheese or non-dairy cream cheese
-Fruit as veggies such as banana,
blueberries and cucumber

Polar Bear Bagel

How to:
Have your child help slice the banana and cucumber (and any other
produce you are using).
Have your child help spread the cream cheese on the bagel.
Show child the picture and ask if they want to make the same bear
or something different. Set out the prepped produce and decorate.
Play and eat! Your child may want to take the produce off the
bagel. That's ok! Just encourage tasting it however he/she would
like.

Let's Chat!
“What part of the bears face should we place on first?"
“Do you want to make the ears out of bananas or cucumbers?
“Let's taste a piece of cucumber on the bagel. It might taste
different when we eat it by itself. Which way do you like better?"
 No, they aren't really donuts, but it sure is fun to
turn apple slices into pretty treats!
I've used plain yogurt here to create a white
"frosting" but this is also delcious with your
favorite nut/seed butter. Get creative with those
toppings! Add chopped nuts, seeds, or other fruit
cut into small pieces. A little tip: use a paper towel
to blot the top of the apple dry. It will make
spreading easier.

Ingredients:
-1 large apple, sliced across into 1/4-inch
rings
-Your favorite yogurt
-Toppings: crushed freeze-dried fruit,
sprinkles, hemp seeds...

Apple "Donuts"
How to:
Place an apple slice on a cutting board and use a small cookie cutter
or pairing knife to cut a whole in the center and remove the core.
Place a small amount of yogurt* in a bowl. Set out the toppings.
Allow child to spoon a little yogurt on top of an apple slice, spreading
with a small knife or the back of the spoon. 
Sprinkle on the toppings then enjoy!

*There are lots of ways to add a small amount of sweetness and flavor to plain yogurt. Stir in
a little drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Add some crushed freeze-dried berries or the juice
from defrosted frozen raspberries to create a naturally pink yogurt.

Let's Chat!
“We are going to make these apples slices into fun donut snacks
today. Would you like to pick which apple to use?"
"I have strawberries and chopped almonds to put on top. Which
would you like to add first?"
"Spreading yogurt is pretty messy isn't it? Sometimes we get messy
hands while cooking and that's ok. Messy can be fun!"
 A little spooky fun for snack time!
Have a cracker lover? Feel free to swap
the cucumbers for round crackers or cut circles
of toast. Include veggie eyes or use whatever
you'd like to create your little spiders. Sandwich
them together with your favorite spread:
hummus, cream cheese, or any nut/seed butter
will work well.

Ingredients:
-1/3 of a large English cucumber, cut into
slices (or see subs in note above)
-Hummus or other spread
-Pretzel sticks, sliced black olives, baby
carrots, raisins...

Cucumber Spiders
How to:
Have your child help spoon about a teaspoon of hummus (or other
spread) on top of three cucumber slices.
Break pretzel sticks in half and place 6 into the hummus hanging out
of the cucumber slice as "legs." Place another cucumber slice on top.
Place "eyes" on top the cucumber spiders. Taste the components
separately or together. Serve any extra hummus on the side for
dipping.

Let's Chat!
“Can you help me put the cucumber slices on the plate?”
“Spiders are pretty fun to make. Who do you think we could share
these with?”
“What else could we use to make spider eyes? Maybe some
blueberries next time?”
 I know this sounds like a strange combination, but
it is actually really delicious! Think of ants-on-a-
log meets apples with peanut butter. This
snacktivity is really about practicing those knife
skills. So make sure to have your child help chop
the apple and celery! If you don't want to add the
small amount of chocolate, other toppings like
raisins, seeds, or chopped nuts would also be great.
Ingredients:
-1/2 an apple, cut into slices
-1 stalk celery, ends trimmed
-peanut butter or any nut/seed
butter
-1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips or
other toppings of choice

Apple and Celery "Mess"

How to:
Have your child chop the apple slices and celery into bite-sized
pieces. Celery is tough to get through, so make sure to use a sawing
motion. If you child gets tired or frustrated, have him help by
transferring the celery you cut onto a plate.
Place the chopped apple and celery on a plate then drizzle with a
spoon of peanut butter.
Sprinkle on chocolate chips or other toppings.
Explore fun utensils to eat this "mess" like food picks, toothpicks, or
even kid-friendly chop sticks. But a regular fork works well too!

Let's Chat!
"I hear your saying you don't want the celery with the apple. Would
it be alright if we just put one or two pieces on the side?"
"Apples and celery are both so crunchy! Let's put a piece in our
mouths and see what it sounds like when we chew!"
"This is a fun snack to share. I really like making snacks with you."
 Mashing avocado is one of my kids' favorite
kitchen activities, and I think your little one will
love it too. The best part about making monsters?
Anything goes! Just put out whatever veggies you
have and go wild. We love seaweed, but feel free to
use fruit or any other toppings your child would
like.
Ingredients:
-1/4 to 1/2 avocado
-Half lemon or lime
-Pinch of salt
-Carrot, mini cucumber, or any other fruit
and veggies
-Rice cakes or toasted sliced bread
-1 seaweed (nori) sheet or a couple snack-
sized pieces (or other toppings)

Avocado Toast Monsters

How to:
Have child place avocado in a bowl and take tutns mashing with a potato
masher or fork. Mix in a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a pinch of
salt.
Prep any produce: Have your child help peel a carrot, cut cucumber into
slices, and help with any other fruit/veggies you are using.
Spread a small amount of avocado mash onto your rice cake/toast.
Lay out any toppings and create some monsters. If using seaweed, tear
into random shapes or use child-safe scissors to cut the seaweed into
shapes.
Enjoy your monsters. Have fun and taste the components as you go!

Let's Chat!
"Isn't it so fun to smash and smoosh this avocado? Let's make a silly
song as we do it."
"My monster is going to have one big eye. How many is your going to
have?"
"I like how the cucumber taste on top of my rice cake. Would your
like to see how it tastes together or take it off and taste it
 Helpful Supplies
All dinnerware, plates and bowls, used in the book are by
Bobo&Boo. We love them because they are non-toxic,
made from sustainable bamboo, durable, dishwasher
safe, and super colorful. The cute divided plate I used for
many of the snacks here also comes in pink. All products
are available on Amazon or on their
website, boboandboo.com.au
I created a special Amazon store just for Snactivities!
If you are looking for little veggie cutters, food picks, or
more supplies to make meals fun and interactive, be
sure to check it out.

The child-safe knife set I recommend for toddlers

and beginners is also in my Amazon Store. If you are
interested in learning more about teaching your child to
safely use a knife, I recommend checking out my blog
post: Teaching Toddlers and Kids Knife Skills (Safety
and Basics).
 Share the fun!
Come be a part of the Kids Kitchen Community!
In our private Facebook group you can share your
snacktivity wins, vent about feeding our crazy kiddos, ask
questions, and meet other like-minded parents.
Also, if you are on Instagram or Facebook, be sure to tag
me and share your snacks and food explorations.
Your feedback is so important! Please email me or
reach out on social media with comments and questions
anytime. With your help, I can keep improving and
creating better resources for this community.
One last reminder: There is a lot of pressure to be
and do a so many things with our kids these days.
You are a great parent/caregiver whether you
make fun snacks for your child every day, once a
month, or not at all. Thank you so much for your
support!

Heather Wish Staller

Founder of Happy Kids Kitchen
heather@happykidskitchen.com