Our Executive School Directors worked together to provide our TGS families with various projects that bring the amazing curriculum at our schools to your home. From creating art projects to building math skills to engaging in playtime, there are lots of opportunities for learning and interaction with your young children. We hope you enjoy engaging with your children in these creative developmental activities. This post shares our favorite healthy snack recipes to make with your children.
Infants, Toddlers, and Twos
Banana Sushi
Children can use their fine motor skills to peel, cut, and roll bananas.
You’ll need:
- 3 chilled bananas
- Peanut butter, soy butter, and/or melted chocolate
- Toppings you have on hand like sprinkles, shredded coconut, Rice Crispies cereal, etc.
Peel the banana. Roll the banana in melted chocolate or peanut/soy butter until it is fully coated. Once coated, roll the covered banana into each separate topping you have on hand. Cut the banana with a plastic knife into bite-sized pieces and serve. While doing this, you can talk about sorting and equal pieces and how many pieces you can cut the banana into. You can also discuss the textures and tastes of the different toppings.
Taco in a Bag/Bowl
Children can measure, cut, and scoop items to aid in fine motor skill development and math skill development. Parents will need to help younger children with cutting.
You’ll need:
- A bag (clear sandwich bag style or a small chip bag)
- Tortilla chips or Fritos
- 1 cup of lettuce
- 1/2 cup of cheese
- 1 tomato
- 1lb cooked ground meat of your choice
- 1 package of taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup of black beans
- Optional: avocado, salsa
Crunch the chips in a bag with a rolling pin or other heavy item. Use a plastic knife and aid your child in cutting lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Mix all items together into the bowl while discussing the different sizes and textures of the foods. While making the snack, you can mention the different food groups, such as dairy, grains, and vegetables, and explain where each food item comes from.
Rainbow Grilled Cheese
April 12 is National Grilled Cheese Day, so why not celebrate it with this colorful grilled cheese! Children can practice fine motor skills by painting their bread.
You’ll need:
- Bread
- Milk
- Cheese
- Food Coloring
- Shallow Bowls
- Paint Brushes
Fill five shallow glasses with 1/4 cup of milk in each glass. Take your 5 food colors and drop 5 drops of food coloring into the milk and stir until the color shows. Have children use a paintbrush to dip into the milk and paint their bread. Place the bread on a pan and add cheese until it melts. Enjoy!
Make Your Own Butter
Children can develop gross motor skills while they observe how liquids can be changed to solids.
You’ll need:
- Whipping cream
- Small jar
- Marble (optional)
Fill the jar halfway with whipping cream. You’ll need room for the cream to expand as it is shaken. Make sure the lid is on tight, and have your child shake the cream. If you have a marble, include it in the jar to help agitate the cream. This may take some time (15-20 minutes of shaking). You can watch this short video together while you shake the jar: The Cat Who Couldn’t Cook. Spread your butter on some toast or a bagel and give it a taste test.
Threes, Fours, and Pre-K
Mason Jar Salads
Children will work on beginning math skills and color recognition.
You’ll need:
- Honey mustard dressing
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of mustard
- 2 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey (Honey should not be served to children under 2)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Diced cucumbers
- Diced carrots
- Diced tomatoes
- Corn niblets
- Black beans
- Hard boiled eggs
- Shredded cheese of your choice
- Optional: add quinoa or couscous
- Green leafy lettuce will be the last ingredient at the top
Measure dressing ingredients and have children whisk the dressing or shake in a mason jar to mix. Have children help wash, peel, and cut veggies for the jar. Add salad ingredients into the mason jar in the order they are listed while your child names the colors. Top with the mason jar lid to enjoy later or eat right away. This salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
No Bake Honey Nut Cheerios Snack Bar
Measure, mix, spread, and cut your own snack bar.
You’ll need:
- 3 cups of Cheerios
- 3/4 cup of peanut or soy butter
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 8×8 baking dish
- Cooking
- Spatula
- Pizza cutter
A parent or caregiver can melt the peanut or soy butter and honey together in the microwave and stir together. Once melted, have your child add in the Cheerios and mix the ingredients well! Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Spray a spatula with cooking spray and use it to pour the mixture into an 8×8 baking dish. Use the spatula to make the mixture even and flat. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. An adult can use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut the bars evenly.
Any Age
The Hungry Caterpillar Taste Test & Fruit Pizza
Children will be able to identify healthy foods and use their fine motor skills to chop foods for their fruit pizza.
You’ll need:
- Rice Cakes or Tortillas
- Cream Cheese
- Any combination of the following: strawberries, oranges, pickles, pears, apples
Read the book The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Have children taste some of the different foods the caterpillar eats throughout the story. They can start to identify what foods are tart, savory, salty, or sweet.
Let the children spread cream cheese on a tortilla or rice cake and then decorate it to create a fruit pizza.
Chocolate Chip Frozen Banana Cups
Children will practice motor skills, measurement skills, and following directions.
You’ll need:
- 6 ripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (and more to sprinkle if you want)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place bananas on parchment paper in the freezer for 2 hours. The parent will then place the frozen bananas and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. The child can help measure and pour the chocolate chips into the mix. Scoop the banana mixture into muffin tins or silicone molds. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top—fun for little ones! Put in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Let the cups come to room temperature for about 2-3 minutes before eating.
Owl Rice Cake
This delicious snack is based on the book Owl Babies.
You’ll need:
- English muffin or rice cake
- Peanut butter or soy butter (to be peanut free)
- Cheerios (feathers)
- Small piece of cantaloupe or cheese (beak)
- Bananas and blueberries (eyes)
- Apple slices (wings)
- Book – Owl Babies– Martin Waddell
Spread the entire rice cake with peanut butter or soy butter. Slice bananas and take two slices to make eyes. Put blueberries on top of bananas for eyeballs. Take two thin slices of apples for wings. Slice a triangle of cheese or cantaloupe to create the beak. Place Cheerios on the rice cake to represent breast feathers. Eat and enjoy your snack!
Fun in the Kitchen
We hope you enjoy these fun snack-making activities that make spending time together with your preschooler even more special. The Gardner School provides your child with a daily schedule that sparks their learning and supports their intellectual, social, and physical growth. Schedule a tour to see our beautiful learning spaces in action.