All Day Kids Snack Station for Easy Summer Snacking

Make your Summer Snacking Demands easy with the easy kids snack station with Goldfish® crackers that I’m sharing as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars #GoldfishCrowd

Thank goodness summer is almost here! School is almost over and everyone in our house is looking forward to the break! But I’m not so sure my pantry is ready to have the kids home all day. I forget how much they eat in a given day when they are home all the time. I got a reminder this weekend when they were asking for something to eat every hour! So to get your home Summer snack ready, try getting into the habit of creating this fun Kids Snack Station!

Easy Snack Station

It’s been shown in studies that kids and adults do better when they have multiple smaller meals throughout the day versus 3 big meals. And healthy snacking is a part of that. I can’t be stopping every hour to whip up a complete meal for the kids. And that is where this snack station idea comes into play.

The best part about this snack station is just how simple it is. You prep it once each morning and you are set for the full day! And the kids know that if they want a snack or are hungry between the big official meals this is where they go! No more “Mom, I’m hungry!”

You will need

• A cupcake tower of some kind
• Silicone cupcake molds
• Juice packs/bottled water -because kids get thirsty too
• fruits and veggies – finger food size
• Peanut Butter/Ranch Dressing/Fruit Dip of your choice
• Goldfish® crackers

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Place the drinks on the top layer of the cupcake tower. If you want you can make a fancy sign. Or take the easy road like I did and just blow up a ballon and write “SNACK STATION” on it and attach it to a weight.

Then stage the silicone cupcake molds around the other layers of the cupcake tower. I love the silicone cupcake molds because they are just about the perfect portion size for little kids’ snacks! That and they just look fun, bright and festive for summer. And they are reusable! Buy once and you are set for the entire summer! No need to keep buying paper cupcake liners.

Then each morning prep the fruit and veggies. I like a selection of their favorite fruits and veggies. I usually include

• grapes
• Apple slices
• baby carrots
• Celery sticks
• sliced strawberries
• blueberries (or other berry if they are on sale)
• Sliced bell peppers if your kids will eat them
• cherry or grape tomatoes
• Cherries (if your kids are old enough to manage not eating the pits!)
• Tangerines

Then take at least two of the Silicone cupcake molds and fill them up with dips. For us that means Natural Peanut Butter and a fruit dip. Sometimes we just use a plain vanilla yogurt for the fruit dip. The kids love it. You can also include a mold to hold some Ranch Dressing since my kids love dipping carrots in Ranch.

Then mix in some of the kid’s favorite Goldfish crackers! Goldfish crackers are a great snack that kids love to eat and play with. My daughter begs for Goldfish crackers every time we go to the store. Even though we already have a stockpile of them at home!

They have new flavors and our kids couldn’t be more excited. They include

• Xtra Cheddar + Pretzel
• Honey Mustard Pretzel
• Chocolate Mint + Pretzel

Let me tell you these are full of flavor and are fun to eat! So they make the perfect addition to our kids snack station!

When you have all of the cupcake molds filled, you are set! Let your kids know about the snack station. If you want any ground rules set it up ahead of time so they know.

Then set it in a location that is easy for your kids to reach. Because the entire point is that this allows them to get a snack when they are hungry without bugging you. They learn to be independent, take care of themselves and you can spend more time playing  with the kids instead of in the kitchen!

Want even more delicious ways to use Goldfish crackers? Check out our popular Cheesy Potato Casserole, S’mores Popcorn balls and No bake Chocolate Cheesecake tarts! Or try our Chocolate dipped Crackers or our bacon ranch cheeseball. You can even make a fun Goldfish crackers Trail mix for any upcoming travel trips!

For more fun games with Goldfish Crackers check out How to Host a Tea Party for kids, Craft Stick Catapult Game, Butterfly Princess Wand (boys Wizard Wand instructions also included) and our DIY Snack Caddy that doubles as an art caddy!

Goldfish crackers are great for parties too! Check out these rockin’ party ideas and how they use Goldfish crackers!

• Retro Party from Bubbly Nature Creations
• Rainbow Paint Party from A Million Moments
• Movie party night with color theme From Tonya Staab

 

Did you know Goldfish snacks has a #GoldfishTalesPromotion going on? Now through 6/30 you can create a photo or video that shows off Goldfishcrackers in a Great Outdoors theme via Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #GoldfishTalesPromotion to enter. Posts using #GoldfishTalesPromotion may appear in the gallery on GoldfishSmiles.com. No Purchase Necessary. Open only to 50 US/DC residents 18+. Ends 6/30//16. Official rules and more at www.GoldfishSmiles.com. Void where prohibited.

How would you fill your Kids Snack Station for Summer Snacking?