30 Healthy Preschool Snacks (Easy, Nut-Free, Kid-Approved) (2024)

If your kiddo heading off to preschool this year and you need preschool snacks, this list of easy ideas has you covered. I aimed to include affordable and easy to eat options that are nut-free and kid-approved!

Preschool Snacks

Packing a snack for your kiddo is one of those parts of parenting that’s often harder than it seems—especially if you aren’t sure how hungry your kiddo will be or what they might be in the mood for. This list of preschool snack ideas has an assortment of healthy ideas that you can use individually or mix and match to pack a more substantial snack—because some kids are hungrier than others in the afternoon.

TIP: I know that many preschools have parents share snack duty, so this list will give you ideas in that situation too.

Preschool Snack Ideas

My goal with this list is to offer a range of ideas that require little to no prep work on your part, are appropriate for preschoolers from a nutritional and chewing standpoint, and that are foods kids usually like. There’s probably no snack that every single kid will eat, but I did do my best!

TIP: You can do just one of these or a combination of two of the snacks for a balanced snack. If there will be milk served, one snack item may be enough depending on appetite.

1. Applesauce Mini Muffins
2. Applesauce pouches
3. Banana
4. Banana and graham crackers
5. Banana Mini Muffins (an easy egg-free choice)
6. Blueberries
7. Canned fruit in 100% juice
8. Cheese stick
9. Clementines
10. Cucumbers and puffs
11. Crackers (cheese crackers or whole grain) and cheese
12. Crackers and hummus
13. Dino Bars snack bar
14. Dried fruit like apples
15. Dry cereal (Cheerios, Kix, Chex)
16. Fruit leather and crackers
17. Kind Kids Granola Bars
18. Milk and crackers
19. Milk and or cereal
20. Mini bagel and cream cheese
21. Pretzels and cheese
22. Raisins and sunflower seeds, dry cereal, or slivered cashews (not whole) if nuts are allowed
23. Sandwich quarter or half
24. Snap peas and hummus
25. Snap pea crisps and fruit
26. Smoothie in reusable pouch
27. Toddler Trail Mix
28. Yogurt, drinkable
29. Yogurt pouch or tube
30. Cliff Kids Z Bar

TIP: Find my favorite Healthy Snacks to Buy at the Store.

Easy Snacks for School

These foods are great to keep in mind for sending snacks to any school since most kids will be hungry by mid-afternoon. They’re kid-friendly, no matter the age, and can be expanded upon as kids get older.

Reusable Snack Containers

These three containers are ones that we’ve used for years and find to be super durable and easy to clean (and the first two are shown in this post).

Replay Stacking Snack Containers (these are the colorful ones shown above) and are sold in a set of 4 containers for $12.99.

Beaba Clip Containers (these are the clear containers shown above with the yellow and blue lids underneath) and are sold in a set of 6 for $14.95.

Bumkins Reusable Bags are great to use instead of plastic bags if you want a reusable option. I mostly rinse ours out but you can also run them through the dishwasher or washing machine. A set of 2 bags is $8.99.

Best Tips for Preschool Snacks

• Follow guidelines from your preschool or daycare on allergies or any other ingredient recommendations.
• Aim to include 1-2 food groups for balance and to keep the kids satisfied until the next meal.
• Trust the kids to eat as much as they need to fill their hunger cues.
• Remember that it’s okay to keep things simple. You don’t have to make snacks from scratch all the time!
• Rotate through favorites to expose the kids to a range of nutrients.
• Feel free to share this list with your preschool or daycare or parents association if you share snack duty with other families.
• You may also like my Fav Store-Bought Snacks, my Baby Snacks, and my Master List of Healthy Toddler Snacks.

If you have any questions or additions to my list, please comment below. The more I hear from you all, the better I can make my content for your families!