Growing kids get hungry. Provide nutritious snacks that facilitate proper physical and cognitive development, instead of empty calories that promote weight gain. Providing healthy snacks with complex carbohydrates helps keep their energy levels going throughout the day. Add nutrition to any snack by serving it with a glass of skim or soy milk, a handful of nuts or a few whole grain crackers.
Fruit
Fruit makes a nutritious snack for kids, according to the Utah Department of Health, and comes in a variety of flavors and forms. A snack consisting of fresh fruit or fruit and a dairy product like cottage cheese or yogurt provides kids with vitamins, minerals, a complete protein and fiber. Apples and oranges travel well, grapes and berries taste good frozen and bananas are yummy on a peanut butter sandwich. Consume fruit as a smoothie by freezing cubes of fruit and blending them with water or milk. Ice pops made of fruit are a refreshing way to serve fruit on a hot summer day. Dried fruit is another way to get your daughter, ages 4 to 11, or son, ages 3 to 10, to eat the daily 1 1/2 cups of fruit required by the United States Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid Plan.
Sports Snacks
Active children involved in sports activities need nutritious snacks to encourage optimal performance. Information provided by Chesterfield County Virginia Health District suggests low-fat yogurt, string cheese and fig bars as nutritious snacks during and after your child's sporting event. Baked tortilla chips, air-popped popcorn, granola bars, cereal bars and graham crackers offer other nutritious snack options. Provide plenty of healthy beverages, such as water and diluted fruit juice, to prevent the children from becoming dehydrated.
Protein
The USDA's MyPyramid Plan recommends serving kids lean proteins, 4 to 5 oz. for boys and girls ages 2 to 8, including vegetable proteins from seeds and beans. Hummus, a traditional Middle Eastern dish, makes a protein-rich snack for kids according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Similar to the consistency of mashed potatoes, this dish is made with garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and an optional pinch of sea salt and provides a protein-packed snack. Tahini is made from blended sesame seeds and has a texture similar to peanut butter. Serve hummus spread on a whole wheat pita topped with shredded carrots, lettuce and tomato.
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