Halloween Snacks That Kids Can Make

Childhood obesity is increasingly common in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prompting parents to pay more attention to their children's eating habits. October kicks off three months of holiday eating beginning with the celebration of Halloween. Many kids enjoy making creepy Halloween snacks as part of their Halloween tradition. According to We Can!, a national childhood obesity prevention program sponsored by the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute, making snacks with your children is the perfect opportunity to encourage your kids to develop healthy eating habits and to teach them that good food does not have to be sugary.

Painted Toast

Painted toast is a creative snack that kids can make. Mix a small amount of milk with a few drops of food coloring in a small bowl. Add more food coloring, a drop at a time, until you achieve the desired color. If your children want to paint with more than one color, mix more milk paint in additional bowls. Allow your kids to use a pastry brush to paint a pumpkin or other Halloween picture on a piece of fortified white bread. The kids should not put so much paint on the bread that it gets soggy. Toast the bread as soon as the picture is complete.

Ghost Sandwiches

Ghost sandwiches are another healthy Halloween snack that kids can make. Help kids make their favorite sandwich using fortified white bread. When the sandwich is made, allow your kids to cut out a ghost shape with a Halloween cookie cutter. Kids can add nuts, raisins or mini chocolate chips to make two eyes and a mouth on the ghost sandwich.

Witch's Fingers

Cut several pieces of mozzarella string cheese in half. With a plastic butter knife, allow your kids to carve out a small piece of cheese at the end of the string cheese to make room for a creepy fingernail. Add several knuckles into the string cheese fingers by carving a few score marks into the cheese. Tell your kids to use their own fingers for inspiration. Cut a small piece of an apple, green pepper or other fruit, vegetable or nut for the fingernail, and attach it with cream cheese to the string cheese finger tip.

Banana Ghosts

Banana ghosts are a healthy treat that kids can make and enjoy. Peel a banana and cut it in half. Dip the banana half in a small bowl of orange juice. Drop the banana in a plastic bag filled with desiccated coconut. Zip the bag closed. Gently shake the bag until the banana is cover with coconut. Take the banana out of the bag and insert a Popsicle stick in the cut side of the banana. Add a few mini chocolate chips to form a ghostly face. This banana treat can be eaten right away or frozen and enjoyed later. Small changes in your children's eating habits, such as using orange juice to hold the coconut on to the banana instead of melted chocolate, can make a big difference to their health, according to the CDC.