Snack time used to be one of my least favorite times of day. Sometimes my kids would sit down at the table and make requests (this was often for snacks I didn’t have on hand and, of course, each child would want something different). Other times I would offer one item (or let them choose between two items) and they would grumble because they didn’t like the items I offered. Every so often I would have a grumpy child (or a sick child, a hyperactive child, a child who needed to use the potty, etc.) and the process of getting everyone settled and eating would take far too long.
My kids don’t run our home—my husband and I do—so I tend to employ a take-it-or-leave-it approach when it comes to snacks and meals. This got the job done, but it often wasn’t pleasant for my kids or for me. About two months ago I began using a new approach: The snack tub.
I filled a plastic storage tub with ready-to-eat snacks. When it’s snack time, we pull the tub out of the pantry and each of my kids selects one item. Each child can select whatever she wants from the items available in the tub. Once she chooses one, that’s what she gets for snack.
I wish I would have thought of this earlier. It has simplified and expedited snack time in our house. It has also given my kids opportunities to learn numerous things. Here are several ways it benefits us.
How the snack tub benefits my family
- It saves us time and energy. I no longer have to stare at the contents of my pantry to decide what to offer my kids for snack. I don’t have to pull out dishes to serve the snack I choose. I don’t have to explain to my kids that the random items they are requesting aren’t available. I don’t have to remind them that they may not have 12 things for snack today. I simply pull out the tub, each child makes her choice, and we sit down at the table to eat. It’s quick and easy.
- It allows my kids to make choices. Instead of me deciding what they will have for snack each day, my kids make the choice for themselves (within the parameters I’ve set by choosing what items are in the tub). In a world where most decisions are made for them, kids (especially young ones) relish the opportunity to make choices for themselves!
- It teaches my kids that their choices have consequences. When we first began using the snack tub, I explained to my kids that once one of them selected an item and began eating it, that’s what she was having for snack. If she changes her mind halfway through, she’s not allowed to go choose something else. She has to wait until next snack time to choose another item. This simple rule teaches my kids about consequences. It’s on a very small scale, of course, but it teaches them that they have to live with their choices.
- It saves us money. Because the tub contains snack-sized servings, we don’t sit at the table mindlessly eating out of a bag of trail mix, wheat crackers, etc. I’ve noticed that packages of these snacks last longer because we are eating less at a time. This is very helpful in regards to our grocery budget!
- It teaches life skills and responsibility. We don’t yet assign formal chores to our kids, but I do have my kids help out with daily tasks (folding laundry, putting away dishes, etc.). Reloading the snack tub is one of the tasks with which they help. I pull a step stool up to the counter and have my 4-year-old or my 2-year-old help me refill the little storage containers we use to hold the snacks. This seems more like fun to them than work at this point, but it teaches responsibility and gives them a chance to practice their fine motor skills and life skills (opening packages, pouring/scooping snacks into containers, putting trash in the trashcan, putting items away in the pantry, etc.).
What’s in the snack tub?
What is in the snack tub varies from one week to the next. However, you can generally find some of the following in it:
- Raisins
- Granola bars
- String cheese and wheat crackers (the string cheese is in the fridge, but each small container of crackers has a picture of string cheese taped to it)
- Cheddar Bunnies
- Pretzels
- Fruit leathers
- Popcorn
- Veggie chips or straws
- Trail mix
- Applesauce
As you can see from the pictures, I don’t purchase snack-sized packages of these foods. I purchase regular (or sometimes bulk) packages and place them in small, reusable containers. This is because the snack-sized packages are expensive and aren’t very green (they require a lot more packaging than regular packages of the snacks). Though I usually prefer to avoid plastic food storage containers, I do use them here because it would be expensive to purchase so many glass ones and the tub would be far too heavy.
On occasion we leave the snack tub in the pantry and do something special for snack (such as on Christmas Eve when I made hot cocoa and peppermint white chocolate popcorn or when I make cookies). However, this is how we do snack on typical days. I wish I had thought of it sooner, but I’m glad we now have this approach that streamlines the process and gives my kids an opportunity to learn!
What does snack look like in your house? Do you do anything to streamline the process?
Shared at the following:
Tuesdays with a Twist, Over the Moon, Home Matters, Thursday Favorite Things, Encouraging Hearts and Home, and What’d You Do This Weekend?
Purchasing large sized containers and using small plastic containers has saved us lots of money as well. We’re beyond the little kid snacking phase (except with my grands!), but when I pack BIG lunches for my BIG sons, they appreciate the variety these little portions give them.
I appreciate variety, too, Michele. I especially love it when it is convenient!
That is a great idea! I like to see my kids eating lots of fruit and veggies (not that they choose them very often) but to help with that I tend to wash and cut cup most of the fruit and veggies I but at the store right away so they have something quick and easy to grab for snack. Thanks for sharing with us at Encouraging Heart and Home. Pinned.
That’s a great idea! I always have some form of dried fruit in the tub (raisins, dried cranberries, little pouches of freeze-dried fruit, etc.), but I could include pictures of other fruits or veggies (like I do with the string cheese) so my kids know they can get these from the fridge.
This is such a cool idea! We do one scheduled snack per day (for me and the toddler-I like a little afternoon pick-me-up too!) and there are times when it’s time to eat and I am at a complete loss. Some days, we’ll have cheese slices and veggies, other days we’ll have apple slices, sometimes we’ll have “frozen treat” (we put frozen bananas, milk, and peanut butter in the blender, so it’s like a peanut butter shake, but healthy). Sometimes, we’ll make a baked good-bread, biscuits, muffins-and have that. Usually, I don’t plan this ahead, so seeing how you do things is very helpful as I think about changing up our system! Thank you!
The peanut butter shake sounds yummy!
We do two snacks (morning and afternoon), so this really simplifies things. I do bake whenever I get a chance (which hasn’t been very often in the last couple of months…hopefully this will change as Gilana gets a bit older). The girls love when we get to have cookies or muffins or whatever instead of the regular offerings in the box. On most days, though, this just saves me time and effort!