Little Sprouts Learning

New ideas for the daycare snack menu is the most common question I hear asked about food. Everyone gets bored with their snack ideas.

Running a home daycare can be a tough job. But it’s one I love. I love coming up with creative ideas for new menus and snack menus are no different. I get bored serving the same ole thing to my kids. (For a printable copy of the daycare snack idea list, go to the bottom of the article and click on the link to the pdf)

The ultimate daycare snack menu

If you need help planning a daycare menu, check out this post to get you started. We also have these handy daycare menu planning packs you can get on Etsy to help motivate you.

I like simple, so my snacks are usually very easy. By the end of the day, I’m tired of being fabulous and ready for a break. So, snack is where I’m ho-hum. These super fun snack ideas for kids might be more your speed if you like to cute it up in the afternoons. They are great for special occasions too.

Home daycare snack menu

With the more recent guidelines for the food program, it’s more difficult to find simple daycare snacks that are creditable. But you can still do it. It just takes a little more creativity now. And there is less variety available. There are still a lot of healthy choices for our kids.

For snack, you are required to serve any 2 of the 5 components. So, if you serve raisins for snack, they can be served with milk, or crackers, or cheese. There are a number of things you could do with them that all meet the requirements.

The 5 components are:

Meat or meat alternate

Fruit

Vegetable

Fluid milk

Grains

Serving sizes for snack are:

Ages 1-2

Fluid Milk 4 fluid ounces

Meat/meat alternates Meat, tofu or cheese ½ ounce, Large egg ½, Cooked dry beans or peas 1/8 c, Nut or seed butter 1 T, Yogurt ¼ cup, Nuts or seeds ½ oz.

Vegetables ½ cup

Grains Whole grain-rich or enriched bread or bread product ½ slice or ½ serving, Whole grain-rich, enriched, or fortified grain, cereal, or pasta ¼ cup, Whole grain-rich, enriched or fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereal dry ½ flakes or rounds or ¾ c puffed.

Ages 3-5

Fluid Milk 4 fluid ounces

Meat/meat alternates Meat, tofu or cheese ½ ounce, Large egg ½, Cooked dry beans or peas 1/8 c, Nut or seed butter 1 T, Yogurt ¼ cup, Nuts or seeds ½ oz.

Vegetables ½ cup

Fruits ½ cup

Grains Whole grain rich or enriched bread or bread product ½ slice or ½ serving, Whole grain rich, enriched, or fortified grain, cereal, or pasta ¼ cup, Whole grain-rich, enriched or fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereal dry ½ flakes or rounds or ¾ c puffed.

Ages 6-12

Fluid Milk 8 fluid ounces

Meat/meat alternates Meat, tofu or cheese 1-ounce, Large egg ½, Cooked dry beans or peas 1/4 c, Nut or seed butter 2 T, Yogurt ½ cup, Nuts or seeds 1 oz.

Vegetables ¾ cup

Fruits ¾ cup

Grains Whole grain-rich or enriched bread or bread product 1 slice or 1 serving, Whole grain rich, enriched, or fortified grain, cereal, or pasta ½ cup, Whole grain-rich, enriched or fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereal dry ¾ flakes or rounds or 1 c puffed.

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Toddler snacks for daycare

Remember if kids are under 2, make sure you cut any grapes or cherry tomatoes into quarters for safety. Also, daycare snacks like raw carrots or celery that may be a choking hazard, you can microwave them for a minute or two to soften them a bit for younger kids.

Juice must be 100% juice, no sugar added to be creditable for daycare snack. This is not an all-inclusive list. Just a lot of inspiration for new ideas or new combinations you might not have thought of.

Daycare snack ideas

Almonds and apples

Almonds and milk

Animal crackers and pumpkin seeds

Animal crackers and milk

Apple chips and peanut butter

Apple chips and yogurt

Apple slices and milk

Apples and cheese

Apples and crackers

Apples and peanut butter

Apples and sunflower seeds

Bagel and cantaloupe

Bagel pizza

Bagels and peanut butter

Bagels and smoothie

Banana bread and peanut butter

Banana chips and hummus

Bananas and milk

Beans and rice

Biscuits and ham

Blueberries and yogurt

Boiled egg and pickles

Broccoli tots and milk

Canned fruit and crackers

Cantaloupe and milk

Cat eyes

Celery and peanut butter (top with raisins for ants on a log)

Cereal and dried fruit

Cereal and juice

Cereal and nuts or seeds

Cereal and raisins

Cheese and cherry tomatoes

Cheese and crackers

Cheese and juice

Cheese slice and apple slices

Cheese sticks and graham crackers

Cheese sticks and strawberries

Cheese quesadilla

Chicken in a biscuit

Chicken nuggets and celery

Cottage cheese and crackers

Crackers and avocado

Cream cheese and apple butter sandwiches

Cut up grapes and cheese

Edamame and milk

Empanadas

French fries and milk

Fruit and cheese kabobs

Fruit and sun butter

Go squeeze applesauce and muffins

Goldfish crackers and juice

Graham crackers and juice

Graham crackers and milk

Graham crackers and peanut butter

Grilled cheese sandwich

Guacamole and tortillas

Ham and crackers

Ham sandwich

Ham slices and toast

Hardboiled egg and bananas

Hardboiled egg and crackers

Homemade pretzels and cheese dip

Hot dogs and oranges

Hot pockets

Hummus and pepper slices

Juice and crackers

Mandarin oranges and cheese

Mango and string cheese

Meatballs and milk

Milk and crackers

Milk and pineapple

Mini bagels and milk

Mini quiches

Mozzarella and cherry tomatoes

Mozzarella sticks in a tortilla

Muffins and milk

Nuts and dried fruit

Olives and cheese

Pancakes and bananas

Pancakes and peanut butter

Pancakes and pineapple

Pasta and cheese

Pasta salad

Peaches and cottage cheese

Peanut butter and banana

Peanut butter and crackers

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Peanut butter crackers

Peanut butter on a tortilla

Pears and crackers

Pickles and cheese

Pickles and pretzels

Pigs in a blanket

Pita and hummus

Pita and peanut butter

Pretzels and peanut butter

Pumpkin seeds and grapes

Raisins and nuts

Raw cauliflower and cottage cheese

Raw vegetable slices and hummus

Rice and cheese

Rice cakes and fruit

Rice cakes and peanut butter

Roll and ham

Roll and peanut butter

Scrambled eggs and pineapple

Snap peas and hummus

Snap peas and milk

Strawberries and milk

Sweet potato fries and juice

Toast and milk

Toast and juice

Toast and yogurt

Toast with cream cheese and strawberries

Tortilla and cheese

Tortilla and ham

Tortilla and peanut butter

Tortilla chips and bean dip

Tortilla chips and juice

Tortilla chips and salsa

Tortilla pizza

Turkey and bread

Vegetable slices and peanut butter

Vegetables and dip

Waffles and banana

Watermelon and cheese slices

Yogurt and blueberries

Yogurt parfaits

Whole-grain snacks for daycare

Whole grain products must say 100% whole grain or made with more than 50% whole grains to count as the whole grain component.

Cheerios and banana

Cheerios and milk

Cheerios and raisins

Whole wheat English muffin and juice

Whole wheat English muffin and peanut butter

Whole wheat English muffin pizza

Oatmeal and berries

Oatmeal and applesauce

Whole wheat toast and peanut butter

Whole wheat cinnamon toast and milk

Whole wheat tortillas and cream cheese with strawberries

Whole wheat crackers and milk

Brown rice cakes and cottage cheese

Brown rice with raisins

Cheap snacks for daycare

In general, fresh fruit is less expensive than canned fruit or juice per serving. If you want to save on daycare snacks, try doing a bread component and fresh fruit or vegetables. This is usually the least expensive combination. We can all use some help keeping more of our profits.

Animal crackers and apples

Animal crackers and juice

Banana bread and juice

Banana bread and carrot sticks

Banana bread and milk

Black beans and corn

Boiled eggs and crackers

Boiled egg and carrot sticks

Bananas and crackers

Cereal and pears

Cinnamon toast with juice

Egg in a nest

Graham crackers and apples

Hummus and carrot sticks

Hummus and cucumber slices

Muffins and bananas

Oranges and pretzels

Pasta and vegetables

Scrambled eggs and toast

Tortilla and oranges

Tortilla and bean dip

Easy snacks for daycare

Who doesn’t want a daycare snack that is pour it and forget it? No prep, little mess and easier for those long hard days. These are the easiest snacks available.

Banana and tortilla

Crackers and raisins

Dry cereal and banana chips

Graham crackers and pickles

Animal crackers and bananas

Rice cakes and oranges

Cereal and milk

Cereal and juice

Crackers and milk

Crackers and juice

I know this list of daycare snacks will help spark your creativity and you’re going to refer back to it again and again for inspiration. Happy feeding of those sweet kiddos! You are blessed for the job you have feeding them.

For lunch ideas and breakfast ideas, check these out.

The Ultimate Daycare Snack Menu for CACFP Requirements PRINTABLE PDF

Don’t forget to pin for later