Over the summer children are more active and love to have healthy, tasty and creative snacks during the day. Creating new and exciting snacks along with your children’s help is a great way to ensure they will love their food choices and develop healthy eating habits.

Try one of these quick and easy snacks this summer:

Crackers with Cheese, Peanut Butter or Hummus

Look for whole wheat crackers such as Triscuits, Rye Krisps or Breton. Choose crackers that contain no partially or fully hydrogenated oil and have at least three grams of fiber per serving.

Vegetables with Low-Fat Dressing or Hummus

Try vegetables such as baby carrots, grape tomatoes, green or red sweet pepper slices. Add whole-grain crackers, pretzels or pita chips for additional crunch and flavor. This is a colorful and tasty snack packed with fiber and vitamins such as vitamins A and C.

Fruit with Pretzels, Cereal or Granola Bars

Smart pretzel choices include Snyder’s of Hanover whole grain varieties, Utz, Nature’s Promise. Nature Valley, Kashi or Full Circle granola bars are great options. For cereal, try whole-grain options such as Cheerios, Rice or Wheat Chex, Kashi Heart-to-Heart Cereal, Barbara’s Bakery Puffins or Shredded Spoonfuls, or Kix. Purchase small, reusable containers for the pretzels or cereal. This will encourage children to take home from day camp what they do not finish and teaches them to not waste food.

Yogurt and Fruit Pile-Ups

Pack a container of yogurt with berries (look for fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries or strawberries) and granola or their favorite crunchy cereal in individual, reusable containers. Also, put in a cup and spoon and have them layer the different yogurt, fruit and granola in their cup or maybe they just want to mix it all together.

The possibilities for snacks are endless! Be creative, ask your children for their input and make preparing snacks a fun activity for you and your children. Use this time together to talk, share stories, solve problems or simply be together.

Let Kids Build Their Own Snacks

Pack celery sticks or pretzel logs, peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese, or even hummus and raisins, and have them make “ants on a log.”

Kids also love to make crunchy fruit dippers. They’ll need cut-up fruit (slices of apple, orange, banana, peach, plum, strawberries or grapes) and a container of yogurt. Try low-fat Stonyfield Farm, Dannon All-Natural, Brown Cow or other natural yogurt varieties.

Fill a small reusable container or plastic bag with your child’s favorite cereal. Low-fat granola, oatmeal or sunflower seeds are also great options.

These suggestions provide not only additional nutrients but also crunch, which most children love. Show children how to spear a piece of fruit with their fork (hands also work well but it can be quite messy), dip it in the yogurt and then dunk it in a crispy topping. This is a delicious and creative snack that the whole family can enjoy.