How To Make An Undeniably Dairy Kid-Friendly Snack Board

Get in the recommended amount of 3 dairy servings per day with this undeniably dairy Kid Friendly Snack Board. Prep the ingredients and encourage the kids to assemble it themselves as a nutritious after school snack. While this post is sponsored by Dairy Council of Florida, our love of dairy and healthy snack options are our own.

Actually, I am going to prep this amazing kid-friendly snack board so that my kids can assemble it themselves! As the kids prepare for back to school, they need to get back into the routine of getting up early, packing their backpacks, and handling a few things on their own. I will openly admit that during the summer, I answer the “I’m hungry” call more than I have to. Something about spoiling the kids a bit over the summer, I guess 🙂

But, summer vacation will be over before you know it (just a few days and counting here in Florida) and the kids will be heading back to the classroom. After the long summer months, us parents not only have to re-orientate to a back-to-school routine, but we will also have to help our children to point their compass needle towards school again. And that means they have to help in answering that “I’m hungry” call themselves when they get home from school. I am fortunate that I get to work out of the house, but I can’t always stop what I’m doing when the kids need an after school snack. I mean, who can?? Mine always seem to be hungry!

So, I decided to create a DIY Kids Snack Board. My kids love eating from a “snack board”, they think it’s cool and trendy…okay, I do too. And since I like making snack boards, I thought the kids would too! Especially when they get home from school and start rummaging through the pantry and refrigerator looking for something to eat. Now, they can make their own snack board. Perfect!

I mentioned this was a Do It Yourself Snack Board, so what I did was actually have the kids help me prep some of the ingredients for this kid-friendly snack board and then we stored everything in the refrigerator and freezer in separate containers. That way, when the kids get home from school, all the ingredients for their snack board are ready to go, so they can actually assemble their snack board themselves.

This Kid-Friendly Snack Board is not only the perfect answer to the “I’m hungry!” call, but it also gets the kids more involved in the kitchen. Which is a life skill they will carry with them always.

The ingredients in our Kid-Friendly Snack Board are loaded with dairy. Why dairy? Because dairy is important source of nutrients, especially in kids and teens. Dairy products are filled with essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamins A, D, B12, phosphorus, protein , potassium, riboflavin and niacin. Dairy is also important to bone health, which is essential to us adults too, so if you sneak a snack off the Undeniably Dairy Snack Board, it’s good for you too!

What you need for the perfect Dairylicious Kid Friendly Snack Board

• Fresh Fruit
• Chocolate Yogurt Fruit Dip
• Ham & Cheese Pretzel Roll-Ups
• Frozen Yogurt Dipped Bananas *recipe below
• Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers

Why we picked these recipes for our Dairy Filled Snack Board

• We are all about getting the kids to eat more fresh fruit! We used pineapple, grapes, blueberries and mandarins, but feel free to let the kids pick their favorites.
• The Chocolate Yogurt Dip is only 4 simple ingredients, it packed with protein thanks to the Greek yogurt.
• The Ham & Cheese Pretzel Roll-Ups are easy and fun! Simply roll up a piece of cheese and ham and stick it thru a mini pretzel stick.
• The frozen yogurt dipped bananas are a version of a healthy popsicle, it’s a sweet treat that the kids will love and you can feel good about them eating. Kids don’t like bananas? Try these Frozen Yogurt Creamsicle bites.
• Our Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers are delicious and so easy to make…we are talking just 3 ingredients!

Prep and have all of this ready to go so kids can easily create their own dairy packed snack board when they arrive home from school or activities.  Each part of this snack boards stores well, so it really is perfect to prep ahead of time.

How to prep the ingredients for your kid friendly snack board

• Wash and cut all fresh fruit, storage in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
• Prepare the chocolate yogurt dip and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• I recommend making the pretzels roll-ups the night before or in the morning, too many days before that they may get soggy. *Pro-tip, prep the meat and cheese a few days ahead of time and let the kids roll it up and add it to the pretzel when they are ready.
• Once you have made your yogurt-dipped bananas (recipe below) don’t forget to store them in the freezer!
• Have the kiddos sprinkle on the seasoning on the Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers right before serving so the seasoning doesn’t lose it’s crunch.

And don’t forget the milk! Have a gallon (or two) of milk in the fridge so that the kids can grab something to drink to go along with their DIY dairy filled snack board.

Don’t those look delicious?! I will admit, I had a few myself. The kids always snack off the charcuterie boards I make…it’s only fair I snack off of theirs, right??

I know I discussed a bit on why it’s important to me that dairy is part of our family’s diet, but I encourage you to learn more about milk’s essential vitamins and nutrients from our friends at the Dairy Council of Florida.

It’s also important that kids learn more about the importance of dairy and our dairy farmers, the Dairy Council of Florida has a variety of resources and STEM activities available that can be printed out for free.

Want more? Learn about Fuel Up To Play 60. Fuel Up To Play 60 empowers students to lead their schools in fueling up with nutrient-rich foods and getting active at least 60 minutes every day. One of the things I love about being a part of the Healthy Family Project team is that we believe in those exact same goals…healthy families. Healthy families are built on love, healthy foods, and being active. Learn more about Fuel Up To Play 60.

Common questions about making a kid-friendly dairy snack board:

Q: What are some of the ingredients that would be perfect for a kid-friendly dairy snack board?
A: Ingredients include fresh fruit, chocolate yogurt fruit dip, ham and cheese pretzel roll-ups, frozen yogurt-dipped bananas, and cheese-stuffed mini peppers.

Q: Why is dairy important for kids’ snack boards?
A: Dairy products provide essential vitamins and minerals kids need, including calcium, vitamins A, D, B12, and more. Dairy is important for bone health.

Q: How long does it take to prepare the frozen yogurt-dipped bananas?
A: The prep time for the frozen yogurt-dipped bananas is 5 minutes, but they need to freeze for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Q: What are some tips for prepping snack board ingredients ahead of time?
A: Tips include washing and cutting fruit in advance, storing dip and roll-ups air-tight in the fridge for a few days, freezing bananas once dipped, and having kids add seasoning to stuffed peppers right before eating.

Q: What is the purpose of creating a kid-friendly dairy snack board?
A: The snack board encourages kids to assemble nutritious after-school snacks themselves and gets them more involved in the kitchen.

Now, let’s assemble that Undeniably Dairy Kid Friendly Snack Board.

If you want to learn more tips and tricks about making the perfect snack board and how to use them for entertaining, check out our recently published eBook, Come Graze With Us!