Kids need snacks! When healthy snack choices are made, they provide the nutrients and calories kids need for growth, good health and energy to get through the day. Studies show snacks provide about 20 percent of children's daily calories. Nutritious snacks also help to fill in the gaps for nutrients that kids miss out on at meals and round out kids' nutritional intakes. Without nutritious snacks, it can be difficult for children to meet their daily nutrient needs. The challenge is to help children choose snacks that provide plenty of nutrition without excess calories from fat and sugar.

Nutritious Snacking
Snacks are supplements, not replacements for meals. But like meals, kids should ideally eat them at set times each day. This helps children establish healthy eating habits and avoid mindless, unlimited eating that contributes to overweight, regardless of the snack choice.

• A good guideline for a nutritious snack is very simple! Choose one or more foods from the MyPyramid Five Food Groups. Teaching children to evaluate their snacks using the Five Food Groups as a guide is a great way to reinforce this message.
• As every teacher and parent knows, many of kids' favorite snacks include cookies, cakes, candy, salty snacks, and sweetened soft and fruit drinks. These 'Others' category foods provide few nutrients compared to the number of calories consumed. If a snack includes 'Others' category foods, it should be limited to one, and have at least one food group food along with it. For example, pair low-fat milk with cookies. These foods should be viewed as "occasional," not "every day" foods. It's important that kids learn to moderate these foods. Totally restricting them can lead children to prefer and over-consume these foods.

Schools and Snacks
Studies show that kids today snack more often and eat more of their snacks at school — both inside and outside of the classroom. Therefore, schools can play a key role in helping children establish healthy snacking habits. One important strategy is making sure that all snack offerings, whether they are available through vending machines, school stores or in the classroom, are an integral part of school wellness.

Teachers can take an active role in educating parents about snacks sent from home, by communicating what the school wellness policy guidelines are and expectations for nutritious choices. Also, try these strategies for getting kids onboard for eating nutritious snacks and for getting the nutritious snack message home to parents:

• Talk about nutritious snacks often.
• Share examples of nutritious snacks that you like. Better yet, join your students and let them see you eating a nutritious snack during snack time. Teachers are important role models for kids and what you do can send a powerful message.
• Encourage children to share what they learn about nutritious snacks at home.
• Ask students to demonstrate what they learn about nutritious snacks in the classroom by bringing in nutritious snacks from home.
• Photocopy and send home Little D's or Arianna's Smart Snacking handout.
• Take a Snack Survey. Classify the snacks that student bring for snack time according to the Five Food Groups and 'Others' category. Create a graph and talk about the results.
• Brainstorm a list of foods in each food group. Invite students to create nutritious snack combinations.
• Feature a 'Nutritious Snack of the Week' on a bulletin board for children to try at home.
• Have students keep Snack Journals.

After-school Snacks
It's essential for kids to nutritionally recharge at the end of the school day, too. Many after-school programs make sure that kids recharge with nutritious snacks provided through the After-school Snack Program. Like School Lunch and School Breakfast, the program must meet clear nutritional guidelines provided by USDA. Research shows it is often the snacks that entice children to participate in after-school programs. The program, which provides children with the opportunity to practice nutrition skills learned in the classroom, should also be viewed as an integral part of your school's wellness goals. Learn more about this program.