Snacks provide Montessori daycare children with an energy boost to help keep them functioning at their best between meals. In a Montessori setting, snacks are also a great way to hone practical life skills, learn about the origins of food, and enjoy an exciting and engaging break. Here are 5 ideas for summer snacks that daycare children are sure to love.
- Apple Nachos
This snack gives Montessori children an opportunity to use their cutting and pouring skills and it helps develop fine motor skills. Begin by coring an apple and removing the uneven top and bottom. Next, have your child slice the apple into thin pieces with a dull knife such as a butter knife. Arrange the slices on a platter. Heat a jar of peanut butter until the contents become a thick liquid, and drizzle it over the apple slices. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sugar, and it is ready to eat.
- Banana “Smoothies”
For this snack, you will need a blender, and a child to help you prepare the fruit. Peel a couple of bananas, cut them into chunks, and place them in the blender. To add a little extra flavor, you can add a small amount of berries or other fruits. Add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt or whipped cream, and blend until the contents become a thick fluid. Blending longer makes your concoction more fluid, but short blends can be eaten with a spoon.
- Cucumber Sushi
This is a great veggie snack, but it does require you to pre-cook some rice before you begin. Have your child slice a couple of medium-sized cucumbers in half. With an apple corer, remove all of the seeds and seed pulp. Use a spoon to pack the rice into the hollowed-out cucumber halves. Fill a few small cups with sauces such as ranch dip or duck sauce, and let the feast begin. You can experiment with other stuffings like cream cheese, tuna fish, or pack with vegetables like corn or peas.
- Fruit and Dip Trays
Have your children pick 3 fruits, and then arrange slices and chunks of those fruits on a platter. Add small bowls of “dips” like peanut butter, cream cheese, whipped cream, and honey. You can turn snack time into an exciting activity by using the fruit tray to play a tasting game or choose fruits from around the world to learn about geography and diversity.
Combining snack time and practical life activities helps Montessori children learn a variety of topics as they become more self-sufficient. Math, science, language, geography all come into play, along with honing fine motor skills.