Normally we only have the pleasure of hearing “Can I have a snack?” countless times after the kids get home from school. Now that the kids are home full-time we have been serenaded with a chorus of “Can I have a snack?” or the ever-popular “What can I have for a snack?” at all hours of the day.
Add to this lovely serenade trying to work from home or do just about anything else and it’s a recipe for frustration.
Thankfully, we’re here to help keep you sane and empower your new co-workers by letting them have more control over snack time.
Sanity Saving Snacks – Kids
- Place all daily snacks in a small bin or container for each child creating a snack station.* This can be done at night or in the morning when you are prepping breakfast. Bins should be stored in the fridge where the kids can easily reach them.
- Each child is allowed to have only the snacks in the container each day, but they choose when to eat them (If you prefer, you can set specific snack times in the morning and afternoon.
- When the kids are hungry, they will go to their assigned bin and pick a snack. They choose whether they want to eat all of their snacks at one sitting or space them out throughout the day.
Snack Station Tips
- Make sure kids also have access to milk or water to enjoy with their snack. We kept our drinks right next to the snack station so they can grab-and-go.
- Select a variety of snacks. Our kid testers had varied tastes, so we tried to tailor their bins to their tastes.
- Our go-to snacks were yogurt with honey, fruit, and granola, fresh fruit, cheese sticks and animal crackers.
Sanity Saving Snacks – Adults
Think of it as meal prep with a snack spin. By setting up a snack station stocked with healthy options, you won’t be tempted to break into your candy stash when hunger strikes throughout the day. We bent the rules for the adults and instead of having one bin per day, we created a bin for each snack type and prepped for the week instead of each day, but feel free to set up your snack station whichever way suits you best.
*If you don’t have a small bin or container, you can cut out the bottom 1/4th of a cereal box (option to cover with washi tape to customize).