Are you wondering what to pack for your children’s break time and running out of snack ideas? Is your kid starting primary one and you need some snack ideas and recess food tips to get ready?
I’ve been in the same shoes and I find it easier to have a go-to list of healthy snack ideas and recess food tips. It helps with planning Vera’s daily snack box and deciding what to pack for recess time when she attends school.
Also, if you’ve been following us for some time now, you will also know that we had to deal with food allergies, environmental allergies, along with eczema. Besides the daily snack box, she would also request for homecooked food to bring along for recess. It really depends on her mood though – she likes buying her favourite dishes at the canteen too. HA! All in all, we try to offer healthy snacks for school so she gets adequate nutrients to keep her hunger pangs at bay and immune system going.
Mummy’s food tip: If your child has any allergies such as nut, seafood, egg, wheat or other food allergy, do check the ingredient lists before buying food for your child’s snacks or lunchbox. Check with her teacher if the kids in her class may have allergies too, or if the school may have a dietary advice for certain common allergies.
To be honest, I’m not a bento box mum who puts together beautiful snack boxes. Hehe. To me, I will offer whatever is convenient, easy to prepare, doesn’t take up much time or cost a bomb. Most importantly, our kids should like the food, right? :P
Here is a list of over 80 snack ideas and recess food to make it easy for you:
- Bread with jam
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Dried fruits e.g. apricots, cranberries, mulberries, apple rings.
- Bread (Store-bought or homemade)
- Seaweed
- Breakfast Cereal
- Scones (store-bought or homemade)
- Raisins
- Biscuits and Cookies (some top favourite among kids are: Oreo, Wang Wang Rice Crackers, Potato Sticks, Meiji Biscuits.)
- Roasted Curried Cauliflowers (My kids LOVE this veggie cooked this way and they would fight over it!)
- Baby-friendly Biscuits (I sometimes buy these healthier “baby biscuits” to add variety. They usually contain less sugar, less salt and are made with real juices etc. It can be a hit or miss for Vera’s palates haha)
- Mini Homemade Pizzas (Cheat meal alert! Just use bread to make these cute heart-shaped pizzas!)
- Scrambled Eggs
- Energy Balls (I make my own homemade Energy Balls because it’s really easy and I know what the ingredients are.)
- Bread + square cheese
- Egg Muffins
- Homemade Savoury Muffins or Frittatas (This is still one of my perennial favourite because eggs are just sooo versatile!)
- Quail eggs (Clean shell thoroughly and make mini hard-boiled quail eggs.)
- Seeds such as sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
- Crispy Chicken Katsu (Cut them into bite-sizes to help them save time!)
- Freeze-dried fruits e.g. mango, pineapple, blueberries, bananas (Look out for those with no sugar added – fruits are naturally sweet already!)
- Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts (A good dose of healthy fats and energy!)
- Homemade Sushi (You can put tuna mayo, crabsticks, cucumber strips, tamago, egg mayo, chicken strips, sweet corn nibbles, and more)
- Baked Fish Fingers (Make extra for dinner, and heat them up for their recess or snack time)
- Granola Bars
- Croissants
- Vegetables Chips such as broccoli chips, mushroom chips, sweet potato chips.
- Mini Egg-free Pancakes (I make these Eggless Pancakes with just 3 ingredients using a blender and the recipe is super easy and versatile. You can add your child’s favourite ingredients and make them in a jiffy without a mixer. They make great snack ideas and recess food too!)
- Fried Udon
- Bread with Avocado Spread
- Sausages (Boil them for a healthier option, use an air fryer or oven or panfry the sausages.)
- Fried Rice
- Banana (Keep the peel on)
- Healthy Oatmeal Cookies (It’s really easy to make – turn it into a family activity!)
- Fruit Bars or Yogurt Bars
- Pretzels (like Auntie Annes’!)
- Fried Bee Hoon
- Porridge (We keep it hot in a thermal flask. It can be rather heavy with the food in, so she uses a separate bag to hold her food.)
- Mashed Potato (Add some herbs, melted butter and milk if preferred.)
- Fried Kway Teow
- Plum
- Prunes
- Fluffy Homemade Pancakes
- Apple (Cut and soaked in salt water to prevent browning.)
- Fried Yellow Noodles
- Cheesy Carrot Potato Fingers (Another really easy and healthy snack idea that’s baby-friendly too!)
- Pasta such as Beef Bolognese or just Aglio Olio style so it’s drier.)
- Fried Macaroni
- Donut Balls (Bite-sized food makes it easier for them to eat.)
- Popcorn (Found some healthy popcorns from ZENKO Superfoods Water Lily Pops and Marks & Spencer’s!)
- Potato Wedges
- Healthy Wraps (Simply buy wraps from the supermarket and wrap your kid’s fave ingredients for a balanced and nutritious dish. Try this Salmon & Veggie Wrap recipe I did!)
- Grapefruit
- Celery sticks
- Oranges (Peeled for easy snacking.)
- Figs (Fresh and dried figs are good snacking options.)
- Edamame
- Polish Pancakes / Crepes (They’re thin and you can cut them into small pieces too. Pancake/Crepe Recipe here!)
- Cherries (De-seed for your child so she can pop it easily to eat in a tight timeframe.)
- Baked or Steamed Sweet Potatoes
- Broccoli (They need their greens! Blanch, bake or steam those broccolis.)
- Olives
- Rice Cakes (Most major supermarkets have these, and they are round crackers. I used to buy these as snacks for when we’re out when they were babies and toddlers.)
- French Toast Fingers (Add sugar or cinnamon powder if your children like it sweet!)
- Cheese Sticks
- Bacon Strips (Bake them or fry them without oil since they’re high in fats.)
- Baked Zucchini Chips (My children right over these veggie chips too haha!)
- Kale Chips (Vera and Leroy LOVE it!)
- Cheese Cubes
- Fried Bee Tai Bak
- Sandwiches (Egg Mayo, Tuna sandwich… just some of V’s favourite!)
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Bread with Peanut Butter
- Waffles
- Egg-free Tofu Pork Patties (Bite-sized, healthy and doesn’t crumble.)
- Hash browns (frozen ones are time-savers!)
- Fish Pot Pie Turnover (Cheat meal alert! Haha made this Fish Pot Pie Turnover with bread and it was pretty easy. Healthier than Curry Puffs, right?)
- Baby puffs and baby-friendly snacks (We bought Gerber’s, Organix, Kiddylicious, Wel.B Baby Freeze Dried Fruit, Rafferty’s Garden Baby Fruit Snack Bar, Heinz, Benny Bunny Puffs and others.)
When she was in Primary 1, her snack time was about 10 mins. This year, she told me that her break time can range from 10 – 20 mins. Also, her teacher may let them have a bit of video entertainment during their mid-day snack break too haha. That sounds pretty nice, if I may say so. At least it’s not just about rushing through the day with school work :D
Recess time during primary school is around 30 mins. So, do pack food that is easy for your child to manage. Remember utensils too and practice at home first, if needed, so he won’t fumble when in school.
Hope these tips for packing school snacks and primary school recess ideas will be helpful for you too! Time to get creative and get feedback from your kids – they’ll definitely tell you what they liked and what they don’t. If you’ve any more snack ideas or food prep tips to add to the list, do leave a comment below! :) Happy munching! With over 75 snack ideas and recess food plus easy recipes, kids can have healthy lunch box snacks for primary school!
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