I never have good snack ideas for kids. If I can get three reasonably healthy meals for six people on the table every day, I feel pretty good about myself. So when hungry kids show up around 3pm, demanding food and proclaiming they’re starrrrving and might possibly die, I’m always caught off guard.

But they’re all growing like mad. Which means they eat almost an entire meal after school each day. And now that summer’s coming and they’re going to be here every day, I’m gathering up some snack ideas for kids to get us through summer vacation. I’m going to branch out. And make most of them healthy and well-balanced. Some of them need to be easy to pack for hikes and other outings. But they have to be easy, too, or I won’t actually make them. Whatever I do, it’s going to be better than the foraging and random eating we do now. So here are more than 35 snacks we’re going to try out over the summer.

35+ Easy Snack Ideas for Kids

• These homemade granola bars look great for hikes and morning snacks.
• Chocolate cranberry trail mix recipe is another good snack for hiking and kayaking days.
• This easy, healthy hummus recipe is one of our favorites.
• Try simple, delicious fruit dip for an easy afternoon snack.
• Chocolate cherry smoothies are a healthier alternative to milkshakes (but taste just as good!)
• Go old-school with stovetop Popcorn.
• Delicious cranberry chocolate protein bites are an easy, cool treat for hot days.
• S’mores snack mix doesn’t require much prep at all.
• My kids love packages of seaweed as well — if your kids haven’t tried it, give it a chance!
• Fruit phyllo bites are delicious, lightly sweetened with honey, and make a simple, tasty treat.
• Homemade granola is a multitasker — serve it for snack, have it for breakfast, sprinkle it on yogurt, you can do all kinds of things with it.
• Banana chocolate chip muffins — yummy for breakfast or snack or dessert after dinner.
• Sweet and salty seeds and nuts are portable and have that nice mix of sweet and savory. Delicious!
• Crock pot Chex mix — a classic, and one you can start in the morning so it’s ready around snack time.
• These chocolate trail snacks would be great for days when we’re adventuring.
• Even my picky eaters like dried fruit. And I like it because it’s easy to pack and doesn’t need to be kept cold. Low maintenance snacks FTW.
• Cereal raisin clusters are tasty and use ingredients you probably already have on-hand.
• GF granola muffins are a great snack for kids who are gluten-free (for more fun, have them help you bake them!)
• Apricot oat balls are delicious and not too dry (a problem I have with a lot of protein balls!)
• Ritz crackers with cheese rounds — kids can make their own lunchables with these easy ingredients.
• I love these adorable banana-graham butterfly snacks!
• Make these backyard bug snacks and head to your backyard to eat them!
• You can also grab some Greek yogurt cups at the store to keep on-hand for snacks with good protein and flavor.
• No-bake carrot balls are good for summer days you don’t want to heat up the oven indoors.
• These fruit cones are a fun alternative to ice cream cones.
• Zebra caramel popcorn is a cool switch up to “normal” popcorn.
• Tuna canoes are a cute, very healthy afternoon snack and a great way for kids to get their veggies.
• Trail mix cookies — another good hiking or adventuring treat.
• An apple cinnamon yogurt bowl makes a fun change from smoothies.
• No-bake peanut butter cookies with chocolate — another great snack for days you don’t want to fire up the oven.
• When you can’t have an actual campfire, try s’mores on a stick
• Watermelon ladybug pops are adorable and healthy!
• Brazilian cheese bread is a fun way to explore other cultures and their foods.
• These banana cereal snacks are easy and use things you have on-hand. Also a simple snack for kids to make themselves.
• I want to try these cranberry orange oatmeal cookies!
• Grilled cheese roll ups are a unique twist on a traditional food.