Mess-Free Back-to-School Snacks for Kids

Yes, it’s that time of the year. Our kids are back-in-school or soon will be. The school year is a busy time with an early start to the day, lunch-packing, after-school activities, homework, and so forth. There are never enough hours in my day during the busy school year.

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As a busy mother, I’m always looking for mess-free snacks for my kids. I like to toss them into their lunch bag, backpacks and gym bags, so they have to be shelf-stable and easy to eat while on-the-go. Here’s the snacks that my children enjoy.

Mess-Free Back-to-School Snacks for Kids

Welch’s Fruit Snacks
These snacks come in small individual snack-size packs and in a variety of different fruity flavors. They contain vitamin C, vitamins A & E, are gluten-free, and contain no preservatives. Real fruit is the 1st ingredient that you’ll find in these tasty treats!

Pretzel Nuggets Filled with Peanut Butter
I buy them in a family-size package and then separate them out into smaller-sized snack bags for the kids to enjoy. They’re filled with creamy peanut butter which gives them a little protein and iron throughout the day.

Roasted Sunflower Seeds
At our local grocery store we can buy sunflower seeds in the shell or out…with salt or unsalted. If your child has a little bit of a sweet tooth, you can get them “candy coated” too. They’re a great source of protein that isn’t jammed packed with fat calories.

Dried Fruit
My children are big fruit eaters and while fresh is best…dried is perfect for on-the-go use. I like to purchase dried apple rings, banana chips, blueberries, strawberries, mangoes, peaches, and raisins. On some days they’ll enjoy just a single flavor and on other days a combination of the above. A great way to sneak in that extra-serving of fruit every day.

Utz Pub Mix
This snack mix contains honey mustard twistx, cheddar cheese twistix, honey roasted sesame chips, oriental rice crackers, pretzel stix, nacho bagel chips and worcestershire rye chips. I buy a big tub of this and then separate it out into smaller-sized snack portion. My pre-teen daughter loves this!

Trail Mix
These days you can find trail mix available in a wide variety of different flavor combinations. You can buy your classic, go for spicy or sweet, and everything in between. You can find individual packs or bulk-sizes out in the retail marketplace.

Meat Jerky & Sticks
My oldest child is a big fan of jerky and meat sticks. You can find them made from beef, chicken, turkey, buffalo, ostrich, etc. in mild to spicy flavors. If your children aren’t big on eating meat from the dinner plate, these would make a great option of sneaking that protein in.

Cereal Snack Bars
Several different brands of cereal now make their own snack bars that utilize cereal as the main ingredient. The bars are individually packaged and are great for grab-n-go use. If you’re not into store-bought snack bars you can find oodles of different recipes online to make your own cereal snack bars at home.

As you can see…there are many back-to-school snack options out in the retail marketplace. I recommend that you keep several on hand and rotate them in-and-out, so that your child doesn’t get bored eating the same thing over & over again. Keep their snacking interesting and mess-free.

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Disclaimer: Jenelle C. has personally reviewed the product listed above. Jenelle has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Jenelle did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.  Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering the giveaways. Thanks!