🍪 Healthy Christmas snacks for kids: fruit trees and more
Prep: 25 min · Makes: a platter for 6-8 children
Between the selection boxes and the Christmas cake, it is nice to put out something fresh that children actually get excited about. These snacks are quick, colourful, need no oven, and children can make most of them themselves.
They work brilliantly for a nursery or school Christmas party, a family film night, or as a little plate to nibble on while you wait for the Christmas dinner.
For little helpers
- Children aged 3 and up can arrange the fruit tree, add raisin eyes and stick on antlers.
- Older children can use a blunt knife to slice bananas and cucumbers.
- Give each child their own small plate to build their own snowman or reindeer: they are far more likely to eat what they made.
A note on "reindeer food"
You may have seen glittery oat mixtures sprinkled on the lawn for the reindeer on Christmas Eve. Glitter and some ingredients can be harmful to birds and wildlife, so we prefer the old tradition: a fresh carrot on the doorstep. The reindeer are very fond of carrots, and so are the birds who find the crumbs of the mince pie.
More ideas
- Strawberry hats: cut the top off a strawberry, add a tiny blob of cream cheese as the bobble.
- Cheese stars: cut slices of cheese with a star cutter and serve with crackers.
- Clementine faces: draw a smiley face on the peel with a food-safe pen.
Ingredients
- 300 g green grapes
- 250 g strawberries
- 2 kiwis
- 150 g blueberries
- 2 bananas
- 4 satsumas or clementines
- half a cucumber
- 8 rice cakes or round crackers
- 4 tbsp cream cheese
- a handful of raisins
- a few pretzels or breadsticks
- 1 small red pepper
Method
- Fruit Christmas tree: on a large board, lay rows of halved green grapes and kiwi slices in a triangle, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. Add blueberries and strawberry pieces as baubles and a satsuma segment or a star cut from a slice of pepper on top.
- Banana snowmen: cut bananas into thick slices and thread three slices onto a short wooden skewer or breadstick. Add raisin eyes and buttons, and a strawberry tip as a hat.
- Cracker reindeer: spread a rice cake with cream cheese, add two raisin eyes, a small round of red pepper or a raspberry for the nose, and two pretzel or breadstick pieces as antlers.
- Satsuma puddings: peel satsumas, keep them whole and stick a tiny sprig of mint (or a cucumber leaf) on top so they look like little Christmas puddings.
- Cucumber stars: cut thick cucumber slices with a small star cutter and arrange them around the edge of the board.
- Serve straight away, or cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 hours.
Questions
How should I cut grapes for young children?
For children under 5, always cut grapes and other small round fruit (like blueberries and cherry tomatoes) lengthways into halves or quarters, to reduce the risk of choking.
Can I make it nut-free for a school party?
Yes. Everything here is nut-free, but check the labels on crackers and pretzels, and ask before using nut butter instead of cream cheese.