"If you’ve got kids who participate in team sports, or if they’re just starting to play, you probably know that team snacks after the game are a thing. Some kids are even more amped up for what the game day snacks are going to be than the game itself. And hey, that’s its own win—because ultimately, don’t we just hope our kids will get as much enjoyment out of every aspect of their team sports experience as they can, right down to those snacks?
In fact, it’s actually a positive that many kids care about what their post-game snacks are. Sports nutrition for kids is vital for keeping them well-fueled and healthy. Snacks are also an opportunity to sneak in some nutritious vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients for their benefit. When snack time’s turned into a shared bonding experience for the whole team, all the better!
The good news is that many snacks perfect for kids’ sporting events can be great for you at the same time. When it’s your turn to bring them, you can make it easy peasy or opt to get creative. You can even get nostalgic about it and hand out some ’90s-inspired snacks. Whatever snack route you want to go, we’re here to offer you some direction. Read on to discover 20+ of the best snack ideas for kids sports that they’ll look forward to after the big game.
How to choose the best snacks for kids sports teams
If you grew up before the era of social media, perhaps what you remember about the snacks you received at your sports games was their simplicity. A bag of fruit snacks or popcorn. A granola bar. Fresh orange slices. A chocolate chip cookie or two. There may have been that teammate who always brought something more elaborate for everybody, but it was more of an exception, not the standard. Today, choosing the best snacks to bring to your child’s sporting events can be daunting. It’s not hard to find many a parent’s social media posts about the super cool snacks they assembled.
That being said, there are still plenty of parents who advocate for snack simplicity. So, when you’re trying to decide what snacks will be the “best” to bring, start by considering what’s most manageable for you. It might be a simple pre-packaged choice, or it could be a more planned-out goodie bag of some kind. Just don’t let any extravagant efforts you saw on Pinterest guilt you into thinking you have to do more to be appreciated. Besides, kids are filled with endorphins after the game anyway—they’re just going to be happy it’s snack time.
Healthy snacks are ideal
Together with honoring what time and energy you have, ideally, you want to select snacks that are wholesome and healthy in nature. Sure, those uber-cute team donuts from so-and-so may have gotten major kudos from the kids. But are they really the optimal snack choice to nurture the muscle and energy demands their bodies just endured? As you’ll see below, there’s a way to find a happy medium between healthy and tasty.
Finally, some other considerations you can make are things like the size of the team, if any teammates have food allergies, if someone has a birthday on game day, or what the temperature will be like. The last thing you want is to have planned for something cool and refreshing, and the day turns out to be chillier than you anticipated—or scorching hot, and all that chocolate-covered puppy chow you made melts in your car. That also happens to be where optimal snack transport comes into play.
How to best transport snacks
Getting your chosen snacks to the game might seem obvious. If you’re opting to bring a few boxes of trail mix snack packs, throwing them into a shopping bag will get the job done. However, if you’re trying to bring something frozen or refrigerated—or DIY items like cupcakes or energy balls that you’ve assembled at home—it’s worthwhile to consider the snacks’ convenience and portability.
The way you’re presenting or packaging snacks matters, too. For example, if you’re planning on handing out a couple of different snacks, it can be helpful to create a small snack pack for each kid to keep the handout process organized and fast.
If you have items that need to stay cold, plan on loading up a cooler or insulated bags with ice or ice packs in advance. If you opt for ice, remember that some of it will inevitably melt down during game time. Plan accordingly for any snacks whose packaging is susceptible to water leaking in. Meanwhile, if you were also tasked with or planned on bringing drinks, you definitely want to have a good method to ensure they’ll have that post-game thirst-quenching effect.
With homemade or bakery items such as treats with icing, soft cookies or muffins, energy balls (which can be a bit on the gooey side), and the like, you’ll likely want to preserve their fresh appearance. Using parchment paper alongside boxes or structured shopping bags can help keep everything intact. While a cookie’s still a cookie, the smushed ones always look a little sadder.
The best snack ideas for kids sports
1. Mandarin oranges
It’s as though these miniature cuties came into existence purely to make a super kid-friendly fruit to snack on. The burst of vitamin C will refresh kids’ energy and their immune systems, too.
2. Apples
Apples are another easy fruit to hand out individually. With so many variations to choose from, find out what your child and their friends like the best to help narrow it down. If you’ve got smaller kids who will have a tougher time biting into a whole apple, create apple slices and preserve their crispness and color with a couple dashes of lemon juice.
3. Smoothie pouches
There are all kinds of fruity smoothie pouches for a clean and simple, vitamin-packed snack option.
4. Fruit kabobs
If you have some time and are feeling inspired, cut various fruits up and assemble them into some brightly colored kabobs for a fruit snack that’s more unique.
5. Dried fruit
While it’s higher in sugar and somewhat more processed than the fruit itself, dried fruit (like boxes of raisins, fruit strips, pouches of dried fruit pieces or gummies, etc.) certainly makes for a healthier post-game snack than a package of candy.
6. Fruit snacks
In a similar vein, pouches of fruit snacks aren’t necessarily the healthiest, but at least the ones made with real fruit juice offer something in the way of nutritional benefits.
7. Small cups of berries or grapes
It can take a little more prep and planning, but rinsing off some juicy berries or grapes can be a welcome alternative to your token apple or banana. Plus, they’ll get a powerful surge of antioxidants.
8. Carrot or celery sticks
You might be able to convince kids to be enticed by these good-for-you veggies if you pair them with a fun dip.
9. Dried veggie chips
Oftentimes with veggie chips, if you’re closing your eyes, you wouldn’t even know you’re eating something other than potato or tortilla chips.
10. Cucumber slices or watermelon cubes
Wonderfully hydrating, cucumber and watermelon are yummy ways to encourage an intake of some fresh produce. If you complement them with something salty, it’s all the more enticing.
11. Yogurt
With both individual squeeze pouches and cups, as well as an abundance of flavors, finding a sweet and creamy (and convenient!) yogurt that appeals to kids shouldn’t be difficult. If anyone has a dairy allergy, include some milk alternative-based yogurts.
12. Cheese sticks
Pulling apart string cheese is one of the most entertaining ways of eating a snack ever invented, at least for a kid’s sake. At around 7 grams of protein per stick, it’s a solid team snack option.
13. Trail mix
As long as nut allergies aren’t a problem, small packages of trail mix are reliable snack ideas for kids sports. They typically have a nice blend of healthy fats and protein. If your chosen mix incorporates some kind of chocolate pieces, most kids won’t complain. Larabars are also a creative way to load what’s in trail mix into a tasty bar.
14. Hummus
Grab a few boxes of single-serving hummus cups and pair them with pita chips, pretzels, or cut-up veggies for a filling and wholesome snack choice.
15. Edamame
It might be a harder sell, but if you can find a way to pique the kids’ interest in a baggie full of gently salted edamame, their muscles will certainly thank you!
16. Chocolate milk
What better way to offer an inviting serving of protein and calcium than with some chocolate (or strawberry, vanilla, etc.) milk? If there are any dairy allergies, there are alternative milk individual cartons available in most grocery stores. Don’t forget the cooler!
17. Popcorn
Popcorn not only tastes good, but it’s rich in fiber and has a reliably short ingredient list. The snack bag sizes also make serving it after the game a breeze.
18. Granola bars
One of the more popular snack ideas for kids sports—hooking them all up with one of the many kid-oriented granola bar brands out there is usually a safe bet.
19. Muffins
OK, OK, not everything on this list has to be uber-healthy. Sometimes, kids deserve to indulge after their game, and a bag of mini muffins or a larger one out of a bakery pack can be the answer. We’ve included a muffin recipe below for the health-conscious, too!
20. Pretzels
There are often mixed feelings around pretzels because they’re not as nutrient-dense as a piece of toast or a whole-grain snack bar. Still, they can be a no-nonsense choice compared to snacks with heavy artificial ingredient lists out there.
21. Cereal mixes
If you want to surprise kids with something a little more inventive, put together snack bags that contain a few cereal favorites. As far as snack ideas for kids sports go, this can make for a happy medium between pre-packaged and more involved DIY treats.
22. Tortilla roll-ups
Another quick self-assembly could be spreading some PB&J (or a nut-free butter), hummus and cheese, or other kid-approved spread across a bunch of tortillas. Then, roll each one up and slice it into bite-sized pieces so there are plenty to go around.
23. Mini bagel sandwiches
Alternatively, you can spread some love over an assortment of mini bagels and invite the kids to carbo-load that way.
Embrace cookies as a team snack, but in this case, these aren’t only chewy and delicious but also contain the added nutritional boost of a hidden veggie.
25. Ants on a Log
If you love creating adorable, one-of-a-kind treats, these celery sticks filled with peanut butter, yogurt, and more dips are precisely that. The kids might be way more open to eating them when they’ve got eye-catching toppings.
26. Puppy chow
Everybody needs a trusty (and addictive!) puppy chow recipe to spoil kids with every so often. And who’s going to argue that the Chex cereal and peanut butter aren’t reasonably healthy?
27. Healthy muffins
This is an easy muffin recipe with a few versatile filling suggestions that kids will be excited to bite into after all that running around out on the field.
28. Homemade Pop-Tarts
Handing out Pop-Tarts or other store-bought mimics totally works in the realm of snack ideas for kids sports. But, if you’re somebody who’d enjoy whipping up your own version, what kid isn’t going to jump at such a sweet and colorful (and far less processed) looking pastry?
