One of the hottest debates among sports parents today is whether or not team snacks are necessary in youth sports – and if they are, what types of snacks parents should bring to share with their child’s team.
Despite many parents being against them, team snacks are, in fact, necessary and beneficial.
They not only provide energy to keep young athletes performing at their best during and after games or practices, but snack time also provides an opportunity for teammates to interact and bond outside of play.
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With that said, it’s not the idea of team snacks that parents dislike.
It’s the types of snacks parents are bringing that causes concern.
Fruit Roll-Ups, rice krispy treats, chips, cookies, candy, donuts – these types of snacks don’t offer a lot (if any) nutritional value, yet they’re some of the most common go-to snack ideas for youth sports today.
Of course, that’s why so many parents are changing their approach when it comes to team snacks.
10 Healthy Snack Ideas for Youth Sports
When fueling young athletes for peak and prime performance – whether it be for a big game, a grueling practice, or a multi-game tournament – packing the right snacks can make all the difference in the world.
So, what makes a snack a ‘good snack’ for youth sports?
It’s a question one of our loyal readers asked in our Answers by Mamas Uncut online forum – where mothers come together to support one another through what many consider life’s greatest journey.
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“I have to take snacks to my kid next game but 3 kids in the team have peanut allergies and 1 all nuts allergies,” she wrote – a situation many mothers (and parents, in general) find themselves in quite often.
Don’t worry – we’re here to help.
The best snack ideas for youth sports are those that contain healthy carbohydrates (simple carbs), are high in water content (to maintain hydration), and don’t contain added sugars (only natural sugars).
Here are some of our favorite snack ideas for youth sports:
10. Oranges, Mandarines, & Clementines
Oranges, mandarines, clementines, tangerines, satsumas – it doesn’t really matter which one you go with because they all come from the same family and have similar tastes, nutritional values, and appearances.
They’re rich in Vitamin C, natural sugar, fiber, water, folate, and much more.
When packing oranges for your child’s sports team, cut them into wedges or slices for easy access. If you want to get fancy, take a sharpie and draw on the peel to make it look like a baseball or soccer ball.
9. Granola Bars, Protein Balls, & Cereal Bars
Granola bars are easy to pack and carry, making them an ideal snack for on-the-go situations. They’re often pre-packaged, have a long shelf-life (in case they don’t eat them all), and can be eaten in a hurry.
If possible, try to avoid unhealthy granola bars with added sugar, calories, and artificial ingredients.
You can always make homemade granola bars or opt for protein balls – like chocolate peanut butter balls, for example. And for those early morning games, swap the granola bar for a homemade cereal bar.
8. Trail Mix Creations
Trail mix is a go-to snack for just about anything. It’s easy to whip together, easy to store, easy to eat, and contains a well-balanced mixture of nutrients – which is why so many parents bring it to sports games.
Most trail mix contains a combination of nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, seeds, whole grains, and more.
As always, I highly recommend buying your own ingredients and making your own trail mix – as opposed to buying it from the store. This will help you avoid added sugars, unhealthy fats, and high calories.
Nut Allergy Tip: If someone on the team is allergic to nuts, swap them out for seeds or chickpeas.
7. Sandwiches, Wraps, & Subs
One reason why sandwiches, wraps, and subs make great snack ideas for youth sports is because they can be easily customized to include a wide range of fillings – catering to various tastes and dietary needs.
They’re filling enough to satisfy your hunger, but light enough that you can still perform at your best.
Some of our favorites for youth sports are a turkey and avocado sub, veggie and hummus wrap, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a ham and cheese sub. Oh, and cut them into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
6. Vegetables & Dip
Bringing a variety of fresh vegetables and dips as snacks for a youth sports team is a great way to offer nutritious, energizing, and appealing snack options that you can easily divvy up among the athletes.
Vegetables: carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower
Dips: hummus, Greek yogurt dip, guacamole, salsa, ranch, peanut butter, almond butter
To add to the excitement of snack time, consider arranging the vegetables on a platter in a colorful and attractive way. You can also use fun, kid-friendly containers or bento boxes to make it more engaging.
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5. Watermelon Slices or Chunks
There’s no better way to stay hydrated on a hot summer day than with a slice (or chunk) of watermelon. It’s composed of about 92% water, but it’s the other 8% that will have your child’s teammates smiling.
In addition to hydration, watermelon contains Vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and natural sugars.
You can cut the watermelon into small, easy-to-handle pieces to make it more convenient for kids to eat, and can also use cookie cutters to create fun shapes – allowing you to up your presentation game.
4. String Cheese & Crackers
String cheese is a good source of protein, which is essential for muscle repair and growth, while crackers are a good source of carbohydrates – which is crucial for replenishing energy stores almost immediately.
Together, cheese and crackers make for a quick, easy, and delicious treat.
Since you have a lot of mouths to feed, you can choose from a wide variety of crackers (whole grain, multigrain, etc.) and cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, etc.) to cater to different tastes and dietary needs.
3. Applesauce Cups or Squeezables
Applesauce contains everything you need for a good gametime snack. It’s high in water content, is packed with carbs, is rich in Vitamin C and potassium, and has fiber (if made from whole apples).
And its smooth texture makes it extremely easy to eat quickly and on-the-go.
You can bring a giant vat of applesauce and let the kids take what they want, or you can divvy it up into small, pre-made cups – squeezables are also a good option, so long as it’s not packed with added sugar.
2. Apples & Bananas
Applesauce is great, but it’ll never beat eating a whole apple – which is the healthiest and most nutritious way to eat it. They’re full of fiber, Vitamin C, potassium, iron, polyphenols, carotenoids, and much more.
Of course, you can’t talk about apples without mentioning bananas!
Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, which is crucial for muscle function and helps prevent cramps. They also contain Vitamins B6 and C, easy-to-digest carbohydrates, fiber, and manganese.
1. Berries & Grapes
You can’t go wrong with berries because there are so many to choose from. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, acai berries, cranberries – a strong majority of people like at least one of those.
And if you’re packing berries, you might as well pack the grapes!
Grapes are rich in vitamins C and K, potassium, and various antioxidants like resveratrol – which supports heart health and reduces inflammation. Much like berries, they’re also rich in fiber and natural sugars.
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5 Unique & Fun Snack Ideas for Youth Sports
There are two ways of going about packing team snacks for youth sports – the simple and the hard way.
The simple way usually consists of buying a large quantity of one (or multiple) snacks listed above, putting them in a giant container or baggie, and letting the kids take out what they want during the game.
And then there’s the hard way.
The hard way, which is also the fun way, requires some time and creativity. You’ll be using a lot of the same snacks, but you’ll be dressing them up and configuring them in an artistic way – because why not?
If you like the hard way, here are some of the most unique and fun snack ideas for youth sports…
5. Butterfly Snack Bags
To make a butterfly snack bag, you’ll need a sandwich bag, a clothespin or clip, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and at least two small snack options. By the time you’re done, it’ll look like a little butterfly!
First thing’s first – pinch the middle of the bag together and secure it with a clothespin.
The clothespin is the butterfly’s body, and the two compartments are the wings. Fill each compartment with a different snack (grapes, crackers), use the pipe cleaner as an antenna, and attach the googly eyes.
You can also use a cheese stick as the body of the butterfly.
4. Robot Snack Medley
If butterflies aren’t really your thing, then maybe you’ll like this robot snack medley – a similar idea, but this time it’ll look like a robot. What you’ll need is a packaged drink, applesauce cup, and boxed raisins.
The drink is the body, the applesauce is the head, and the raisins are the feet.
Tape two raisin boxes to the bottom of your beverage (Orgain protein shakes are perfect), and then tape the applesauce cup to the top of the drink. You can draw a face on the applesauce cup for added effect.
3. Basketball Fruit Cup
For this creation, you’ll need a bunch of plain white plastic cups, cardboard paper, a sharpie, and a fruit salad. The first step is drawing lines on the cup with the sharpie to make it look like a basketball net.
Either print out or cut cardboard paper to look like a backboard – the thicker the paper, the better.
Cut two slits on the bottom of the backboard and attach it to the cup to complete the basketball hoop design. All that’s left to do is add the fruit – we recommend adding grapes, melon, berries, pineapple, etc.
2. Yogurt Parfait Bar
You can either pre-make the yogurt parfait and serve individually at the game, or you can pack all the ingredients in Tupperware containers and let the children (or their parents) fix themselves a cup.
Make sure you include yogurt, fruit, grains, nuts, seeds, sweeteners, chocolate chips, and more.
If you want to go above and beyond, add a variety of yogurt flavors and include dairy-free options. Honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar make good sweeteners, and coconut flakes can make it look fancy.
1. Fresh Fruit Pops
Fresh fruit popsicles are reserved for those hot summer days where everyone can use a refreshment. It’s something the kids and parents can enjoy together – but make sure the kids get first choice on flavors.
Don’t worry – popsicles are actually very easy to make and only take a couple of minutes to prep.
To make your own, add your fruit (strawberry) and a juice (lemon juice) to a blender with a dash of honey and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, and then fill a popsicle mold with the puree. Freeze until firm.
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Tips When Packing Snacks for Your Kid’s Sports Team
To a non-parent or someone who never played team sports growing up, snack duty might not seem like a big deal – after all, it’s just a snack, right?
In a way, yes – it’s just a snack. But it’s also so much more than that.
You’re not just providing a small snack for your child – you’re providing snacks for 10-20 children, and are likely to be judged by 10-20 parents who have each been in your shoes before. That’s a lot of pressure!
Not only that, but you’re tasked with choosing options that are nutritious, tasty, energy-laced, easy to eat on the go, and enjoyable for kids. If you can master all of that, then you’ll be fine when snack duty calls.
With that said, here are some of our most prominent tips when packing snacks for your kid’s sports team.
5. Account for Team Size & Age
The last thing you want to do is bring snacks to your child’s gameday, just to find out that you didn’t bring enough for everyone. That’s why it’s very important that you do an official tally of who will be at the game.
Always pack more than what you know you’ll need.
And you’ll also want to account for the age of those involved.
Younger children won’t need as many calories and can get away with bite-sized snacks, while older kids might need a little more substance to their snack. Just remember – variety will always be your best bet.
4. Make Sure You Store Everything Properly
Without the right storage, your snacks will quickly perish – especially for sports that take place outside, and especially those in the summer. To avoid this, make sure you pack everything neatly and properly.
That means bring those coolers – and you can never have too many ice packs.
Put the snacks into airtight containers and Ziploc baggies – you’ll have to decide if they’re being portioned out or put into the same container. And, of course, make sure you don’t squish anything when packing.
3. Be Aware of Any Allergies & Intolerances
This is perhaps one of your most important jobs when on team snack duty. Since it’s very likely at least one child on your kid’s sports team has a food allergy, always confirm with the coach who that might be.
You don’t have to cater the entire snack around that allergy, but it needs to be accounted for.
For example, let’s say you really want to do peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but one of the kids is allergic to peanuts. You can still serve PB&Js, but make something extra for those with allergies.
2. Prioritize Healthy Food Over Junk Food
This goes without saying, but we want our children to be healthy – especially when they’re preparing for, playing in, or just finishing a sports game. And the last thing we want is for them to pig out on junk food.
With that said, save the junk food for another day.
Healthy snacks ensure your child is getting the right nutrients at the right time – which plays a major role in their ability to perform to the best of their ability. The healthier the snack, the more beneficial it can be.
1. Don’t Forget to Keep Your Children Hydrated!
Making sure your child has energy before, during, and after a game (or practice) is one of your biggest responsibilities as a sports parent, but there’s more to it than just keeping them fed with snacks.
Let’s not forget – we also need to keep our children hydrated when playing sports.
In fact, hydration is far more important than satisfying our hunger. Did you know the human body can survive up to three weeks without food before the body shuts down, but only last 3-5 days without water?
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Sports Parents for the Win – We Appreciate You!
According to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), an estimated 53.8% of children aged 6 to 17 played on a sports team or took lessons in 2022 – down from 58.4% five years prior (2017).
In total, 26.8 million kids took part in youth sports, while 23.0 million chose not to.
The numbers might be down from five years ago, but don’t let that fool you – youth sports are still very much recommended and still play a vital role in a child’s growth and development outside of school.
With that said, we want to take a moment to recognize and appreciate the role parents play in youth sports – because without them, those 26.8 million kids wouldn’t have an opportunity to do what they love.
The sacrifices you make for your child don’t and won’t go unnoticed.
Transportation to and from practices or games. Covering the costs for equipment, uniforms, fees, and travel expenses. Providing encouragement, motivation, and support. Collaborating with coaches and staff.
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From early morning practices to late-night games, parents are there every step of the way, providing not just logistical support, but also emotional and moral guidance. And for that, you truly are the real MVP!