7 Quick & Easy Snacks for Kids: Perfect treats for play dates, parks & potlucks!

It’s always fun to find new snack ideas for kids! Our kids have been counting down the days until their outdoor play date. They can’t wait to have other kids over and we love making special treats and snacks when we have visitors.

We love quick and easy snacks for kids that look fun and special. (And keyword: EASY for mom ;) Most of these snack ideas also travel well, so they work great for picnics, parks and potlucks, too!

7 Quick Snack Ideas & Treats for Kids

We also made a printable with these easy treats for kids so that they’re always handy! You can click HERE to download it.

I’d be curious to know which of these you’ve made before and which ones are new? We’ve made the almond bark popcorn since we were kids, but just found the donut hole skewers– so cute!

Here they are! 7 super easy snacks for your kids:

Veggie Dip Cups

These veggie dip cups are SO easy to put together and really easy for kids to grab. I love that you don’t have to worry about a bunch of little fingers in the veggie tray. And with these, double-dipping is totally encouraged!! ;)

INGREDIENTS:

  • Cut veggies
  • Ranch dressing or dip
  • Plastic punch cups

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pour ranch into the bottom of cups
  2. Add veggies

Whenever we bring these to a picnic or potluck everyone says how handy they are. For kids and adults alike, these veggie dip cups are a winner.

Donut Hole Skewers

It’s pretty much just a given now that we make these donut hole & fruit skewers every time the kids have friends over. They are incredibly easy to make (in fact the kids prefer to assemble them by themselves) and loved by all.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Donut Holes (sprinkled ones are extra special!)
  • Strawberries
  • Grapes
  • Grilling Skewers

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Create a pattern and place ingredients on skewers
  2. Enjoy!!

I love it when the simplest ideas are the best! And while we usually make them when kids are coming over to play, we’ve found that adults find them fun, too!

Sweet & Salty Almond Bark Popcorn 

Seriously, talk about easy!! Just two ingredients and 3 minutes to a snack you can mix up ANY time! We make this weekly for just ourselves and then add sprinkles when we’re hosting ;)

INGREDIENTS:

  • one block white almond bark (chocolate works, too!)
  • one bag microwave popcorn

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Microwave popcorn
  2. Microwave almond bark in a glass bowl for one minute at regular power
  3. Dump popcorn into a large bowl
  4. Drizzle almond bark over popcorn and gently mix

…and that’s it! Tip: Wait to put the popcorn into the bowl until the almond bark is done melting. This keeps the popcorn warm so it blends even easier with the almond bark.

I also like to divide this into plastic punch cups for kids so that its easy to grab!

3 Ingredient No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

I especially like finding treats for the kids that are healthy-ish. Whether you make this up for an after school snack or playdate, I’m guessing they’ll quickly become a favorite at your house.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
  • 2 1/2 cups oats

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a saucepan, heat peanut butter and maple syrup on low until just starting to bubble
  2. Turn off heat & stir in oats, mix until combined
  3. Press into a greased 8″x8″ pan
  4. Let cool, cut and serve

You can also put these into the freezer to cool faster! Tip: We like Old Fashioned Oats. They create a nice texture and store longer than quick oats. But if you’re planning to eat them right away (in the next day or two), quick oats will definitely work, too!

DIY Dirt Cups for Kids

What kid doesn’t love dirt cups for a snack or treat? These make a really fun play date snack because the kids can make their own!

INGREDIENTS:

  • Chocolate pudding cups
  • 6-8 crushed Oreos (we used Walmart chocolate sandwich cookies!)
  • Gummy worms

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Crush Oreos and set out in a bowl
  2. Remove lids of pudding and let kids add their own toppings!

Note: these are a little messy! It might be best to have your guests eat them outside. But if you’re taking them to a park or potluck, you should be just fine!!

The EASIEST Fruit Dip EVER

This two-ingredient cream cheese and marshmallow creme fruit dip is SO easy and tastes SO good!
INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 – 8oz. package plain cream cheese
  • 1 – 7oz. container marshmallow creme

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Let cream cheese sit out for a couple of hours to soften
  2. Mix the two ingredients by hand or with mixer until well combined
  3. Serve with fruit and/or pretzels

FUN ADDITIONS:

  • Add crushed Oreos
  • Add 1/2 c. to 1 c. creamy peanut butter
  • Substitute strawberry cream cheese for plain cream cheese

This fruit dip is so easy, but everyone loves it. It is easy to keep all of the ingredients on hand so you can throw it together at a moment’s notice. We like to dip apple slices, musk melon, honeydew, and pretzels in it.

Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars


If you’ve spent any amount of time with us, you’ve seen these lazy chocolate chip cookie bars. Just 4 ingredients, no measuring and you only dirty one bowl…it seriously doesn’t get any easier!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • One yellow cake mix
  • One bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 eggs
  • One stick butter

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl until melted
  3. Whisk in eggs
  4. Mix in yellow cake mix
  5. Mix in the bag of chocolate chips
  6. Press into greased 9×11 pan
  7. Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, these chocolate chip cookie bars are so EASY. They’re a fun snack or treat for any get-together. And every time we bring them, we get asked for the recipe– they are a crowd pleaser!
Plus, they travel well. From play dates at a park to a family potluck, so easy to make and take!!

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Thanks for stopping by!

I’d love to know what you think! Have you tried anything like this before? We hope you love them as much as we do!

I’ve also recently shared our Minimalist Kitchen and How to Declutter Your Kitchen QUICKLYit definitely makes it a more enjoyable place to be!


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