5 Awesome DIY Summer Snacks for the Kids

When the sun is shining and the kids are spending most of their days outside at the beach or in the back garden, there's no doubt that at some point they'll be back inside, hot, bothered and ready for ice-cream to cool off.

If you don't have any ice-cream in the freezer, don't worry! There are a few really nice summer treats that you and the kids can make at home that'll put smiles on faces and refresh the family.

The added bonus? The kids will love getting their hands sticky making these, and it's always sweeter when you make it yourself!

Check out our summer snack ideas for kids below and let us know your favourite recipe.

1.  Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Popsicle(Vegan, Gluten Free)

Who doesn't love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, blended together perfectly and frozen to make a low-effort summer snack? If you're kids have a bit of a sweet tooth, this will go down an absolute treat.

Ingredients

• 3 medium bananas, sliced and frozen
• ¾ cup almond milk
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Method

1. Pop the bananas and milk into a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. Once that's done, add the peanut butter and blend to create your base mix.
2. Whisk together cocoa powder, maple syrup and coconut oil in a separate bowl to create a 'melted chocolate' like mixture.
3. Add the two mixtures together and combine in blender.
4. Pour your mixture in Popsicle molds (you can grab these at Kmart!) and freeze.

Once your Popsicles are frozen, you're good to go! Slide them out of the mold and hand to the kids (and one for yourself, of course) to enjoy. With only six ingredients and no baking required, this one's super easy to make.

2.  Summer Fruit Platter and Dip

When you think 'platter', you probably imagine a cheeseboard with crackers. This recipe flips that idea on it's head, with an awesome option that'll get the kids excited to eat their 5+ a day of fruit.

Ingredients

• Greggs Instant Dessert Vanilla Creme 70g
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
• Summer fruits of your choice

Method

1. Whisk together the instant dessert mixture and orange juice until it turns into a smooth, creamy mixture and thickens slightly.
2. Whisk yogurt into mixture and place covered in the fridge to cool until ready to serve.
3. Cut your favourite summer fruits (in-season is always the cheapest!) and lay them out on a large plate or board, then place the dessert-dip in the middle.

Watch as the kids discover a new-found love for fresh fruits of all kinds, and get a little entertainment about dunking them in the sweet mixture. Delicious!

3.  Fresh Fruit Pizza

This one is great because it's so quick and so simple, it takes only a few minutes to make. Plus, it adds a fun spin on eating summer fruits - and the flavours together taste amazing! Finally, the kind of pizza you don't have to feel guilty about eating!

Ingredients

• 1 watermelon
• 1 cup greek yoghurt
• A drizzle of honey
• Kiwifruit, strawberries (and pineapple if you like!)
• Shaved coconut

Method

1. Cut your watermelon into 2cm thick, circular slices to form the bases of your pizzas.
2. Mix together greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey in a separate bowl, then spread a layer on top of each watermelon circle.
3. Cut your favourite summer fruits into small pieces, and layer on top like pizza toppings, finishing it off with a sprinkle of shaved coconut for flavour and texture.

Once you've cut these into pizza sized slices, the kids will absolutely love it - not a bad one to pack into the lunch box either!

4.  Two-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream

Yep - you read that right! There are quite literally only two ingredients used to make this treat, and since it's dairy free with no added sugars (other than what's naturally found in the fruit) you don't have to worry about how often your kids are asking for an ice cream treat.

Ingredients

• 4 bananas
• 250g strawberries

Method

1. Begin by chopping up your bananas and strawberries into smaller slices and placing them into a zip-lock bag, then straight into the freezer overnight.
2. Take the fruit out of the freezer, pop them into a blender and mix until the fruit looks like a 'smoothie-like' consistency.
3. Pour your mixture into a tray, tin or freezer proof dish, cover with cling film and freeze for another hour.
4. You can now scoop out your homemade ice cream into bowls or cones, ready to eat.

IMPORTANT: Don't try this with fresh fruit straight from the bowl and freeze your mixture afterwards - it just won't work quite right. Make sure to freeze the fruit first before you blend.

5.  Edible Fruit Necklaces

Name something that kids love more than wearing something they can eat. Remember those candy-string lollies you grew up with as a kid? These edible fruit necklaces are a great healthy alternative, plus they double as an awesome activity if you have kids with friends over - give them the tools and they can make their own!

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Grapes

You'll also need elastic thread and a blunt yarn needle.

Method

1. Wash your fruit and separate into bowls to make the 'beads' for your necklace. This can be almost any fruit, as long as it's not too mushy and wont fall off the elastic easily.
2. Cut 60cm of cord and thread through your yarn needle.
3. Start by threading through one piece of fruit and knotting it at the end to hold all of the others in place, then continue threading, creating a pattern like you would with beads.
4. Tie your necklace into a loop.

Simple as that! You'll probably notice that the kids will snack along the way or maybe even wont want to tie the necklace and simply make a 'fruit snake' - but either way, they'll be entertained!

Cleaning Up Your Summer Snacks

Getting a little bit sticky with the kids to keep them entertained and help them cool off can be a pretty messy activity. If you're worried about cleaning up afterwards - don't be! We've got all the tips and tricks you need to know to clean up easily and remove any stains.

You can download our FREE guide below!