Team Parent Snacks: Halftime Snacks That Are Perfect for Your Kid's Game

Your pee-wee football team, junior soccer league, and mini basketball players usually have plenty of energy to keep the game going strong. But during halftime, some refueling is necessary to keep spirits high and those feet flying.

Halftime snacks for kids are best when they're light and nutritious — often just a piece of fruit, granola, or peanut butter. The key is to hydrate and boost your players' carbs. Use these easy snack ideas as inspiration next time it's your turn to bring halftime snacks to your child's game. Be sure to ask parents about their kids' allergies if you'll be providing snacks for the whole team.

Celery with peanut butter.

Celery is packed with vitamins, water, and dietary fiber to help kids digest the snack fast and evenly. Peanut butter or any other nut butter is a great source of carbs and protein for little players. Spread the nut butter on slices of celery, and put three or four in a plastic baggie for each player.

Greek yogurt and banana.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a cup of Greek yogurt has a whopping 22 grams of protein, and adding a sliced banana gives your player 27 grams of carbohydrates as fuel for the second half of the game. For the adventurous athletes, add some slivered almonds for a crunch and more protein.

Cheese and crackers.

For children who prefer to skip the sweets during a game, a great team snack idea is slices or cubes of a light cheese, such as Colby-Jack, atop some fiber-rich whole wheat crackers.

Orange slices.  

One-fourth of an orange provides about four grams of carbohydrates. It's easy to slice one or two oranges per athlete the night before the game. Toss them in a large freezer bag to share, or package them in individual baggies for quick replenishment during halftime.

Berries in a cup.

Springtime lends itself easily to baseball, softball, and soccer snack ideas. Fresh berries are readily available in the fruit and veggies section, so grab some raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and the like. As suggested by experienced soccer mom Jenny Dix of The Contemplative Creative, add a portion of each of the berry types to a paper cup for each child.

Fruit with its own "packaging."

For a super-easy, super-nutritious halftime snack, choose fruits that don't need slicing or preparation ahead of time. Bananas are excellent fuel sources and snack ideas for little athletes. Juicy apples give kids fiber, carbs, and some hydration to boot. Grapes, apricots, peaches, pears, and pitted cherries are all super-simple sources of halftime fuel, too.