Parents wish for their children to be both healthy and independent. You can kill two birds with one stone by getting your kids to make healthy snacks for themselves. Depending on their age, you can begin to involve them in the kitchen slowly. In households where both parents work long hours, this independence can come in handy in ensuring your kids do not grab junk food when their stomachs grumble. The following are healthy and fun snacks your kids can make themselves.

1. Peanut butter and banana toast
A simple and healthy recipe that your kid can make themselves is banana and peanut butter toast. These common ingredients are usually available in every household, and the steps are easy to follow. Banana on toast provides your child with an energy boost, essential potassium, protein for growth, and essential fats. Your child only has to put two slices of bread in a toaster, wait for it to pop up, spread peanut butter on one side, drizzle honey, and use a spoon to slice the banana. Optionally, they can heat the toast in the microwave for 10 seconds. Some children like having milk with this, and remember that this recipe involves an electric toaster, so younger children should not be allowed to prepare this without supervision.

2. Trail mix
Nuts and dried fruits are an excellent snack idea your children can make for themselves. You can pick one day in the week to pack a few bags that they can take to school or make a big box full of trail mix so they can scoop out a cup when they feel a rumble in the tummy. Common ingredients are nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, and seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, and granola. Add in dried fruits like cherries, cranberries, blueberries, pineapple, apricot, and raisins. Shredded coconut is a fancy choice, and roasted, salted peanuts add a salty taste to the trail mix. If your kids are fussy eaters, try adding chocolate candies like M&Ms, jelly beans, or even yogurt-covered raisins. If your kids have a favorite cereal, make sure they put that in too.

3. Cheesy nachos
Another tasty recipe for kids is cheesy nachos. You might need taco sauce for this snack, and make sure you are comfortable with them using the microwave. It is a snack that tastes best when warm. So on days, your kid wants a break from schoolwork, they can spend time making this. Your child should get a bag of chips in a flavor they like and spread them on a single layer on a plate that is microwave-safe. They could also use taco sauce and generously sprinkle grated cheese over the chips. If your child likes olives, that adds a nice twist, and if they can use a knife safely, they can add chopped tomato, bell peppers, and onions to improve the taste. After adding the ingredients to the plate of chips, they only need to microwave it for a minute or until the cheese melts.