Depending on the age, energy and “spunk” of your children, the beginning of the school year can traverse a whole range of emotions. For us, not much changes other than a bit more of a routine. But one thing—and I think I speak for most parents—is pretty universal: the snack paradox. On the one hand, a kid can be completely famished as if they just escaped a James Bond style chase through a third world country and thus DEMAND snacks upon snacks upon snacks. Seriously, it’s like their stomachs open a pocket dimension that sucks any and all sustenance. On the other hand, they won’t be hungry enough to eat a meaningful meal with the family or even alone…

The Snack Paradox: Kids Legit have two stomachs…

One thing that has changed since the mid 90’s when I and my better (prettier, smarter) half were elementary students is a focus on snack time. I don’t remember EVER having snack time outside of Pre-K. Nowadays, that’s sort of a thing at least through elementary. I think that’s a great idea. We often donate snacks to our local school to help kids who may not be so well off. We all focus better if we ain’t “hangry.”

It begs the question though—what’s a good snack? Let’s get the obvious one out there: POPCORN! Specifically, #notoothpicksrequired #awesomepopcorn. In fact, if you want to make this a reality in your kiddo’s back-to-school experience, try out SCHOOLSNACK for 50% off some of our Honestly Awesome Popcorn.

Okay, so what do you consider in a “good” snack? I guess there’s LOTS to consider but I think we can break it down into the following:

Tasty

If it doesn’t taste good, kids ain’t gonna eat it and then you’ve got a hole burned through your wallet and a hungry, unfocused kid.

Filling Not Spoiling

Since it’s a snack, you don’t want something that’s so “heavy” it’ll spoil an appetite for lunch or supper after school. But you also don’t want it to be so “light” that it did no good—no kid wants to eat rice cakes!

Healthy(ish)

Kids have enough energy naturally. There’s no need to turbocharge that with processed sugar and junk food. Candy bars are out and so are cookies. Besides, it doesn’t build healthy habits and can increase “brain fog” in classrooms. That said, raw vegetables may be really healthy but few kids will eat that without dips like ranch or hummus. We don’t need to count carbs for our kids, but a “healthy-ish” mentality is pretty good.

Shareable

This isn’t the first concern, but hear us out. Eating is a very social experience. Sharing a meal is an important part of fellowship with friends! And, sadly, not all kids come from families with means for adequate nutrition. So sharing truly is caring. A snack that can be shared helps socialize (especially with our youngest kids) and may help poor students without making it a big deal.

Versatile

A bit lower on the list but worth considering, does your snack taste good with other foods and snacks? Our #awesomepopcorn can go into a trail mix, replace potato chips, and even go with a sandwich.