Our easy and sustainable Montessori Snack Station allows my kids to get snacks independently. The hardest part of our day is always between 3-5pm. But one thing goes consistently well during that time and it’s snacks.
What is a Montessori Snack Station
A Montessori Snack Station is part of your home that invites children of all ages to grab a snack without your help. We created and easy and sustainable by using a pantry shelf, cart or even a bowl on the counter. The main purpose is to support a child’s independence in an area of self care. When a child is hungry he is given the opportunity to follow his hunger cues and feed himself. Most importantly your snack station should be easily accessible for children of all ages. Consequently you may need to include a step stool or pare down quantities to child sized portions.
What Age Is The Montessori Snack Station For
A child that can walk and balance a cup, bowl or plate is ready for a snack station. This may be 12 months for some children and 16 months for others. My daughter started walking at 13 months, so you can imagine it took her a few months to be able to walk and hold a bowl of crackers. Some young children will be more motivated to get their own snacks. This can be tough if the child isn’t quite coordinated enough to make it to the table without spilling everything. Try giving your child plenty of opportunities during the day to practice their balancing skills. Ask them to carry empty cups to the table at each meal or silverware for the family. Children can carry fruit or cloth napkins with little damage if dropped, these are great ways to improve balance while walking.
Once children start using a snack station they probably won’t want to stop. My eight year old loves being able to get his own snacks or help his younger sibling open packages. Older children will appreciate the opportunity to get after school snacks without waiting for your help.
Here is a video of my daughter when she was 18 months old exploring our new snack station.
What Are Montessori Appropriate Snacks
I think too often we get caught up in making everything just right. There is no such thing as a Montessori snack. Offer your child the snacks that they enjoy and you feel good about purchasing. We have fruit snacks some times because my kids like them. The fruit snacks that we typically purchase have very little nutritional value. I don’t buy them because they are healthy, I buy them because they are a treat. If your family typically makes organic purchases then purchase organic food for you snack station.
On any given day we have a few different food offering for our children. The pantry holds dry snacks, I usually put fruit on the kitchen island and the fridge has perishable foods. Choose foods that your child can eat safely and packages they can open independently. You can precut foods or wash them if that is something your child can’t do independently. If you want your children to make snacks such as sandwiches then give them plenty of opportunities to practice with your supervision. Children do not naturally know how to spread peanut butter on bread, you will nee to model open the container, using a knife and spreading.
How Do I Set Up A Snack Station
An easy and sustainable Montessori snack station is achievable if you follow these simple steps.
Make it accessible.
Make it low maintenance.
Accessibility
- Keep the snacks simple.
- Stock snacks that children can open independently.
- Create child size portions, use scoops and measuring cups.
- Remove fruit from bag.
Low Maintenance
It’s pretty simple, if the snack station isn’t low maintenance it won’t be sustainable. While I would love for everything to look adorable and be labeled, that’s not what we have going in our pantry. I simply am not going to label every container or basket because the contents change too often. Do what works for you, don’t stress yourself out. If it becomes stressful it’s not sustainable.
- Use clear containers so you can see when snacks are running low.
- Keep refills out of reach and sight of children, (especially if you have a child who likes to climb, trust me).
- Buy snack favorites in bulk. We shop at Costco so I can usually buy pantry snack once a month.
Well mamas I hope that these tips help you to create a Montessori Snack Station in your home. Remember it doesn’t have to be fancy, it just needs to be a functional space that promotes independence.
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We have several of these OXO containers in various sizes.
These RePlay divided plates have been our favorites, I purchased two sets and have had them about 6 years.
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Looking for more ways to raise independent children? Check out this post!
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