10 CREATIVE SANDWICH IDEAS KIDS CAN MAKE!

The only thing kids love more than a sandwich? A sandwich they’ve made all by themselves! Check out some of our favorite sandwich ideas for kids to make! This post was sponsored by Lance. All opinions and text are my own. As moms (and as pediatric therapists), we know the power of bringing kids into the kitchen to help with cooking and meal prep. Cooking with kids is one of the best ways to target picky eating and sensory processing issues surrounding food. As kids become more familiar and comfortable with touching and preparing food, they just might be more likely to take a bite of something they’ve never tried before! From a fine motor perspective, cooking and food preparation has tons of great benefits. From opening containers and packages to stirring, kneading, pouring, and cutting… kids are getting awesome practice with grasping skills, hand strengthening, and more! And don’t forget the cognitive aspects of cooking! It takes some serious brain power to gather ingredients, sequence the steps of the recipe, and time things just right to get a delicious result! What better way to start cooking with your kids than with some simple, but creative sandwich ideas. Sandwiches are awesome – they’re easy to eat, easy to pack for an on-the-go lunch, and they fill up little tummies fast! But sandwiches don’t just have to be two pieces of bread with something in the middle. Think outside the box and get creative! Here are some ideas to get you started: 1 || Banana and Sunflower Seed Butter, Almond Butter, or Peanut Butter Sandwiches – An all-time favorite at my house. This is a hit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and slicing up a banana is an easy way for kids to get familiar with using a knife! Spread slices of banana with whatever type of butter you prefer to make lots of delicious mini sandwiches! 2 || Apple and Sunflower Seed Butter, Almond Butter, or Peanut Butter Sandwiches – My kids love these. Simply core your apple and then cut into rounds (the hole from the core will be in the center of each round). Let the kids spread the slices with your favorite nut or seed butter and then add another apple slice to make a sandwich! 3 || Cucumber and Hummus or Cream Cheese Sandwiches – Cut your cucumber into slices and let kids spread half of the slices with cream cheese. Then, show them how to place the other cucumber slices on top to make little sandwiches! A fresh, cool lunch idea! 4 || Fruit and Cheese Kabobs – Here’s a non-sandwich sandwich that is also great for working on fine motor skills. Just like stringing beads, have kids thread cheese cubes and grapes or other fruit onto bamboo skewers! This will add some interest to that lunch box! 5 || Meat and Cheese Wraps – Another quick and easy lunch idea kids can easily make by themselves. Simply roll up a slice of your favorite cheese inside a piece of lunch meat. You can even show kids how to fasten them with colorful toothpicks for some extra fun! 6 || Lance Toastchee, Whole Grain & Quick Starts Cracker Sandwiches – We love Lance’s sandwich snacks for a quick on-the-go sandwich option. Two crunchy, baked crackers on the outside with real cheese, peanut butter and other yummy ingredients in the middle! Two awesomes and an incredible! This is how we sandwich! Lance’s Quick Starts are the perfect, filling breakfast sandwich for a busy morning and their Whole Grain and Toastchee Cracker Sandwiches are awesome for lunches. Lance can be found in most major retailers across the country, such as Walmart, Kroger, and Safeway.  7 || Pretzel and Hummus Sandwiches – Here’s a delicious salty snack sandwich. Simply spread a plateful of mini pretzels with hummus and sandwich another mini pretzel on top! A super easy snack or lunch for kids to make! 8 || Lettuce Roll Ups – This is a fun one for lunch or dinner. Set up a lettuce roll up station with washed lettuce leaves and bowls of turkey, shredded cheese, hummus, shredded carrots, and any other toppings your kids might like. Let them create their own roll ups! 9 || Cucumber Roll Ups – Kids like this one because they get to make their own “sushi”! Cut long, thin slices of cucumbers and show kids how to spread hummus or cream cheese down the length of each slice. Let them sprinkle on shredded carrots and cheese and then help them roll the cucumber slices up into circles. Fun to make and fun to eat! 10 || Classic Nut Butter Celery Boats – An old stand by. Cut up some celery slices and have kids spread nut butter down the middle. Decorate with raisins, nuts, or another favorite treat! When Lance makes a sandwich, they put two awesome things on the outside and something incredible in the middle. So let’s hear it! Tell us how you make a sandwich in the comments below! #sandwiching   Visit Lance on their website and be sure to follow them on their Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube pages to learn more about their products and promotions!