Building their own caterpillar encourages children to explore different textures and colours while giving them ownership over their food. Interactive snacks like this can help increase a child’s willingness to try new foods in a low-pressure and creative way.

Ingredients:

• The Base: Crackers or cucumber rounds

• The Glue: Cream cheese or hummus

• The Legs: Pretzel sticks or bell pepper strips

• The Face & Details: Shredded carrots or small bell pepper pieces

Directions:

1. Spread cream cheese or hummus onto crackers or cucumber rounds.

2. Line up the crackers or cucumber slices in a row to create the caterpillar body.

3. Add pretzel sticks or bell pepper strips on the sides as the caterpillar’s “legs.”

4. Lay a cucumber round flat at the end as the caterpillar’s face. Add two small bell pepper pieces for eyes or use shredded carrots as antennae.

5. Enjoy! Have the children describe their creation before digging in.

Dietitian’s Allergy Tips

• Dairy-free? Use hummus instead of cream cheese.

• Looking for a lower sodium option? Choose unsalted pretzels or swap them entirely for extra vegetable strips.

• Need a gluten-free version? Opt for gluten-free crackers or stick exclusively to cucumber rounds for the base.