How long do kids have snack time?

[mamazee]

I didn't have snack time after like kindergarten, but my dd is in 4th grade and still having daily snacks. I wonder if kids are too reliant on snacks. She has a good breakfast and IMO should be able to go through to lunch. She doesn't need a mid-morning snack during the summer - she's too busy playing. I'm just questioning the need, and wondering when it ends.

[whatsnextmom]

In elementary, the kids have a recess period between school starting and lunch. It's 15 minutes and while it's not called "snack" they have the option of eating then. Some teachers really encourage kids to eat a little something during that time.

Personally, I think it's important to have regular breaks scheduled throughout the day. Whether they eat or not makes no difference to me but just the action of getting up and letting your mind relax helps keep the classroom a focused learning environment.

[Emmeline II]

[Peony]

DD1 is in 3rd grade, they have a morning 30 minute recess. They are allowed to eat a snack if they want one, she never does and hasn't since 1st grade. Her school offers that break until 8th grade which is the grade her school goes to. 

[pianojazzgirl]

My dd gets that morning break too.  Like the pps I think it's quite important.  Besides having that time to de-stress, relax (take a break!) some kids actually do need a snack at that time of day.  Dd often is not hungry in the morning, and so eats a small breakfast and a substantial morning snack.  I remember getting a morning break even all throughout highschool and I remember being ravenous by the time I got to my snack (fast metabolism)!

[Linda on the move]

I wonder if your school has a high % of kids who either leave the house crazy early to get there and therefore breakfast was a very long time ago, or if you have a lot of kids who the school suspects don't get breakfast.

My sister used to teach in a school in a small town that served a large rural area, and many of the kids had nearly an hour commute to get to school. That's what popped into my head when I read your post.

[ALittleBitCrunchy]

Ours does it through K, but it does pop up. My DS is in 4th grade and they have an option for a morning snack, if they want it. The exception is because of scheduling - we have recess then lunch and the 4th graders eat last. For a kid that ate breakfast at 7:00, had PE at 10:00 and then recess at 12:30, lunch at 1:00 can be a very long time away. He hadn't asked for a snack and we didn't know it was an option until last week...so he doesn't take a snack.

I would like to say that I sometimes think parents force a reliance on snacks on kids. Not just snacks, but really junky ones. DS is playing football and we STILL have to deal with post-game "treat bags" filled with candy and chips. These kids eat a big lunch, play a game at 2:00 and could eat after the game if they were hungry...but instead of making it an option, a parent stands there and passes out these bags. Last week had donuts, cheese curls, chips, suckers and SIX different types of fun-size candy. And gum. And fake juice.  I wonder if these snacks will ever end!!

[mamazee]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move 

I wonder if your school has a high % of kids who either leave the house crazy early to get there and therefore breakfast was a very long time ago, or if you have a lot of kids who the school suspects don't get breakfast.

My sister used to teach in a school in a small town that served a large rural area, and many of the kids had nearly an hour commute to get to school. That's what popped into my head when I read your post.

I live in a small affluent town with mainly two-parent families. There are rural areas around us but they have different school districts.

[TiredX2]

My kids' elementary school has snack time all the way through 6th grade.  DS is in 4th this year and generally didn't take a snack last year.  It just wasn't important to him.  DD, meanwhile, had a snack everyday through 6th grade.  In 7th she kept granola bars in her locker for emergencies.

I think it's a variable thing--- some kids aren't hungry when they wake up in the morning, some kids need to eat more often, some kids end up with a late lunch (or early lunch) and need a snack on the other side, etc... I think it's great that your school allows them some designated time to have a break, but if your child personally doesn't need a snack don't make them eat one.  In 6th grade I finally said I thought it was crazy we were doing snacks during math club (which was only 1.5 hours) and all the parents agreed, lol, so we finally gave that up.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

i have snack time and I'm a grown up.

The school we are looking at for ds does snack through 8th grade (because it is a K-8)

I think that having a snack is way better than "making" it until lunch time.  Having a break time to chat and eat a little something is awesome.  Now of course I am assuming one is not eating a candy bar for snack, but an apple or yogurt or cheese and crackers etc.  

[columbusmomma]

My DS had it up until this year, he just started 4th grade. He always had an am and pm snack. The items were donated by parents and were recommended that they be healthy and easy to deal with. I think snack time is beneficial. Not all kids have eaten a good breakfast or lunch so this can help with some of those issues.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

As a mom of a child who will only eat 6 bites at any one time, I'm grateful that she has a time for a morning snack.  Kids bring their own, so its not required but it does mean that she might eat a little something and she needs every bite I can get into her.  Here the elementary schools (K-5) have a time for snack during the morning recess, but it is eliminated in the middle school schedule.

[NiteNicole]

As far as I know, snack time goes all the way through middle school.  They're there for seven hours, then tack on 20 minutes in the morning and afternoon for the commute and that's almost another hour.  Do you go eight hours and eat only one time?  Also, lunch isn't bang in the middle of the day, they eat an early-ish lunch (which is great as my daughter has breakfast at 6.30 and isn't home till 4.15 - that's a long time on whatever lunch she can cram down in twenty minutes) and a mid afternoon snack.  She's starving by the time she gets home.  All my friends' kids are starving when they get home.  I always remember being hungry after school, right on through high school.

Most people can't focus, never mind behave, when they're starving. 

[lindberg99]

I remember my son's 3rd grade teacher talking about snacks. But not since then. My younger DS didn't have them last year in 1st grade.

I think the problem with snack time at our school is not all the kids are going to have something. The kindergarten teacher would make out a "snack schedule" so that you would bring a snack for the whole class once a month rather than sending something in every day. And I think that's what my son's 3rd grade teacher was trying to do but I don't think she had anything official. If the teacher doesn't organize something, I think it ends up that some kids bring in something every day and then other kids have to sit there without anything. So maybe that makes teachers stop doing it?

My son is now in 6th grade and has to go to the jr high for math at 7:30. Then he goes to his elem school where the 6th graders don't eat lunch until 12 or 12:15. So he usually brings something along to eat after algebra because otherwise he eats breakfast at 6:30 and then doesn't get lunch until noon and that is a pretty long time. My 8th grader starts at 7:30 too and also doesn't eat until 11:50. I've tried to get her to keep something in her locker but she is very rules oriented and said that they are not allowed to eat in the halls. I figured she could grab a couple grapes or cheese cubes and eat them on the way to class but she won't. She also says that she can't keep a snack in her locker because she has no room. She is bitter at the unfairness of her having to have a narrow locker even though she is in 8th grade and believe me, I have heard quite a bit about this already! Those of you who have 13 yo will understand I'm sure. 

I don't think kids need a snack after a sports. Why can't their parents just give them something if they feel they need it? Not everyone does. I also don't think that my church needs to do a snack during Sunday school for up to 3rd graders. I am pretty sure that most kids could make it through a 1 hour class and then have a snack with everyone else at coffee hour afterwards. They will only give them water and a couple crackers so it's not like they are getting cake and skittles but I still don't think they need it.

[Rani]

In our school, the preschool does the sign up sheet thing so everyone gets something. In elementary, if I remember correctly, it was much the same. 5-8, snacks like granola bars, chips, pretezels, etc are on the supply list and kept in the class room for quick grab in the class room if a child wants it.  But otherwise not an organized snack time.  this way not forcing anyone to eat and there is enough for all.

[claras_mom]

At our school (small program w/in the public school system), each family is responsible for snacks during one week of the year. New families usually share a week. It's a PITA, on the one hand, but on the other they've sort of made snack time a part of the curriculum, in that the kids eat with the same mixed age group every day. It's community building, and they learn manners (waiting until everyone's there to eat) and sharing (seconds have to be negotiated).

On a more pragmatic note, I struggle to get my kid to eat first thing in the morning--she's just not hungry then--so I'm happy that there's a snack mid-morning

[NiteNicole]

Mine has to eat so she can take medication and I pretty much have to stand over her and encourage her to eat, bite by bite. 

What is the point of making each family provide a snack for a week?  Kids can't just bring their own snack?  Is it so hard to pack a juice box and some cheese and crackers?  Why do they all need the same thing?  And what about families who get free lunch?  Do they also have to buy a week's worth of snack for 20 kids, or do they get to opt out?

At my daughter's school, snack is mid afternoon and everyone takes a drink and a snack or they take a snack and get a cup and water from the water fountain (which a lot of kids seem to do).

[Doodlebugsmom]

Dd is in 4th grade, and has snack this year due to a late-ish lunch time. She gets on the bus at 8:10, and lunch isn't until 12:40. Her teacher allows them to bring in a snack that they can have at about 11:00. It's totally optional. Dd hasn't even asked to take one in yet. She's not a big eater. I was subbing for a kindergarten class at my kids' school last week. It was a kindergarten class. They have lunch at 11:00, and then some of them don't get on the bus to go home until 4. They definitely needed an afternoon snack. Different teachers do it differently. Dd had a snack in kindergarten and 1st grade, then not again until this year. Ds is in 2nd grade and has never been in a class that had snack time. It hasn't seemed to bother him. I always pack the kids a big lunch, so there's no fear they'll go hungry. :) As a future teacher, I do worry about students who don't seem to get enough to eat at home. I'll always keep some healthy snacks on hand to ensure no students in my class are going hungry. I'll also listen to parents, and if they believe their child needs a snack during the day I'll plan for a snack time.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by mamazee 



I live in a small affluent town with mainly two-parent families.

I doubt that correlates to all kids eating breakfast.

[mamazee]

For young kids, their parents are responsible for them eating breakfast, but at some point it's the kid's responsibility to eat breakfast before school. If my dd didn't eat breakfast, she'd be hungry during school, and the next day she'd probably eat breakfast. I understand snacks for younger kids, but I think once kids are in 3rd or 4th grade, they ought to be able to handle the responsibility of eating before school. I think snacks are way way overdone. My dd has lunch at like 10:30 or something, but they need a morning snack? And if they can't go a couple of hours without eating, why don't they have an afternoon snack between 10:30 and 3:30?