Montessori Self-Serve Snack Station.

In 2019 I was put on bed rest during the last part of my third pregnancy. Out of desperation, I set up some self-serve snacks for Javi and Lola. I used a low cabinet so that they could help themselves to dry snacks during the day without my help. A few weeks later, when I was on maternity leave with a premature baby sleeping on me 24 hours a day, I added a low drawer in our fridge, too. I wanted to expand their snack choices in an effort to make healthier snack options available to them when I wasn’t. That, a low cabinet plus a low fridge drawer, had been working up until a few weeks ago when now my third toddler began showcasing her need for independence, too!

Now that Eva’s in the mix, I needed something even lower! Enter: the self-serve snack station!

WHY SET-UP SNACKS THIS WAY?

1. Independence: As much as possible, we want to be preparing an environment set up for a child’s independence. This independence extends itself beyond just “shelf work” and activities, or dressing and brushing teeth. All areas of the home can be prepared for a child — including the kitchen. Think about your kitchen right now: can your child reach items they need? do they have access to water? can they pour themselves a drink? can they reach towels when there’s a spill? do they need YOU in order to eat something? Anytime we can offer opportunities for children to practice their independence, we should.

2. Freedom of choice: Montessori is all about freedom of choice! Self-serve snack stations allow a child to ask themselves — when will I have snack? what will I choose? which snacks do I prefer? how much will I take? am I still hungry? is my belly full? Freedom of choice is free will. Allowing a child to make their own choices, when safe and appropriate, helps to relieve some common power struggles between parent and child.

3. Responsibility: A self-serve snack station teaches children responsibility! Not only can a child choose when to eat and what to eat, but they learn how to portion their food — take too little and they’re still hungry; take too much and the food is wasted. They learn how to set up their snack and have access to extra supplies if something falls on the floor. They dry their own spills, and sweep up their own crumbs. This type of responsibility is empowering for a child.

WHAT A SELF-SERVE SNACK STATION LOOKS LIKE:

This type of snack station can look very different depending on your home! It doesn’t need to be its own shelf — many people opt for low drawers or a single cabinet. But whatever method you choose for storage your station should have these things available:

1. Food: Goes without saying! Your snack station needs food, AND it’s important you are offering foods you don’t mind your child eating! So, if it bothers you when your child eats goldfish — DON’T include them in this type of station. If you limit sweets, don’t offer a cookie jar! If it’s available, it’s a “yes” food which means when your child takes it you shouldn’t have the urge to tell them not to eat it. 

2. Accessories: Include plates, bowls, napkins, and scoops for dry snacks (different sizes so they can choose different amounts depending on how hungry they are or how much they like an item.) Also, include utensils like a spreader for cream cheese or spoons for cereal. Basically, whatever they will need from start to finish for the food items offered, you should have available to them.

In our home, I’ve provided a shelf and a mini-fridge. The top shelf is for access to water. We have 3 glasses, and a pitcher of water. I keep a tray on the top shelf so that when they pour themselves a drink, the tray catches any spills that might happen. On the middle shelf, I have dry snacks — bagels (with a spreader inside the jar), cereal, bars, etc. plus measuring cups they’ll use to scoop out an amount from the jars (which are cereal jars from Target.) On the bottom shelf, I provide plates, bowls, spoons, napkins and then one cubby solely for my youngest. In the fridge, I prep cold snacks: fruit, veggies, hummus, cream cheese, string cheese, yogurt, etc. There’s also a pitcher of milk for their cereal.

HOW IT WORKS:

Montessori is about independence, responsibility and choice AND Montessori is about freedom within limits. So, I’ll share some of the limits I set with our self-serve snack station. In your home, you may have different limits that make sense for your rhythm and family.

1. Options: Their freedom to choose is limited by the options I provide. If I don’t want them to eat it, it’s not available. We shop once a week. So if they choose to eat all their favorite snacks on day 1 or day 2 of the week, they are now limited by not having that snack for the rest of the week because it’s gone. Most snacks are not replenished mid-week — with the exception of fruits and veggies, cereal and milk, and bagels. 

2. Timing: My children are 5, 3 and 16 months so I do remind them to eat snack at times I feel are most appropriate (mid-way between meals.) We use a timer (Google Home device) and it rings at 10AM and at 3PM and lets us know it’s snack time. This works for us. There are other times they’ll choose to eat from this station and it’s also okay but I do set a limit of choosing two items at a time. They are learning to self-regulate which is an important skill! 

THREE QUESTIONS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA:

I got a lot of questions on social media and a few that were repeated multiple times! So I’ll answer them here:

1. What happens when they snack too close to a meal time? In my opinion, it’s ideal when children eat at meal times but it’s not necessary. My job is to provide them food. It’s their job to eat. I know that I’m offering a variety of healthy options and I know my children are all fed. I used to get upset if they snacked too much that they no longer wanted a meal. I’ve learned to let that go. If my 3 year old isn’t eating her carrots at a 6PM dinner because she ate carrots and hummus at 5PM — I’m not losing sleep over it. This is the reason that WHAT you provide in their station matters so much. Make the snacks count!

2. What about the mess? Honestly — it’s not messy. It’s been a year and half of using a system similar to this and my children respect the order that’s in place. Things move around and are used but typically are replaced quickly. Spills are wiped up, crumbs are swept, and dishes are put away. My children are in their sensitive period for order — so it makes sense. They like things where they’re supposed to be which works well for us all. (I also intentionally don’t fill containers up to the top in case of spills.) 

3. When do you set it up? Dry snacks are put out at the beginning of the week and are not necessarily replenished. I prep cold snacks every night for the next day. 

I try to encourage my children to eat healthy and part of that in a Montessori home is trusting them to make healthy choices around food; providing them options and then trusting them to choose them, to listen to their bodies, and to stop eating when they’re full. 

Will you set up a self-serve snack station at home?