patriotic snacks and sweets! food fun with Littles!
- Our Grand Lives
- May 22
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 12
Thursday, May 22, 2025
The Memorial Day weekend is almost here in the United States
and for many of us it marks the unofficial kick off to summer!
For some that might mean
family barbecues (like Laurie) or trips to the lake (like Laura).
To celebrate the upcoming holiday,
today we’re sharing 10 of our favorite patriotic snacks and sweets,
ones that everyone will enjoy… especially the Littles in your life!
We’re always looking for ways to keep the Littles in our lives
happy and engaged
and that’s most certainly true, during family weekends together…
at home or at the lake!
Not only are these red, white and blue treats kid-friendly to eat
they are easy enough
that Littles of all ages will have fun helping you prep them in the kitchen!
(Older Littles may even be able to make them on their own!)
Isn’t that GRAND?
The ideas we’re sharing below are oldies and goodies…
ones we’ve made many times over the years,
with our own children and now our grandkids!
Each would be a perfect addition to your
Memorial Day, Flag Day or 4th of July celebrations!
(Or any day for some extra summer fun!)
It doesn't get more simple than this...
Provide some skewers and bowls of bite size food
and let your Littles create!
A tray of these skewers would be a lovely addition to any patriotic spread! Your Littles can help you thread fruit and cheese onto the skewers or can use just fruit or you can add mini marshmallows or, as we did below, white cheese (stars!) for a savory touch!
Fun combinations - sweet or savory - we’ve tried include
Berries & Mini Marshmallows!
Watermelon, Cheese Sticks & Blueberries!
Grape Tomatoes, Mini Mozzarella Balls & Blackberries or Black Olives!
Your Littles can thread patterns onto the skewers
or create designs with multiple skewers
or they can use a star cookie cutter to make things even more festive!
Let imaginations soar!
Looking for a holiday dessert that's easy to dress up?
We used mini ice cream sandwiches and red, white & blue sprinkles.
Littles will have fun rolling the edges of an ice cream sandwich in these sprinkles!
Fun and delicious! YUM!
We’ve made different versions of these for years…
Littles love them and there are so many options!
Graham Crackers, Frosting & M & M’s!
A Healthier Version?
Use fruit and cream cheese!
How about a breakfast version - Toast, Jam & Fruit?
Once again, imagine how fun snack time will be
as Littles create and nibble!
This treat tastes just like a frozen ice cream bar!
While it takes a bit of time to prep, Littles will LOVE the process!
Again, this treat is versatile and you can switch up the add ons!
We used yogurt, fresh fruit and mini chocolate chips!
Line a baking pan with wax paper. Spread yogurt on top of the wax paper, ¼” - ½” thick. NOTE: We used what yogurt we had - two different kinds that we swirled together!
Here's where Littles can get creative! Sprinkle on fruit that you’ve cut into bite size pieces (we used strawberries and blueberries). Then sprinkle chocolate chips on top and press the toppings gently into the yogurt. Freeze until the yogurt is set, 2-3 hours or overnight.
Peel the wax paper off of the yogurt bark and cut or break into pieces. Store in the freezer in an airtight container or in a freezer bag. (The bark does melt fairly quickly so be mindful of that!)
Laura plans to have a batch of these waiting in the freezer
when the Littles arrive at the lake this weekend!
We're a broken record today...
This idea is also super easy (SURPRISE!)
but will make breakfast, snack time or dessert
extra special for any Little!
Use glasses, mason jars or ice cream dishes for containers.
You’ll need yogurt, whipped cream or even ice cream
(you decide what works best!)
and then let your Littles create layers of the above,
alternating with red and blue berries!
For ours, we put the fruit on the bottom
and topped it with whipped cream and a few M & M’s…
It was our version of a red, white & blue fruit sundae!
You probably know by now that we love a good snack mix
and this one is one of our favorites!
Plus… your Littles can help!
You’ll Need: 1 bag of microwave popcorn, popped (or the equivalent), 1 cup of white chocolate baking chips, 1 package of strawberry Pop Rocks and red, white and blue sprinkles!
To Make: (1). Be sure your popcorn is cooled - we put ours on a cookie sheet lined with foil once it’s been popped. (2). Melt the white baking chips in the microwave. Check after each 30 second interval and stir, until melted. (3). Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn and mix… we used our hands! 😉 (4). Sprinkle the Pop Rocks over the popcorn. Then add sprinkles for added fun! (5). Let the mixture cool completely!
This snack strikes the perfect balance of sweet, salt and spark…
the perfect treat to enjoy during evening fireworks or anytime!
This appetizer has been a staple for Laurie’s family for years
and reminds everyone of her mom!
To add a holiday touch,
as you can see from the photo below,
the dip was topped with white shredded cheese
and then black olives (the stars) and chopped red pepper/tomatoes (the stripes).
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!
Laura plans to have these ingredients on hand this weekend, as well!
This is a yummy lunch option for Littles or anyone
and is easy to pull together on a busy summer weekend!
In fact, most Littles will be able to build their own pizza creation!
You’ll Need: English muffins, pizza sauce, pepperoni and string cheese as well as a star cookie cutter
To Make: Cut the English muffins in half and place them on a cookie sheet.. Spread pizza sauce on top of each half. Cut string cheese in half and then pull each apart to make “stripes.” Lay 3-4 of these horizontally on each muffin. Use the cookie cutter to cut stars from pepperoni slices and place one on each muffin.
Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted slightly.
This may quickly become a family fave!
Whether it’s savory or sweet or a combination of both,
a charcuterie board is always a welcome addition to any gathering!
Fill up a tray or platter with some red, white and blue food and you are all set! Your Littles could have lots of fun checking out the fridge and pantry, looking for foods that fit the bill!! Maybe your Little(s) can join you on a trip to the grocery store to hunt for items, too! Use that handy star cookie cutter to add some decorative touches, too!
Now all that’s needed is a beverage to go along with all the snacks and sweets!
Give this one a try!
We added red and blue Gatorade (Kool-aid or juice would be other options) to a few compartments each of an empty ice cube tray. Then we added Sprite to a few others (you could use another clear liquid, even water). Add some red, white and blue sprinkles to the clear cubes.
When frozen, divide the cubes between glasses. Fill each glass with Sprite or lemonade (or a combination of both), add a straw and your festive drink is ready to serve!
Adults may enjoy adding alcohol of their choice to this beverage
to make the spritzer really sparkle!
Laurie and her friend celebrating the holiday!
CHEERS!
We hope our assortment of patriotic snacks and sweets
gives you an idea or two for the months ahead,
especially if you’ll be spending holiday time with Littles you love!
(And, of course, many could be adapted and enjoyed with Littles
any time of the year!)
If you have any fun food ideas, please share!
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OR
Each highlights a way to share Memorial Day with your Littles!
Memorial Day might officially kick off summer with barbecues and beach trips,
but at its core,
it’s one of the most meaningful holidays we celebrate in the USA.
It's a day of remembrance, reflection, and yes,
a chance to make some new memories with the people we love!
As GRANDS, we can teach our Littles about the history behind this day
and we can remind them (and ourselves) that it’s a time set aside to remember!
We remember with gratitude the Americans who have fought in the past
to keep our country safe and free.
It’s a day to respect and honor our military,
and most especially on this day the ones who have died, protecting our freedoms.
It is also a wonderful time for personal reflection and sharing,
as we remember, celebrate and honor those we’ve lost who have made our lives better!
This weekend we will especially be thinking of these two special souls
and the impact they had on our lives!
SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE SITES FOR FEATURING OUR POST!
Tuesday Turn About from My Wee Abode
Love Your Creativity from Life and Linda
Happiness is Homemade from Eclectic Red Barn
Will Blog for Comments from Photo & Story Treasures
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Just popping in again with congratulations--this post was one of the most popular at the Will Blog for Comments #63 linkup. It will be Pinned to share on Pinterest, and it will be in the spotlight throughout #64, beginning today. There's a "This Post Was a Featured Favorite" image there which you can save to share with your readers here if you like. :) Thanks for joining our linkup! Happy weekend.
I love these ideas! I need to come back to this post for the 4th of July. The little flags are so cute, and I just love the charBLUEterie board. :) Thank you for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #63 linkup! We hope to see you next week, too, at #64. Have a great week!
I love the snacks that the littles can help with! Visiting from #willblogforcomments! Melynda @scratchmadefood!
Very cute ideas for the littles. Happy Memorial Day weekend. I am happy to feature your Patrotic sweets at Love Your Creativity.
Wow! Thanks for sharing so many great ideas!!!