Large charcuterie boards are my FAVORITE thing to serve at parties but often the kids get left out! So here is a super EASY kid friendly charcuterie board that would be perfect for sleepovers or kids birthday parties!
How to make a kid friendly charcuterie board
Knowing how to make a charcuterie board for kids is not tough. You just need to have the right ingredients, or should I say, SNACKS, on hand. They should all be finger food friendly and definitely not too messy!
Once you have a list of kid friendly snacks, pull out your largest cutting board like this one here, and you’re ready to assemble your spread!
Ingredients for your kids charcuterie tray:
The possibilities are ENDLESS guys. Seriously. The only thing holding you back from going overboard on your charcuterie platter is your kids DISLIKES. My boys dislike nuts and most raw veggies but they are still toddlers so I am optimistic!
If you’re looking for easy, healthy snacks to make for kids without those ‘much hated’ vegetables, the board I created here is pretty well-rounded. The worst thing on it is the caramel popcorn which I added because my kids LOVE it. But everything else is overall preservative free and healthy! My kids are super picky but they enjoyed everything on this board.
Here is a list of kid friendly charcuterie board snacks you might want to include. They are all popular with most kids but just keep in mind the likes/dislikes of the children who will be snacking!
Kid Friendly Party Snack Ideas:
- Cheeses (Most kids love string cheese!)
- Mozzarella
- Cheddar
- Nuts
- Peanuts (Roasted/Honey)
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Savory Snacks
- Pretzels (Different shapes)
- Chips (Different flavors)
- Popcorn (Cheddar or Salted)
- Corn chips
- Sweet Snacks
- Caramel Popcorn
- Dark chocolate
- M&M’s (Trail mix)
- Fruit
- Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, etc.)
- Slices peaches/apples/pears
- Grapes (red and green)
- Orange slices
- Or these fun Melon Fries!
- Veggies
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Carrots
- Other
- Mini dill pickles
- Pepperoni slices
- Pita bread triangles
Gluten Free Kids Charcuterie Board
If you are looking for a charcuterie board for kids who have a gluten allergy or intolerance, you will want to keep off items like crackers, some chips, pretzels and breads.
They have some good GF pretzel options out there too. With that said, most nuts and cheeses are naturally gluten free. Fruits and veggies are also all gluten free so throw lots of them on your board!
How to assemble your charcuterie board
There is no right or wrong way to assemble your charcuterie board however, I do have a few creative tips and “styling” tricks that will make your board stand out and hopefully get a few “ooo’s and ahhs” from the kiddos!
- Spread out the food’s colors! Don’t put red next to red, white next to white, etc. The best boards have an array of colors!
- Create piles with your larger snacks and place the smaller items in mini bowls like these!
- Add some height to your board with taller snacks like cheese sticks or pretzel rods.
- Serve your charcuterie board with mini toothpick skewers on the side! Kids love them!
Where to purchase a large charcuterie board
Invest in a large (shatter-proof) plate or sturdy cutting board with handles. You can look in your local Target, HomeGoods or even Walmart for one but if you’re like me, you will order using Amazon Prime. Lol! (all those boxes, smh…)
Here are some other large charcuterie boards popular on Amazon now!
Tips For Your Kids Charcuterie Board
Kids get super excited over food especially snacks! If you are hosting a birthday party or a sleepover and want to pull out a kid friendly homemade charcuterie board like this one, make sure you keep in mind the ALLERGIES at your party. Many kids are allergic to nuts, especially peanuts so ask parents before assembling your charcuterie snack tray.
Another tip is to set guidelines before you place out the board. “Only grab what you’ll eat and don’t touch what you wont”. This will prevent your board from getting too messy!
- Think about a GF, Dairy free, board options
- Always add protein to your board
- Mix up your snack colors
- Keep it as nutritious as possible so the kids will stay full (and so parents don’t hate you.) 🙂
- Add one sweet item (dark chocolate is great and healthy)
- Create TWO boards, a savory snack board and a sweet dessert board!
- Lay out pillows and blankets to create a “picnic” vibe (kids love picnics)
- Take out all your snacks ahead of time and lay them out so you can quickly throw your board together when kids arrive. (assemble too early and some items may go stale)
- Keep it as sugar free or low in sugar as possible. Otherwise kids will go JUST for the sugary snacks. (and we don’t want sugar-highs) 🙂
- Don’t spend too much money! Cheap and inexpensive snacks are easy to find. (Look for those generic versions. I bet kids won’t notice the difference.)
- If your hosting a slumber party, have all the kids help assemble the board!
- If you have leftovers, add them into your child’s lunchbox the next day!
Kids will enjoy ANY snacks that you put out for them so keep it simple and don’t stress out about it. Happy snacking! (And good luck! LOL!)
Other fun kids charcuterie board ideas:
This charcuterie board is filled with fruits, veggies and LOTS of color!
This charcuterie snack board has lots of meats and veggies!
This movie snack platter is so fun for watching movies!
This one is a PB&J snack board! Whoa!
Here is a dessert charcuterie board they will love later on!
But what about the adults?
If there are other adults at the party, you HAVE to serve this Greek Charcuterie Board…with some wine to keep everyone sane while the kids run around! 🙂
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