Easy Snackle Box Ideas For Kids (Perfect for Road Trips & Travel!)

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If you’re going on a long road trip with kids of any age from toddler up plenty of snacks are basically an essential. Snackle boxes are a fun, clever, trending way to pack a mix of healthy snacks and treats your kids will love, guaranteed to keep them quiet in the back! I’ll show you how to assemble the perfect kid’s snackle box for your next family adventure with plenty of varied choices your kids will love, and which will make minimal mess, while being super-low stress to put together!

A Note from Cheryl

Without proper preparation packing the right snacks for a family road trip can be one of the most stressful things. You’ve got to figure out what works for eating on the go, without making any mess (you only make the mistake of passing a bag of potato chips back-and-forth once..!), take into account everyone’s likes and dislikes, and make sure there are enough healthy options on hand so the kids are not just eating the sweet and salty stuff and ignoring the fruit and veg.

All of these road trip snacking problems? They’re solved by a snackle box: a simple, multi-compartment sealable tray (like the ones used to keep tackle and crafting materials in) you can customize and pack with everyone’s favourites. They look super impressive, they’re super fun to eat, and by prepping one for each family member in advance (yes, the adults too!) you’ll cut down on so much unnecessary stress.

I love this 8-compartment snackle box as it is dishwasher friendly, and has a good seal around the edge to keep everything inside crisp and fresh, and to prevent spills in the car! If you already have them at home, Japanese-style bento boxes would also be a great option, with silicone cupcake liners to add extra compartments!

Kid-friendly Snackle Box Snack Ideas

The key to the perfect snackle box is to include lots of different colors and textures. As a general rule of thumb, choose at least one item from each of the five categories below. Then, to fill the rest of the compartments (depending on the size of your snackle box) focus on adding more items from the healthier categories such as fresh fruit, veg and protein (which will keep the kids fuller for longer!)

Fresh Fruit

Apples – toss apple slices with lemon juice to stop them discolouring; this should be done as close as possible to leaving the house!
Clementines – already peeled and divided into segments if they don’t fit or you don’t want to peel in the car
Grapes – unless your snackle box compartments are flush to the lid keep these in a sealed container so they don’t invade other snacks!
Strawberries – only include these if they’re going to be eaten within a few hours, also make sure to cut them up for smaller children
Blueberries – the same rule applies as does to grapes!
Raspberries – also only include these if they’re going to be eaten within a few hours.

Veggies

Baby carrots
Celery sticks
Cucumber slices or batons
Sugar snap peas
Grape tomatoes
Bell pepper strips

Protein

Pepperoni slices
Salami or hard sausage sticks – if these are too long for the compartment, chop into smaller pieces
Almonds, cashews, or peanuts
Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Nut butter packets (Justin’s, etc.) – make sure you also include an option like apple slices for scooping and dunking
Hummus – store-bought or homemade, as with the nut butter, baby carrots, celery sticks or crackers are essential for hummus eating!
Babybel cheese wheels
Cubed cheese
Crispy chickpeas

Crackers & Carbs

Ritz or Triscuits
Pita chips – I love the ones from Trader Joe’s!
Mini pretzels
Mini rice cakes
Mini bagels
Popcorn – for older kids

Sweet Stuff

Dried fruit
Fruit leather
Freeze-dried fruit
Granola bars – either choose mini ones that will fit in a compartment, or you can cut up a larger bar to fit, if you use homemade they’re easy to cut to size
Dates
Chocolate – jumbo chocolate chips would work well, a larger bar broken up into squares, or individually wrapped chocolates or mini chocolate bars
Fig bars
Trail mix

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My Top Tips For Assembly

Consider the temperature of the car on your road trip. If it is going to be warm (and you don’t want to keep the kid’s snackle boxes in the cooler) steer away from chocolate that will melt in direct sun. Also make sure any meats or cheeses are okay at a warmer temperature, or simply swap them out for other proteins!
Smaller, individual boxes are better than a bigger one to share. Even if your kids are absolute angels tempers can fray after several hours in the car to they may be less inclined to share with their siblings than usual — there won’t be any arguments over who gets what if they have their own snackle boxes, and if everything is the same in each one unless you have clear likes or dislikes to cater to.
Skip anything with a strong smell — I’ve seen several snackle boxes made with boiled egg slices… and honestly? I love a good hard boiled egg for a protein hit, but have you ever smelled warm egg in an even warmer car? The same goes for regular treats like peanut butter if one person in the car has a really strong aversion to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance can you assemble the snackle box?

It honestly depends on what you’ve chosen to put in it. Almost everything in the lists above can be assembled the night before and stashed in the refrigerator, but apple slices and anything crispy that may soften in the fridge are best added just before you leave.

Do I need an ice pack to keep snackle boxes cold?

Again, it depends on what you’ve put in there, and for how long you’re going to be travelling for. As a rule of thumb, unless you’ve chosen shelf-stable meats, dips and cheeses (or left them out) pack the snackle boxes with an ice pack or in individual cooler bags so they can be easily accessed if your journey is more than 2 hours, or if you plan to take the snackle boxes out of the family cooler with more than 2 hours left on the road.

Have you got any extra snack suggestions adapting these snackle boxes for adults?

Yes! Pitted olives (the kind in brine, patted dry on a piece of kitchen paper before adding them to the box — ones packed in oil will make a mess!), salted pistachios, edamame, and biltong or jerky would all be fun editions. I’d avoid adding any candy you don’t want the kids eating, however, as they might call you out for not packing any in their snackle box!

Easy Snackle Box Ideas For Kids (Perfect for Road Trips & Travel!)

A Note from Cheryl