Feeding the kids after school is part art (something fresh and inviting!) and part science (fill them up, but not too much!). As the mom of four young kids, I like to go small for the afternoon snack, focusing on fruit and vegetables. It’s a chance to get another serving of either one in for the day — but that doesn’t mean a stray granola bar won’t make an appearance. Check out some of my favorites.

The only problem with serving Giada De Laurentiis’ homemade granola bars after school is that your kids will want more than one — and that’s not going to leave them with room for dinner! If you can convince the kiddos to eat these tasty snacks in moderation, you really can’t go wrong.

Here all of the delicious flavors of a cup of fresh yogurt are topped with fresh fruit — frozen, perched on a stick, ready at a moment’s notice.

Leave it to The Pioneer Woman to come up with a 5-star recipe that puts a fresh spin on a pretty famous (and beloved) cracker.

These are not the kind of cucumber sandwiches you have at high tea. In this kid-friendly after-school version, crispy cucumber slices are the bread. Tip: Serve up a pile of cucumber slices on a tray, plus a little turkey and cheese, then let the kids assemble their own sammies as they like.

If your kids happen to like snacks that are crispy, salty and positively addictive, Valerie Bertinelli’s kale chips will hit the spot.

This idea works as well for a party as it does after school. Gather a few tiny juice glasses, squirt a little salad dressing into the bottom of each glass, then let the kids fill the cups with veggie sticks: carrots, bell peppers, sugar snap peas. Whatever variety of raw veggies you have will work perfectly.

Frozen blueberries have a major thing going for them: They’re available year-round. Pair them with silky avocado for an amazingly nutritious, can’t-stop-slurping snack.

Pour salad dressing into three small bowls, set out a platter of baby carrots and let the kids tell you which dip wins.

Charity Curley Mathews is the mother of four small kids, contributor to Huffington Post, eHow, InStyle and founder of Foodlets.com: Mini Foodies in the Making…Maybe.