We mostly think of the toddlers thought 5 years when it comes to snacks during class. Elementary children love them too. Keep in mind this is not a feed a hungry program. We are meeting a basic physical need most children might have in a 2 + hour trip away from home. Younger children 2-5 yrs will be unusually quiet during this time due to the fact their mouth is full of food, so why not tell the Bible story during this time. You will need to plan in advance for this to work. If your students start eating as soon as you pass out snack to them by the time you reach the last child the first child may be finished. Train your class to wait until all have there food, pray, then all may eat together. Not only is this good etiquette but while they eat you can teach. Making this change might take a couple of services if your class is a custom to eating as soon as they get their snack in hand. If spaced allows set it all out before hand, and have them come to the snack table or area. Another option is to have the child do something to “earn” the snack. Say the memory verse, answer a question, or give an example of the lesson taught.
Try to make the snack apply to the lesson. If your teaching on love you don’t have to make heart shaped cookie. Use your heart shaped cookie cutter to make hearts from slices of bread. For really creative people have he kids make an editable craft. For example you could use celery, peanut butter, and raisins to make an ark and Noah’s family. There are plenty of kid’s cookbooks that you can get ideas from. One of my favorites is tying a marshmallow to a ice cream cone, let the kids try to swing the marshmallow into the cone. I use this with the lesson; God wants the Holy Ghost in us. What ever you do don’t use snack time as break time for the teachers. Teachers do need breaks, but we have the children for such a small amount of time lets make the best of it. The elementary children would love to have a snack now and then in there class. Feeding someone is an act of love. This is an opportunity to make a deposit into your students. In fact the term “breaking bread” refers to talking about the things of God while eating. The elementary children have learned to talk while their month is full, so no guarantees on a quiet class during snack time for them. They do open themselves up more as they eat. This would be a great time to break the class down into smaller groups that includes a teacher who can direct the conversation toward the lesson goal. This can have a very high value then the students can give their input to a lesson, see that others have the same issues that they do, make a new friend, or even get to personally know the teacher.
Note: There maybe church policies concerning snacks and food in the class, be sure to follow them and if there is any question – ASK. And always choose the safest path.