Chicago Occupational Therapy • Dec 19, 2023

Fun Holiday Snacks to Make with Kids

Patrick McLean serves as Administrative Director and Co-CEO of Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, a comprehensive pediatric therapy practice he co-founded with his wife…

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Patrick McLean

Patrick McLean serves as Administrative Director and Co-CEO of Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, a comprehensive pediatric therapy practice he co-founded with his wife Rose in 2014. With over a decade of healthcare business leadership, Patrick has transformed their vision of coordinated, family-centered care into a thriving multidisciplinary clinic serving families throughout Chicago. After graduating from Western Illinois University in 2004 with a Bachelor's degree in Business and Finance, Patrick developed expertise in healthcare operations, strategic planning, and organizational growth. His business acumen combined with a deep commitment to serving children with developmental needs has positioned Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center as a trusted resource for families navigating speech delays, sensory processing challenges, autism spectrum disorder, motor delays, and behavioral concerns. As Co-CEO, Patrick oversees essential operational pillars including marketing and community outreach, human resources and staff development, financial management and insurance coordination, and long-term business strategy. His leadership has enabled the clinic to expand from offering single therapy services to providing integrated physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, ABA therapy, and social work—all coordinated under one roof for maximum family convenience and clinical effectiveness. Patrick's management philosophy centers on creating systems that empower both staff and families. He has built a culture of collaboration where therapists from different disciplines communicate seamlessly about each child's progress, ensuring holistic treatment plans that address the whole child. His proudest moments come from witnessing families' journeys—from initial concerns through celebrated milestones and hard-won achievements. Beyond his professional role, Patrick brings personal perspective as a father of four children. He actively coaches his kids in various sports, enjoys creating barbecue masterpieces on his smoker, and values connection time with friends on the golf course. This balance between professional purpose and family life reinforces his understanding of the families Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center serves every day.

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The Holidays are great time to have the whole family team up in the kitchen and create something delicious and spectacular! You can use the four fun holiday snacks as grounds to explore new foods with kids! These will help kids learn about foods without pressure to consume the foods, but they just might turn out so tasty that everyone will want a bite at the end. These winter snacks can also help kids work on their fine motor and sensory skills! Look through the four snacks below and pick out a favorite to start with and don’t be afraid to come back and try them all!

Fruity The Snowman

Ingredients & Supplies: kabob sticks, bananas, raspberries, pretzels sticks, mini chocolate chips and dried mango – coconut shavings (optional)

Steps

Peel and Chop Banana and place 3 pieces (one large, one medium. one small) on your kabob/cake pop stick. Organize them in order to resemble a snowman.
Place a raspberry on top of each snowman. This will be their hat.
Next, break a pretzel stick in half. Place the pieces in the body piece of the banana for the arms.
Add two mini chocolate chips for the eyes, two on the body for buttons, and another on the lower part of the body for another button.
Place a triangular piece of dried mango on the pace for a nose.
Sprinkle shredded coconut shavings on the bottom for snow and add any additional to the snowmen.
(Optional) Make it snow! Sprinkle shredded coconut shavings on the bottom for snow and add any additional to the snowmen
Enjoy!

Oreo Reindeer

Ingredients & Supplies: chocolate chips, oreos, pretzels, candy eyes, m&ms, Parchment paper,

Steps

Get out a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper and set aside.
Grab a microwave safe bowl and melt 2 cups chocolate chips.
Once the chocolate is smooth and melted, stick your fork in the first Oreo and the place it in the in the melted chocolate.
Get the desired amount of chocolate on the Oreo and tap it on the side of the bowl to shake off access chocolate.
Place chocolate covered Oreo on the parchment paper.
Set 2 pretzels on the top of the Oreo for antlers. (Optional: Break the pretzels in different ways to make it look like authentic antlers. This will give each reindeer a unique look!)
Place 2 candy eyes beneath them.
Finish by placing a red M&M beneath the eyes for the nose!
Let it harden and enjoy!

Popcorn Snowballs

Ingredients & Supplies: Parchment paper, canola oil, popcorn kernels, sugar, butter, mini marshmallows, salt, vanilla extract, m&ms and sprinkles

Steps

This fun holiday snack has an easy first step, pop your popcorn!
Place into a large mixing bowl to cool.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and marshmallows.
Stir continuously until the marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and add the salt and vanilla extract.
Try to remove any un-popped kernels before adding the marshmallow mixture to your popcorn.
Pour mixture over the popcorn and coat evenly. Add M&Ms, sprinkles or nuts.
(Optional: Add a few drops of food color to the mixture or use colored marshmallows for some fun and festive tints.
Time to form and cool! Cover your hands with a light layer butter or coconut oil. Form the popcorn mixture into 3″ balls.
Set them on a piece of wax (or parchment) paper to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Enjoy! You can store cooled popcorn balls wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature.

Grinch Kabobs

Ingredients & Supplies: green grapes, strawberries, bananas, mini marshmallow, toothpicks

Steps

First, wash and cut the fruit!
Leave marshmallows and strawberries as is but cut the tops off of the strawberries to make a hat shape.
Chop bananas into thin slices
On each toothpick, assemble your kabob as follows:
- Mini marshmallow,
- Strawberry
- Banana slice
- Green grape.
Enjoy and refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 day.

Eat Up!

We hope your children and your family enjoy these fun holiday snacks! They will be sure to tingle their taste buds and even enhance their fine motor and sensory motor integration in a fun and unique way. Be sure to send us pictures of your masterpieces on our Facebook and Instagram pages!

If you are seeking more guidance than fun holiday snacks, Chicago Pediatric Therapy offers support for your child’s feeding skills, fine motor skills, or any other questions you may have! Learn more on our Feeding Therapy and Occupational Therapy home pages or call us today at 773-672-7775. Happy Holidays to you and your family!