How to Make 6 Red, White & Blue Fruit Kabobs With Kids for Veterans Day

Learning how to make red white and blue fruit kabobs with kids is one of my favorite traditions for patriotic holidays. It’s more than just a recipe; it’s a simple, joyful activity that gets little hands busy and creates a perfect opportunity to talk about the importance of days like Veterans Day. This no-bake project is one of the best easy Veterans Day snacks for kids because it’s healthy, colorful, and completely stress-free. 💆‍♀️

My kids’ faces light up when I pull out the fruit and the star-shaped cookie cutter. They feel so proud seeing their creations come to life! This is a fantastic way to build memories, teach basic kitchen skills, and create a delicious, healthy Veterans Day treat that everyone will love. It’s a win-win: a fun project for them and a beautiful, simple snack for you. ✅

So, grab your little chefs and your most patriotic spirit. Let’s make some delicious and memorable kid-friendly patriotic fruit skewers together!

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This beautiful platter of finished kabobs shows just how vibrant this healthy snack can be.

⭐ A Heartfelt Reminder: Creating these simple treats together is a wonderful, gentle way to introduce the idea of gratitude and remembrance for our veterans. It’s a moment to connect and share something sweet.

What You’ll Need

Here’s a quick look at the simple ingredients and tools you’ll need to create these fun patriotic fruit snacks.

Ingredients

• Red Fruit: 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved, and ½ cup fresh raspberries.
• White Fruit: 1 large banana and 1 crisp apple (like Honeycrisp or Gala).
• Blue Fruit: 1 cup fresh blueberries and ½ cup fresh blackberries.
• 1 Lemon: This is our secret weapon!

I’ll never forget the first time I tried to make these for a family get-together. My goal was to have a beautiful platter of fruit on a stick for kids ready when guests arrived. But my frustrating failure was that within an hour, all my perfectly cut apples and bananas had turned a sad, unappetizing brown. That’s when I discovered the solution I now swear by: Fresh Lemon Juice! A quick dip in a lemon-water bath creates a barrier that stops the air from turning your apples and bananas brown, keeping your kabobs vibrant and fresh for hours.

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Here are all the colorful fruits and simple tools you’ll need, ready for your little helpers.

Kitchen Tools

• 6 Kid-safe wooden or bamboo skewers (blunt-tipped are great for little ones)
• Small star-shaped cookie cutter
• Kid-safe knife or a butter knife
• 3 small bowls (for separating fruit colors)
• Cutting board

A question I often get in my community cooking classes is, “What are the safest tools for my toddler to use in the kitchen?” For tasks like this, a simple plastic kid-safe knife or even a regular butter knife is perfect. They are just sharp enough to cut through soft fruits like bananas without posing a risk to tiny fingers.

💡 Pro-Tip: You can find small, star-shaped cookie cutters in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or in mini cutter sets online. They are the perfect size for little hands to press into apple slices.

How to Make It

Now for the fun part! Let’s assemble these beautiful, no bake patriotic desserts.

1. Set Up Your “Little Chef” Prep Station

First, wash all your fruit together. This is a great task for kids! Then, set up three separate bowls for your red, white, and blue fruits. Create a clean, safe cutting area for your child on a cutting board.

2. Prepare the Fruit (Teamwork Time!)

This is where you work together.

• Parent’s Job: Slice the apple into thin, 1/4-inch rounds.
• Child’s Job: Use the small star-shaped cookie cutter to press out apple stars. Then, let them use a butter knife to slice the banana into thick coins.

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This close-up shows a child’s hands easily pressing the star cookie cutter into a slice of apple.

3. The Anti-Browning Magic Trick

Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a small bowl of water. Have your child dip each apple star and banana slice into the lemon water for just a few seconds. This is a fun, splashy step they’ll love!

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You can see an apple star being gently dipped into the bowl of lemon water, a crucial step for freshness.

4. Assemble the Kabobs

Lay out the skewers and let the fun begin! Encourage your child to thread the fruit onto the skewers, creating a repeating red, white, and blue pattern. They can mix and match strawberries, raspberries, bananas, star shaped fruit, blueberries, and blackberries.

✅ Safety Note: Always supervise children closely when they are using skewers, even kid-safe ones. Remind them that skewers are for fruit, not for poking each other.

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An action shot captures the focus and fun as a child carefully slides a blueberry onto a skewer.

Nancy’s Expert Tips for Success

Over my 10+ years developing family-friendly recipes, I’ve learned a few tricks to make this activity go smoothly every time.

• Perfect Stars: Before your child presses the cookie cutter, make sure your apple slices are no more than 1/4 inch thick. This makes it much easier for them to punch out a clean, crisp star shape without it breaking.
• Skewer Safety for Toddlers: For younger children (ages 3-5), it’s a great idea to pre-thread the first piece of fruit onto the skewer yourself. This covers the pointy tip, making it much safer for them to handle as they add the rest of the fruit.
• Keep it Steady: When your child is slicing the banana, show them how to hold the banana steady on the board with one hand (making a “bear claw” with their fingers tucked in) while using a gentle rocking motion with the butter knife to press through the fruit.

Recipe Variations & Dietary Swaps

One of the best things about these DIY kid snacks is how easy they are to customize!

• Make it Easier: In a hurry or have a very young toddler? Skip the star shapes and simply use chunks of apple and banana. You can even use lollipop sticks instead of skewers for maximum safety.
• Level it Up: Create a stunning “Fruit Flag Platter”! Arrange the finished kabobs on a rectangular white plate to resemble an American flag, with a small bowl of extra blueberries in the top left corner for the stars. This is also a fantastic idea for Memorial Day kid food ideas.
• Dietary Swaps: This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. For a sweeter treat, you can add mini marshmallows or cubes of angel food cake for another white element.

Serving, Storage & Make-Ahead Tips

These kabobs are perfect on their own, but they’re also delicious served with a side of creamy vanilla yogurt or a cream cheese fruit dip. They make a fantastic, colorful addition to a school lunchbox or a party platter.

For storage, these are best enjoyed the day they are made to ensure the fruit is at its freshest. If you need to make them a few hours ahead of time, lay them in a single layer in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Thanks to our lemon juice trick, they’ll stay bright and beautiful!

I truly hope you and your family have a wonderful time making these fruity creations. It’s these small, shared moments in the kitchen that build the best memories.

What are your family’s favorite food traditions for Veterans Day? Please let me know in the comments below! And if you make this recipe, I would be so grateful if you could leave a star rating—it helps other readers find it, too!