Winter Sandwiches for Kids: Rudolph, Snowman, Polar Bear and Gingerbread Man

Kids love nothing more than a wintry day to play in the snow. But after an afternoon of running up sledding hills, throwing snowballs, designing forts, and building snowmen, the kids will also be building up enormous appetites. Prepare a fun "après-snow play" lunch your kids will love.

Here are four snow-inspired winter sandwiches sure to cause a flurry of smiles. Each is served with marshmallows ready to be plunked into a steaming mug of hot chocolate--an absolute must on a cold, snowy day. For each lunch, begin by preparing your kids' favorite sandwich: grilled cheese, cream cheese and jam, or classic PB & J.

Winter Sandwich #1: Gingerbread Boy

Use a cookie cutter to make a gingerbread boy shape out of a sandwich. Use a tiny bit of cake decorator gel to draw a mouth and use raisins for eyes. Mini-marshmallows make adorable buttons. Serve a cup of warm soup on the side and pretend the gingerbread boy is taking dips in the hot tub!

Winter Sandwich #2: Snowman

For hearty appetites, build this three-sandwich snowman. Use wide, medium, and narrow glasses to press circles out of each sandwich. Arrange the circles on a plate. Add pretzel stick arms, a wheat thin top hat with a pretzel stick brim, raisin eyes, a baby carrot nose, and grape-half buttons. Draw a mouth with red cake decorator gel. Sprinkle mini-marshmallows on the plate. Ta-da! It's snowing!

Winter Sandwich #3: Rudolph

Use a knife to cut the sandwich into a large triangular shape. Place one point of the triangle down toward the bottom of the plate. Cut a red grape in half and place it on this point to make Rudolph's nose. Put pretzel sticks at the other two corners to make antlers. Add raisin eyes, and sprinkle mini-marshmallows on the plate for a North Pole backdrop.

Winter Sandwich #4: Polar Bear

Take a wide drinking glass, turn in upside down, and press a round polar bear head out of a sandwich. Make a snout by slicing a thin, smaller circle from an apple. Place the snout on top of the sandwich. Cut a grape in half and put it on top of the snout to make a nose. Draw a mouth with a touch of red cake decorator gel. Add two large marshmallow ears on top of the head and use raisins for eyes. Serve with a bowl of the remaining sliced apples and some grapes.

Celebrate a wintry snowfall with outside play time, a cup of hot chocolate, and a special winter sandwich. Don't let those crusts go to waste! Toss them outside with a handful of birdseed so that neighborhood birds and squirrels can enjoy a wintertime treat, too. Enjoy your winter lunch!