DebbiSmirnoff/Getty Images (Candy); kgfoto/Getty Images (Apple); Peter Dazeley/Getty Images (Cookies); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)

Debate,

Should You Snack During Class?

Luca wants to nibble whenever he’s hungry. Richa prefers the classroom to be a snack-free zone. Whose side are you on?

By Alessandra Potenza and Anna Starecheski

From the December 2025/January 2026 Issue

Lexile: 600L-700L, 700L-800L

Featured Skill: Main Idea and Supporting Details,

Standards

Want to hear this story read aloud by a Storyworks writer? Find the audio read-aloud in your Resources tab.

Want to hear this story read aloud by a Storyworks writer? Click here!

Directions: Read the article, then answer the questions below.

FuatKose/Getty Images

Dear Richa,

I have a great idea to share with you. I think that you, as our classpresident, should ask our teacher to allow snacking during class. Hear me out.

According to experts, children ages 6 to 12 usually eat one to two snacks a day. Why? Healthy snacks like fruit, yogurt, or nuts are an important way to make sure we get all the nutrients we need. We’re in school for many hours a day. If we can’t eat during class, it’s hard to squeeze in the snacks we need to stay healthy.

Being hungry is also very distracting. It’s hard to focus on fractions and spelling with an empty stomach! In my case, I have breakfast at 7 a.m. before leaving my house. By the time our lunchtime begins at 1 p.m., I’m starving. A morning snack would give me the energy boost I need to keep learning.

Dear Richa,

I have a great idea. Because you are our class president, I think you should ask our teacher to let us eat snacks during class. Experts say children ages 6 to 12 usually eat one to two snacks each day. Why? Snacks like fruit, yogurt, or nuts help us stay healthy. We’re in school for many hours a day. That’s too long to go without the snacks we need.

Being hungry is also distracting. It’s hard to focus on an empty stomach! I have breakfast at 7 a.m. before school. By the time lunch starts at 1 p.m., I’m so hungry. A morning snack would give me the energy I need to learn all day.

Shutterstock.com

And what about kids who have activities like soccer practice and piano lessons right after school? An afternoon snack is their only chance to eat before dinnertime.

I know that snacking can be messy. But we could all work together to come up with a list of approved snacks that are neat to eat—and healthy. Plus, we can be responsible and clean up after ourselves.

So what do you say? Will you ask our teacher to allow snacking in Room 306?

Your snack-loving classmate,
Luca

Plus, kids who have after-school activities like soccer practice and piano lessons need afternoon snacks. It’s their only chance to eat before dinner!

I know snacking can be messy. But we could all work together to make a list of snacks that are neat and healthy. We’re responsible. We can clean up after ourselves.

So what do you say? Will you ask our teacher to let us snack in Room 306?

Your snack-loving classmate,

Luca

DebbiSmirnoff/Getty Images

Dear Luca,

Although I understand your reasons, I don’t think snacking in class is a good idea. Personally, I’m against asking our teacher. Let me tell you why.

You mentioned that being hungry is a distraction. But do you know what’s just as distracting? Snacking! Let’s say a student opens a bag of buttery popcorn. Then another starts chomping on crunchy pretzel sticks. The smells and sounds can make it difficult to concentrate on learning. And the moment someone takes out a snack, people start nudging them to share. All of a sudden, it’s chaos!

I know what you’re going to say: If snacking during class is too distracting, let’s set aside specific times for morning and afternoon snacks. But each snack break would take about 15 minutes. So it’d still take a lot of time away from learning. And the result could be similar: Our grades might suffer. Would our recess have to be cut short to make up for what we missed?

Dear Luca,

I understand your reasons, but I don’t think snacking in class is a good idea. Let me tell you why.

You said that being hungry is distracting. But snacking is too! Imagine someone opens a bag of buttery popcorn. Then someone else starts eating crunchy pretzels. The smells and sounds can make it difficult to focus on learning. And once someone takes out a snack, others ask them to share. Then, it’s chaos!

You might say: If snacking during class is too distracting, let’s set a time for morning and afternoon snacks. But each snack break would take about 15 minutes. We’d still lose class time. Our grades might go down.
Would recess have to be be shorter to make up for lessons we missed?

iStockPhoto/Getty Images

Finally, let’s talk about cleaning up. I know we can be responsible. But even if we choose neat snacks, there are bound to be messes. What if cracker crumbs or gobs of hummus are left on someone’s desk? That’s gross—and it can attract pests like cockroaches. (Remember that ant problem our school had last year?)

Let’s keep our classroom as clean and quiet as possible. Food belongs in the cafeteria, not at our desks.

Your caring class president,

Richa

Finally, let’s talk about cleaning up. I know we can be responsible. But even neat snacks can be messy. What if cracker crumbs or gobs of hummus are left on someone’s desk? That’s gross. It can also attract pests like cockroaches. (Remember the ants from last year?)

Let’s keep our classroom clean and quiet. Food belongs in the cafeteria, not at our desks.

Your caring class president,