My ultimate guide to kid’s lunch box ideas – with lunch recipes and food items my kids love as well as tips for making kids lunches a breeze and photos of actual lunches I’ve packed.
Tips for Packing School Lunch: How I Approach Packing My Kids Lunch Box 12 Kids Lunch Box Ideas (With Photos) DIY Uncrustable Deli Meat + Cheese Sandwich Hummus and Crackers (or Veggies)Mini BagelsYogurt, Granola and BerriesPinwheel SandwichesDIY Lunchable Egg MuffinsOatmealBanana SushiCheese Quesadilla PastaEven More Main Dish Ideas for Kid’s LunchesOther Things to Pack in a School LunchFruit and VegetablesDairyHomemade TreatsBest Healthier Store-Bought SnacksFavorite Lunch Boxes for KidsMore Lunch Box FavesFAQs
Those who have been following me for awhile know I love to make protein-packed lunches for myself. Most days you’ll catch me eating my version of the Jennifer Aniston salad or this rotisserie chicken salad that I can’t get enough of.
But, packing my kids lunch and making sure they’re nourished before an afternoon of play is a whole different ball game. Especially now that Olivia (4) and Tucker (2) are both enrolled in a Montessori school, I’m packing lunch for two kids five days a week.
When we’re home I usually whip up a quick sandwich, reheat leftovers or they’ll eat what I’m having, but now that they’re off to school, I’ve been on a mission to pack easy (and healthy) lunches that they’ll actually eat.
Packing kids lunches can be cumbersome day in and day out, so with that in mind, I wanted to create a resource dedicated to easy kids lunch box ideas. Here you’ll find lunches that I’ve made for my kids (with photos) along with lunch box ideas to keep you inspired throughout the school year and beyond!
Tips for Packing School Lunch: How I Approach Packing My Kids Lunch Box
When I first starting packing lunches for Olivia (over two years ago) I looked for inspiration online and a lot of what I found was too cutesy and not practical for everyday or too involved with time-consuming, homemade recipes for each item in the lunch box. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to packing lunches, I want things that are easy to make that I know my kids will actually eat!
So I don’t feel overwhelmed packing two lunches every day, I like to break their lunch down by category. The food categories often include: a “main” dish, fruit and/or veggie, dairy item, treat and sometimes a store-bought snack.
Bento boxes, or any lunch box with separate compartments, makes this super easy. I look at each compartment and try to fill the little boxes with one of the categories of food. Breaking the lunch-making process down into bite-sized chunks (sometimes literally!) helps make the experience less overwhelming.
Here are some more tips to make packing school lunch easier:
- Prep/pack as much as you can the night before so mornings are less hectic. Your future self will definitely thank you! I don’t always follow my own advice on this one and usually end up rushing around to pack their lunches in the morning before school, but whenever I pack them the night before I’m so happy that I did.
- If you have the bandwidth, prep parts of the kids lunches on Sunday. There are times where I’ll wash and cut up a bunch of strawberries or halve grapes with my favorite grape cutter on Sunday. If you do this, I suggest putting the cut fruit in a glass jar or container with paper towels lined on the bottom so they stay fresh.
- Some of my mom friends swear by having two lunch boxes for each of their kids. That way, when they get home they’re not pressed to wash and dry the one lunch box that night. I haven’t yet tried this but may later down the line.
- I always like to include a “safe” food, meaning one food item I know my kids love and will definitely eat. This a good rule of thumb with any meal for kids, especially when offering new foods. I think its really important for a packed lunch because you won’t be there to offer something else if they’re not interested in anything you packed. Plus, it makes me feel better knowing that they’ll at least be familiar and hopefully, excited by one item in their lunch box.
12 Kids Lunch Box Ideas (With Photos)
Packing kids lunches day in and out is often easier said than done, which is why I want to share real kids lunch box ideas I’ve made recently. I’m sure throughout the year and as my kids get older (and see what their friends are eating) their tastes and preferences will change so be sure to check back here as I update this story with new lunch box ideas.
DIY Uncrustable
My kids love a good ol’ fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich or in our case sunbutter and jelly (because their school is nut-free). You can certainly make a regular pb&j sandwich, but my kids are iffy about eating the crust of bread so I like making uncrustables. They’re actually really easy to make if you get a sandwich cutter and sealer. If you’re feeling up it, my chia jam is amazing and a great sub for store-bought jam.
Deli Meat + Cheese Sandwich
Another classic! For this one you just choose your child’s favorite deli meat (turkey, ham, roast beef, etc), cheese and spread. In this photo, I used ham, cheddar and mayo on mini sweet Hawaiian rolls. Of course you can always keep things interesting by making different types of sandwiches or if your kiddo is a creature of habit, it’s totally fine to keep things simple and repetitive. (This is coming from the girl who enjoyed eating a pb&j almost very single day growing up.)
Hummus and Crackers (or Veggies)
My kids love hummus and will eat it with a spoon, but I recommend pairing the hummus with some crackers, pita or veggies for dipping. I like to put the hummus (or other dips) in a silicone muffin liner to keep it from getting too messy. Of course you can always make your own hummus (I have an amazing hummus recipe) but I will be the first to admit that I usually pack store-bought hummus for my kids. Ithaca lemon garlic hummus is our favorite at the moment!
Mini Bagels
Mini bagels are such a hit with my kids! You can keep the toppings simple with a little cream cheese or make a full-on bagel sandwich. My kids really like smoked salmon so I’ll usually pack a few slices to go along with their bagel.
Yogurt, Granola and Berries
You can never go wrong with yogurt, granola and berries. This lunch is always a hit with my kiddos and I love the OmieBox for packing this because there’s a stainless steel insulated container for the yogurt! I recommend using plain Greek yogurt because it’s nice and thick and you can control the level of sweetness by adding a little honey or maple syrup, if needed.
Pinwheel Sandwiches
Pinwheel sandwiches (or tortilla roll-ups) are a fun way to switch up a regular ol’ sandwich. Just add your fillings and wrap them up. If needed you can use mini toothpicks to keep the pinwheels together. There are some kid-friendly plastic toothpicks that would be super fun.
DIY Lunchable
Make your own Lunchabe at home for a fraction of the cost and with better ingredients. For this one I did crackers, cheddar cheese, salami slices, cucumbers, sliced apples and granola minis.
Egg Muffins
Eggs make a great option for lunch and I like packing egg muffins because they’re the perfect size, they hold up well and they’re easy to add veggies to! You can make your own (here’s my baked egg muffin recipe) or buy them from the store. I really like the Veggies Made Great egg white frittatas.
Oatmeal
You all know I love my oats so of course I had to include them as a lunch idea. If your child has a thermos, cooked oatmeal is a great option, otherwise you can do overnight oats, baked oatmeal, my baked oatmeal cups or even these berry baked oatmeal bars. There are so many good options. I like pairing the oatmeal with a hard-boiled egg for some additional protein.
Banana Sushi
This is similar to a tortilla roll-up but you basically just spread a nut butter or seed butter on a tortilla, add a banana, roll it up and slice into pieces that look like sushi. So fun!
Cheese Quesadilla
A simple cheese or chicken quesadilla paired with guacamole or sour cream for dipping makes for a tasty kid-friendly lunch. I paired this one with plantain chips but tortilla chips are also a great option.
Pasta
My kids love any type of pasta so I’ll often pack pasta salad (like my pesto pasta salad), but leftover mac and cheese or even leftover pasta with marinara packs well in a thermos-style lunch box too.
Even More Main Dish Ideas for Kid’s Lunches
Here are some additional mains that are great options, I just have’t had a chance to photograph them yet!
- Protein salads – my kids love my healthy tuna salad, this tarragon chicken salad, salmon salad and egg salad. These salads can be packed on their own (to be eaten with a fork), added to a sandwich or wrap or paired with crackers.
- Pizza – tortilla pizza and english muffin pizza is always super fun or you can do a DIY pizza Lunchable and pack mini pita pockets or mini naan, pizza sauce and cheese so your child can construct mini pizzas. Of course leftover pizza makes for an easy lunchbox addition too.
- Grain based salad – things like quinoa salad, couscous salad and farro salad are always a hit. My kids absolutely love my farro salad!
- Breakfast for lunch – I already shared the oatmeal idea, but other breakfast foods like waffles, pancakes and muffins make a great option for lunch too. My baby pancakes are made with oats and bananas and perfect for toddlers.
- Cottage cheese – kind of similar to the yogurt bowl idea I shared above, you can do the same thing with cottage cheese if your kiddos like it.
- Beans and rice – my kids aren’t super keen on beans right now, but my daughter used to love them. The combo of beans and rice would be perfect for kiddos who like these two foods.
Other Things to Pack in a School Lunch
In this section I’ve broken down some of our favorite lunchtime foods below by food category. These are the items I pair with the “main” item that I’m packing. I like to mix and match and often ask Tucker and Olivia what they prefer to make them feel empowered and a part of the process. Sometimes I think allowing them to choose makes them more excited to eat their lunch.
Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit reigns supreme with my kids (especially berries… they can eat their weight in berries!) but there are few veggies that they’re open to eating as well.
Dairy
Homemade Treats
Best Healthier Store-Bought Snacks
As you’ll notice in the packed lunches I shared above there were quite a few different packaged snacks included. I try to be mindful and look for more nutritious options. Here are some of our favorites.
- That’s It. Mini Bars
- Go Macros Bars (mini)
- Once Upon a Farm Oat Bars
- Made Good Granola Minis
- Bare Snacks – apple chips, coconut chips and banana chips
- Crunchy Roasted edamame
- Beef jerky – these snack size Chomps are great
- Seaweed Snacks – these don’t always fit in their lunchbox, but my kids love these
- Harvest Snaps Green Pea Crisps
- Soley Gummies – more natural gummy snacks
- Annie’s Gummies
- Annie’s Bunnies – cheddar bunnies and bunny grahams
- Earth’s Best Organic Crunchin’ Grahams
- Applesauce Pouches
- Abe’s Muffins
- Alyssa’s Healthy Oatmeal Bites
- Fig Bars
- Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
- Hippeas Cheese Puffs
- Roasted Chickpea Snacks
- Bear Fruit Rolls
- Dried fruit – medjool dates, prunes, raisins, dried blueberries, cranberries, etc
- Freeze dried fruit – mango, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc
Favorite Lunch Boxes for Kids
Over the years I’ve tried out a handful of different lunch boxes for my kids. Here are my favorites (and the ones featured in this post)!
Bentgo Box – this one is great for younger kids (up to Kindergarten or so) and it’s our most used lunch box right now. It’s easy for small hands to open and compartment sizes are perfect for young kids. I really like that the internal tray is removable and you can pop it in the dish washer for cleaning. They offer a variety of options including a Bentgo Chill version where there’s a removable tray you put in the freezer. It sits right beneath the food to keep it cold.
OmieBox – this is a new addition to our lunch box collection. I love the thermos area for keeping cold items like yogurt or cottage cheese cool and hot items like soup, oatmeal or pasta warm. You can also take out the thermos completely and then you have a large compartment that’s perfect for sandwiches or larger mains. This lunch box is bigger than the Bentgo boxes and will fit more food so if your child had a big appetite, this might be a better option.
YumBox – This one is really similar to Bentgo and we like it but for whatever reason we tend to use the Bentgo lunch boxes more often. This one is best for ages 2-7.
PlanetBox – if you’re looking for a non-plastic option, everyone raves about the this one, but it’s one of the more expensive options and it pretty big so you’ll need a big lunch bag to fit it.
Bento Compartment Containers – These are actually meal prep containers, but they’re inexpensive, come in cute colors and work great for school lunches so I featured them in this post. They could be a great option for older kids that don’t need a bunch of small compartments.
More Lunch Box Faves
Soft lunch Bag for kids – In terms of lunch bags (the bag that the lunchbox goes in) I have a Mackenzie cold pack lunch bag for both kids, which I definteily recommend because the classic bag is smaller and won’t fit most of the bento style lunch boxes. Olivia has the navy pink hearts pattern and Tucker has the construction trucks. The kids love the fun patterns on them and I like that they’re durable, the fact that they have a spot for their water bottle and that they are large enough to fit the lunch boxes that we use.
Utensils – I always send a utensil with the kids lunch and it just depends on what I pack as to whether I send a spoon or fork. These are my favorite utensils for small hands.
Reusable napkins – I also send a reusable napkin. This saves on wasting paper towels, plus ours have fun patterns on them that the kids really like. My mother-in-law makes them for the kids, but I also bought some adorable custom reusable napkins on Amazon that we really like.
Silicone muffins liners – I use these all the time for dips (like guacamole and hummus) but also just to separate foods in the larger compartments of a bento box. You can get a big pack of colorful liners for less than $10!
FAQs
I like to use Bento-style containers for my kids lunches because it keeps the food separated and helps me include different categories of foods. When I can, I try to prep the majority of the food the night before because mornings always end up being hectic getting everyone out the door on time.
I’ve found that most schools and/or daycares will often have guidelines they send out to parents at the beginning of the year outlining what their food policies are. Some schools and daycares are nut-free so if that’s the case, sunbutter is a good alternative. And, if you have a toddler, make sure to cut up their food to avoid any choking hazards.
Okay, that was a lot of info! I hope it’s helpful as you pack lunches for your kids this school year! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!
