20+ Strategies for Packing Kids Lunches

The year I turned 5, I couldn’t go to kindergarten because my birthday was just after the school deadline and there were absolutely no exceptions.

My parents decided to homeschool me that year since public school wasn’t an option and my mom asked me what I was most sad about missing in kindergarten.

I knew immediately. All I wanted was a lunchbox.

My mom bought me a lunchbox and for a week or two, I ate my lunch at home out of a lunchbox and then the novelty wore off.

Whether you’re still in love with the idea of a lunchbox or absolutely sick of packing lunches, packing lunches is part of the routine for many families as school starts back up.

I asked on Instagram for strategies for handling lunch packing for kids and wow, did this community deliver!

Here are some of the packed lunch ideas and strategies people suggested!

20+ Lunch Ideas for Kids

PREP BEFOREHAND

This was the number one response/suggestion when asking for tips for packing lunches! There were lots of different strategies to make this happen! Here are some of my favorites:

• We use a shoe organizer over the pantry door, and my 4 boys put their snacks for the week in it (one pouch per day). This has been a game changer for us and we don’t run out of snacks midweek. Plus the boys can divide up the good stuff fairly. My husband makes sandwiches and veggie containers for the elementary boys the night before so they can grab them out of the fridge in the morning.
• Pack as much as possible the night before. When I change what I’m taking, I make a list of what needs to be added in the morning. We are eat the same things every day lunch people. But the change it up types could put several different options on a ring of notecards or something. Take as much thinking and remembering out of the morning as possible is my goal.
• On Sunday, I ask my daughter to write her list of lunches on a notepad and we put it on the fridge next to her school calendar. She has a rotation of 7 things she likes and will always eat. I know what I need to have ready/assist her with packing. Fill water bottles and put them in the fridge the night before. When we don’t make the time for it the regret and decision fatigue is very real.
• I have a spot where I keep the lunchboxes and regular items we use – chips, snacks, bananas. While prepping dinner or during cleanup, I look at the calendar to see who needs lunch the next day, layout those boxes and put the non refrigerator items next to them. In the morning, I grab the cold items, put them in the boxes, add the other items I have already laid out, an ice block, and done.
• Our routine: menu plan the weekend before so there is no “what are we going to have for lunch” and make the lunches the night before.
• This might not work for everyone…but every Sunday, I cook something for dinner that could be used as leftovers for school lunch for 3 days. I pack and label it right then and there. I also bag and label all the snacks for the week on Sunday night. Then on Wednesday night, I make 2 additional lunches and put them in the fridge, ready to go. It helps me to only have to think about it 2 nights per week rather than every night. I have small children and am only packing small containers of food. (3 year old and almost 1 year old).
• We made lunches part of the after school routine. My kids walk in the door, wash hands, get a snack, and make their lunches for the next day. Makes the mornings easy.
• Batch cooking – taco meat and rice for teen son. Freeze in souper cubes, take out 3-5 days at a time.
• Home & Kind’s hack of freezing a bunch of sandwiches (even with mayo) saved us last year! Grab one out of the freezer and it’s thawed by lunch.
• We pack what we can the night before. The kids can’t have the same thing more than twice a week. We do chicken nuggets, sandwiches, pizza rolls, leftovers, ramen, wraps, etc. We do thermoses. I warm them up in the morning, they grab their water bottle from the fridge and we put the rest of lunch together.
• I make lunches while I make dinner the night before. I also have a list of what my kids want in their lunches – no experimenting, only things they will eat.
• Batch ’em. I pack 10 lunches (2 kids x 5 days) on Sunday! But sometimes will do just two days at a time that helps too!
• My plan is to have my boys pre-order their week of lunches (packed by me) from a list of staples so we hit more than just carbs and desserts.
• Always pack the night before and use a standard formula. A main, a fruit, a vegetable and a snack. Mains can be sandwiches, pasta salad, curry/soup,chili in a thermos (always make dinner leftovers!). Fruits and vegetables should be ready to eat. Dips like hummus can make vegetables more appetizing. The snack can range from yogurt, granola bar, muffin, trail mix, jerky, cheese and crackers, etc.

KIDS PACK THEIR OWN

When we were not homeschooling, this was the method we used (now my kids get their own lunches at home which they’re responsible for preparing). Kids packing lunch can get tricky because you don’t want them to pack an unbalanced lunch – I’m pretty sure left unsupervised my youngest would pack nothing but chocolate pretzels and a granola bar. We used this printable lunch idea list and the girls picked one item from each category! It was super simple and worked like a charm! Below is what other people do.

• My kids make their own…starting in middle school. They get their own breakfast too. So all I am doing is making sure we get out the door on time for drop off.
• My kids pack their own lunches for co-op. I ask what they want and I buy it. They do a protein, something that grows, and whatever else they want. One does it the night before, the other in the morning. I have STRONG feelings about parents that pack their kids lunches, but to each their own. It usually looks like fish (salmon or tuna), bell peppers, fruit strips, cheddar bunnies, and high protein yogurt
• My kids pack their lunches after dinner. They have to pick protein and a fruit/ veg and then they’re ok to add whatever.
• Almost all of the kids have graduated from high school now but when each one started kindergarten I would teach them how to pack their own lunch box; by 1st grade they could do it all on their own. I would post lists on the fridge for older kids of different proteins, fruits/veggies, treats, and drinks they could put in their lunch. I haven’t made a school lunch in a decade (five kids)!

CERTAIN LUNCH BOXES

People have real feelings about lunch boxes and after we switched to Bentgo lunch boxes, I can understand why. It makes a huge difference to have something that has the compartments you want, is dishwasher safe and provides either cold, hot or both options. Below are what others love!

• Bentgo boxes. Pricey, but worth it. I have two I pack for- so I have 10 boxes. I (and/or kids) make all lunches Sunday morning before church, stack in the fridge, then they grab one each morning with a drink and put in lunch box.
• I got my girls Omie boxes that make it possible to do hot and cold together. I prep cold options for the week on Sunday )chopped veggies/dip, fruit, etc.) and then use leftovers the morning of for the hot.

SAME THING EVERY DAY

This sounds genius if your kids don’t get burned out! I love anything that lowers the amount of decision making I have to participate in.

• I make my kids the same lunch every day. It eliminates the pressure of thinking of something new! For my lunch, I just eat dinner leftovers from the night before. Again, no thinking required!
• My 6 kids get a fruit, veggie, and either a sandwich or bagels. Very few of them will take leftovers but have no problem rotating between sandwiches and bagels throughout the year. It cuts down my decision making and I can just cut a bajillion apples, and lay out the sandwiches.

OTHER METHODS

• Have your state pass free lunch for all kids, then it becomes the norm for all kids to eat hot lunch at school and you don’t have to ever pack a school lunch again which is glorious.

If you liked this post about kids lunch ideas, you might also find these other posts helpful:

• One Year of Homeschooling – Our Full Experience
• Banana Muffins: An Easy Recipe You’ll Love
• 25+ Healthy Snack Ideas (that aren’t too messy!)