10 quick and easy school lunch ideas for kids
Thinking of school lunch ideas for kids every day can feel like a never ending task, and one that can be quite challenging, especially if you have a picky eater.
If you’d like to make preparing school lunches super simple, then this post is for you.
Here you’ll find school lunch ideas for kids that will make meal planning easier, some information on what makes a good school lunch, and some ideas on the best lunchboxes for kids that you may like to try.
If you’re also looking for school snack ideas, here are some school snacks for kids that your kids will love.
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What makes a good school lunch?
A good school lunch should be able to fuel your kids for the entire school day, and the best way to achieve this is by combining:
- Protein like chicken, tuna, cheese, and yoghurt
- Carbohydrates like wholemeal, granary, brown or seeded bread, wraps, or pasta
- Fruit
- Vegetables
Tips for making school lunches easier
Here are some tips to make school lunch prep easier.
Plan ahead
As part of your weekly meal planning activities, you could detail what your kid’s school lunches will be for the upcoming week.
This allows you to save a lot of time each night, by not having to think about what the next day’s school lunches will be.
Batch prep
At the start of the week spending time chopping the week’s vegetables and fruit, and portioning out snacks, will save you heaps of time during the week.
Use compartments
Using lunchboxes with compartments not only keeps food separated, but adds an element of fun to your kid’s school lunches.
Get your kids involved
Asking your kids for ideas on what to put in their lunchboxes, or giving them a list of lunch ideas and getting them to choose what they want, will increase the chances of them eating it.
Tips for picky eaters
Feeding picky eaters is hard, some tips to help with this include:
- Sticking with foods they love, and adding one small new item each week
- Using cutters to cut sandwiches into different shapes, these kids sandwich cutters are a huge hit in my house
- Not adding too much food to their lunchboxes so they don’t feel overwhelmed
Best lunchboxes for kids
The best lunchboxes for kids are those that allow you to pack a variety of foods in them, so your kids are encouraged to try different foods.
Some lunchboxes that may help with this include a:
School lunch ideas for kids
Here are some quick and easy lunchbox ideas for kids that your kids will enjoy eating.
Mini sandwiches
Sometimes large sandwiches can feel overwhelming for small tummies, so mini sandwiches are the perfect solution.
To do this, make a normal sized sandwich then cut it into cubes, you can then thread the cubes onto kid safe skewers, before placing it in your kid’s lunchbox.
Some sandwich fillings for kids include:
- Chicken, lettuce, and mayo
- Cream cheese and smoked salmon
- Grated cheese
- Ham and cheese
- Jam
- Turkey and cheese
Wraps
Wraps are another great lunch idea for kids, especially if they don’t like a lot of bread, and slicing wraps into pinwheels gives them an extra element of fun.
Some wrap fillings you can use are:
- Chicken and lettuce
- Ham and cheese
- Hummus and cucumber
- Turkey, cheese, and mustard
Salads
Salads are another school lunch idea for kids, which are especially handy for kids who don’t love sandwiches.
Some salad ideas include:
Pasta pot
If your kid’s love pasta you could make them a pasta pot, by cooking a batch of pasta, then once it’s cooled, mix in some cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, peas, cubed cheese, and a light drizzle of olive oil or pesto.
Savoury pancake rolls
For this easy school lunch idea make some savoury pancakes, or buy premade ones, then when they’re cooled add cream cheese, hummus, or butter to one side, then top the other with your kid’s favourite filling, roll it up, then slice it into pinwheels.
DIY lunchables
DIY lunchables are one of my favourite school lunch ideas for kids, which kids also love because it allows them to pick and choose what they want to eat.
To make your own lunchable, pack slices of turkey, ham, or any other meat into your kid’s lunchbox with cheese, crackers, and cucumber or carrot sticks, making sure each food item is in its own lunchbox compartment.
Leftovers
Leftovers are a fantastic time saving lunch idea, and can add some much needed variety to your kid’s weekly lunch.
Mini quesadillas
One of the benefits of meal planning is that you can schedule time in your week to make school lunches that you can freeze, and then use when needed.
One freezer friendly school lunch idea are mini quesadillas, which you can make by folding a tortilla with cheese, beans, and chicken, or any other filling your child likes, toasting it lightly, then cutting it into wedges.
English muffin pizzas
English muffin pizzas are a really simple school lunch to make, all you need to do is top an English muffin with tomato puree, grated cheese, and any other topping your child likes, such as ham, sweetcorn, or peppers.
Once done grill it, then let it cool before placing it in your kid’s lunchbox.
Rice cakes with toppings
Rice cakes are another one of the easy lunchbox ideas for kids, because you can add any topping to them that your child likes.
Some rice cake topping ideas include:
- Cream cheese and cucumber
- Hummus and grated carrot
- Jam
- Nut free butter and banana
School lunch ideas for kids – a recap
Thinking of school lunch ideas that your kids will eat can be challenging, but having a few good school lunch ideas up your sleeve, will make this part of school life much easier.
The key to making school lunches is to keep things simple, balanced, and fun.
Whether its wraps, salads, DIY lunchables, or leftovers, changing your kid’s school lunches often will help prevent lunchbox boredom.
With a little bit of planning, a variety of school lunch options, and focusing on quick and easy school lunch ideas, you can turn school lunch prep from a chore, into an easy part of your daily routine.
Want a simple checklist to make this even easier? Be sure to download this FREE back to school checklist to stay on track and feel in control.
Which of these lunch ideas would your kids love?
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