Easy Lunchbox Ideas for Kids
Do you pack your child’s lunchbox every morning to send them off to school? What do you put in it? There are many ideas on pinterest for some pretty fancy lunches. Lunchbox sushi? Cucumber/Salmon sandwiches? Animal Shape bread with olives and fruit for eyes? I don’t know about you, but when it’s time to pack a lunch for my kids, I need it easy and fast! Here are some real life easy lunchbox ideas that don’t require a special budget or amazing culinary talent!
Easy Lunchbox Ideas for Kids
Make your own Lunchables
My friend Mary Ann shared this picture of the lunch boxes she prepared for the whole week. Talk about organized and prepared!
What did she put in them?
- Crackers, deli meat and cheese (like lunchables)
- veggie sticks
- applesauce or yogurt squeezer
- carrots and dip
- Fruit: pineapple, grapes, kiwi, craisins or raisins,
- babybel cheese,
- turkey wrapped around cheesestick,
- cold chicken nuggets
I added just the normal stuff my kids eat. I did make one sandwich and cut it in fourths and put it on a little skewer for the next day. It surprisingly only took about 30-45 minutes to do.
My Kid’s Lunches
I have a 1st, 3rd and 6th grader. When they want to take lunch from home, the process is pretty simple. I tell them go fix your lunch and they do it. I do oversee what goes in the 1st grade lunchbox to make sure he has everything he needs, but they are able to fix it themselves. I keep individual size portion cups of applesauce, fruit, jello or pudding along with beef sticks, peanut butter crackers and granola bars in a box under the cabinet where they can reach it.
They know how to make a pb&j or grab a tortilla out of the refrigerator and make a turkey wrap. When they want to take a sandwich that needs mayo, I have a box of single use packs of mayonnaise that they can toss in the lunchbox.
We tried using thermos bottles one year, but I have never found one that can handle the job without leaking. I hate when the kids have juice or koolaid in their lunchboxes, so we just use juice packs. I watch for when they go on sale at Kroger and stock up when I can buy the box for .99! If you have a thermos that actually works, doesn’t leak, and the kids can easily open and close, I’d love to hear!
Leftover Fajitas
A few years ago, I purchased these EasyLunchboxes Bento Lunch Box Containers 
If we have fajitas for supper, then I usually prepare a lunch box with a taco shell and the fajita mix while I’m cleaning the supper dishes. Then the next morning, my daughter can just grab the box, add a juice pack and her lunch is ready.
What do you do for kid’s lunches? Do you have any amazing ideas to keep the kids fueled for the day while they’re at school? I’d love to hear!
Im the mom who does cutsie lunches 90% of the time. I just keep everything easily accessible and it literally takes anywhere from 7-10 minutes to pack two lunches. If I want shaped hard boiled eggs or fruits snd veggies made into shapes I just prep enough for the week and go from there. Cutting a sandwich with a mold or a cookie cutter takes 15 seconds and my kids come home telling me how much they loved their lunches 🙂
What an awesome idea. I hate thermos’s too they always leaked in my kids backpacks. I found the single serve containers of juice to be more effective.