Fun, Healthy School Lunches for Kids

It’s back to school and back to making school lunches for our kids. This may seem like a thankless task, but it’s ripe with opportunities to foster healthy eating habits for a lifetime. There are also plenty of ways to make school lunches fun, both for the lunch maker and the lunch eater.

Students need energy to thrive each school day, whether playing tag at recess, memorizing multiplication tables, or enjoying free reading time in the classroom. A nutritious school lunch is critical. What children eat can also set the foundation for lifelong healthy eating habits.

What goes into a healthy school lunch

So, what makes a healthy lunch? The best school lunches for kids incorporate a balanced mix of proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and healthy fats, like nuts, nut butters, or avocados. Hydration is critical, too, so pack a water bottle (with water, not sugary juices).

It can be tempting to pack a big lunch so that your child does not spend the afternoon hungry. However, Sally Kuzemchak, a registered dietician and blogger at Real Mom Nutrition, suggests the opposite approach, noting that big lunches can be overwhelming to small children.

Kuzemchak likes to pack a variety of foods, but in small portions. This encourages her children to not fill up on one food, like crackers or chips, and leaves room in their bellies for foods in all food groups, including ripe berries and raw veggies.

How to make your school lunches fun

No one likes a boring lunch. Not adults, not children. So it’s key to make a homemade lunch fun, if only to discourage your child from popping into the school lunch line for less healthy lunch options, like tacos and juice drinks. Colorful fruits, whimsical shapes, and finger foods are all fun.

Bento-style boxes are also fun. Even better, they make it easy to divide up the different foods and food groups into four to six compartments. There are plenty of ways to fill up the compartments, too. Think colorful melon or berries, pasta salad, raw vegetables, charcuterie, olives, and almonds.

For fun school lunches, you’ll also want to break out the heart- or star-shaped cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into cute shapes. What child doesn’t want to show off—and eat—a deliciously adorable tea sandwich? Think about protein here, like chicken salad, ham and cheese, and tuna. Yum-o.

Time saving tips for busy caregivers

It can be hard to find the time to make a fun, healthy school lunch, but remember that a homemade lunch doesn’t have to be elaborate. Simple add-ins, like pre-made wraps, pasta salads, and pre-chopped veggies, are easy to toss into a lunchbox with love.

Because the morning routine can be a whirlwind, make school lunches the night before so that kids can quickly grab their lunch, toss it into their backpacks, and get out the door to meet the school bus. Where possible, prep ingredients over the weekend, whether chopping up celery stalks, cooking up proteins, assembling kabobs, or portioning out sides, like blueberries and crackers.

For those who want to be extra-organized, plan out lunches for the week, and add the foods you need to your weekly grocery shopping list. This is especially helpful when packing lunches for multiple children. You don’t want to be caught off guard without enough food for a lunch box.

School lunch recipe resources

When making healthy school lunches for kids, you don’t need to go it alone. There are lots of available resources, including cookbooks and recipe websites, that make it a cinch to find easy-to-make, nutritious lunch options that appeal to kids.

Online, check out Real Mom Nutrition for 100 Lunch Box Ideas Your Kids Will Love, which features a huge variety of ideas (with photos), like kabobs, roll-ups, and mini pizzas. Another favorite, especially for small children, is a cookbook called Lunchbox: So Easy, So Delicious, So Much Fun to Eat. Both resources go the distance to help ensure making lunches is not a chore.