21 Make-Ahead School Lunch Ideas, Best Lunch Boxes & Free Printables

Ever wondered, "What should I make for school lunch?"

Here's 21 simple kids school lunch ideas (beyond a sandwich!) that will make your school lunches or remote learning lunch ideas easier. Plus, the best way to pack school lunch!

this awesome idea!

Easy Kid's School Lunch Ideas  

Thanks to Covid, going back to school is probably going to be very different this year. But no matter whether you have just enrolled your kid in private christian schools jacksonville fl (if that's where you live), or if you are sending your kids to school every day, every other day, or keeping them home for distance learning, there's one thing that won't change: School Lunch.

I hate making lunch every day. Don't judge. 🙂 I just feel like it's an interruption to what we're doing.

But news flash: the need for school lunch for kids doesn't go away, whether kids are at school or home.  So I've had to learn how to simplify school lunch and I have finally found a method that works for us! 

So here are healthy school lunch ideas for kids that have worked for us and I hope they are helpful for you!

The Best Lunch Boxes   

My favorite way to pack my kid's school lunch is in these Easy Lunchboxes. We have had Easy Lunch Boxes for over 3 years now and we have not had to replace any of them.

This is my favorite trick for easy school lunches.  I can pack a bunch of kid's school lunches and keep them in the fridge! 

They are dishwasher safe, sturdy, and affordable.  

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I have 2 sets of the 4-compartment Easy Lunchboxes and 1-set of the 3-compartment lunch boxes. 

Depending on what lunch I am making for the week is what lunchbox I'll use. And as my kids get older (and hungrier), I use the bigger ones. 

Upright Lunch Bag

On school mornings, my kids grab a packed lunch box from the fridge and put it in our favorite Fulton Bag Co. Upright Lunch Bag. These insulated lunch bags are the perfect size for an easy lunchbox and have a spot for their water bottle.

Sometimes we'll throw in an ice pack if we need to keep something extra cold. Even if you don't use easy lunch boxes, you can throw all your lunch items inside and zip it up.

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Stress-free Kid's School Lunch Ideas  

Besides using Easy Lunchboxes , there are 2 other tips that have made a world of difference for me. 

1| Make the same lunch every day for the entire week.

I choose one main dish, snack, fruit, and dessert for the week. So far, my kids haven't ever complained. Since they get something new the following week, it hasn't seemed to bother them.

I love making the same school lunch for every day because it's easy to plan for, shop for, and doesn't require any extra thinking. Plus we have less wasted food. 

2| Prepare lunches at the beginning of the week.

This is another game changer when it comes to packing lunches. On Saturday or Sunday, I have my kids help me prepare their lunches for the week.

We grab out the lunchboxes, fill them up and put them in the fridge. 

When it's time to go to school, they grab their insulated lunch bags, water bottle, and grab an easy lunchbox from the fridge. 

Doing this has greatly reduced the chaos on school mornings. 

School Lunch Ideas For Picky Eaters

Don't worry if you have picky eaters at your house! This method will work for them, too. Just create a simple menu with lunch box items they like and put it on repeat!

Kid's Lunch Ideas

Ok, let's get to the kid friendly school lunch ideas!

All of these are easy, healthy, school lunch ideas. My kid's love them and ask for them on repeat!

Since I pack enough lunches for the entire week, I choose items that won't get soggy or gross sitting in the fridge all week. (There are some exceptions that can be frozen. I'll get to those in a minute.)

Additionally, ensure that your fridge and freezer are working efficiently and cooling properly, otherwise, the packed lunches can go stale, and your kids can get stomach infections. You can look for companies like A Plus Appliance Repair near your location for regular maintenance and repair of your kitchen appliances.

As for the easy packable lunch items, choose 1 main dish, snack, fruit/veggie, and dessert if you want one.

MAIN DISH LUNCHBOX IDEAS

• Ritz crackers, pepperoni, cheese
• Ham & Cheese Roll-ups (Freezer-friendly)
• Peanut butter and crackers
• Turkey & Cheese Rolls
• Pizza rolls
• Hawaiian rolls with turkey & cheese 
• Hard-boiled eggs

KID'S LUNCHBOX IDEAS: SNACKS

• Air-popped popcorn
• Pretzels
• Goldfish
• Cheese sticks
• Fruit leather
• Gummy vitamins
• Fruit Snacks
• Tortilla or potato chips

FRUITS/VEGGIES

Don't forget healthy food for kids school lunches!

• Grapes
• Clementines (Cuties)
• Carrot sticks
• Cucumbers
• Whole strawberries 
• Applesauce cup 
• Fruit cup 

EASY PACKABLE LUNCH IDEAS: TREATS AND DESSERTS

Just click the link for the lunch box recipe! 

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Rolo Cookies
• Better Than Rice Krispies Treats 
• Indoor S'mores Bars (No-Bake)
• Mint for good breath when they are done

Other Distance Learning Lunch Ideas: 

• Tortilla Pizzas 

Set up your own rotation or choose what's on sale . The great thing about these lunch ideas for school is you can really mix and match to fit your preferences! 

Another great idea is to ask your family for their favorite kid lunch ideas! And then add those to your master list. 

Free School Lunch Ideas Menu  

Download a free PDF with all our favorite lunch box ideas, plus a blank version so you can make a master list of your own good school lunches.

Free School Lunch Box Notes Printables   

And one more freebie! Here are some printable lunch box notes to throw in your children's lunch boxes! 

Download them free from our digital shop here. 

What are your favorite lunch ideas for kids? Leave a comment below!