20+ School Lunch Ideas & Free Lunch Box Notes

Here’s 20 simple 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! 

EASY SCHOOL LUNCH IDEAS 

Thanks to Covid, going back to school is probably going to learn very different this year.  But no matter 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 school lunch ideas that have worked for us and I hope they are helpful for you! 

EASY LUNCHBOXES  

My favorite way to pack my kid’s school lunch is in these Easy Lunchboxes. We have had them for over 2 years now and the are still going strong. 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.  

GET THEM FROM AMAZON HERE: 

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. 

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. 

KIDS LUNCH IDEAS 

Ok, let’s get to the kid’s lunch ideas! Keep in mind, these are all well-loved by my kids and what we always have on rotation.  

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.)

To pack the lunchbox, 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 

FRUITS/VEGGIES

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

SCHOOL LUNCH BOX IDEAS: TREATS 

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. 

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!