Pin for Later

This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate disclaimer policy.

School Lunch Ideas For Kids

If you have to pack a lunch for your kids to take to school, it may sometimes feel like you are rotating the same lunches each week. I find it hard to come up with new ideas that are healthy and that my kids love. Saving time is also equally important! Here are some school lunch ideas for kids that we’ve been excited about.

Dairy-Free Alternatives

I’d also like to add that 2/3 of my kids are mostly dairy-free. We only buy non-dairy milk and yogurt, but we do eat cheese from time to time. Right now I have one school-ager with another about to start soon. My son was experiencing many occasions of diarrhea, acid reflux and stomach cramps while at school. Our pediatrician told us that a dairy intolerance is possible.

Since cutting out dairy, my son has been feeling so much better! Unfortunately, it took some time to figure it out. I also found out my son had been drinking the school milk which was definitely one of the culprits. He wanted to enjoy the milk provided by his school just like his friends. This resulted in countless days of him coming home feeling sick. I wanted to think of a way for him to enjoy milk with his friends without leaving him with an upset digestive system for the rest of the day.

He’s been loving this Good Karma flax milk. The added omega-3s is a huge bonus since his doctor has him on fish oil supplements already. Non-dairy yogurt has also been our jam.

Kids School Lunch Ideas

Kids Lunch Ideas

I am terrible about taking pictures of the lunches we’ve come up with, so I will share our favorites and add some photos of a few examples. We switch off between the vanilla and chocolate flax milk and we always pair each lunch with a fruit and a veggie.

Fruit & Veggie Ideas for Kid Lunches

Some fruits and veggies seem to hold up better than others. Our go to produce items for lunches includes:

  1. A cutie (tangerine)
  2. Whole apple (they brown when you slice it)
  3. Watermelon slices
  4. Berries – although strawberries tend to get mushy
  5. Grapes
  6. Carrots (with or without dip)
  7. Celery with peanut butter
  8. Cucumbers (with or without dip)
  9. Sliced bell pepper (with or without dip)

Kids Bento Box Lunch Ideas

We love using our favorite stainless steel bento box for lunches and on-the-go snack packs. Sometimes when I am trying to come up with lunches and have run out of entree ideas, I will pack a healthy snack pack which includes hummus and pita bread, veggies, fruit, flax milk, nuts and a hard-boiled egg. It is so easy and healthy!

Homemade Lunchables

Homemade Pizza Lunchable

I get it…it’s normal for kids to want to enjoy the same lunches as their friends. The problem is, they aren’t always healthy and with our dairy sensitivities, we are always looking for great alternatives.

My son kept begging and begging me to buy him lunchables to take to school, so I got on Pinterest and found some ideas for making our own lunchables. We found all of these ingredients at the store:

  1. Pizza crusts (no baking needed) – I cut them into slices
  2. Shredded cheese
  3. Pizza sauce
  4. Optional – pizza toppings

My son loves the homemade lunchables! You can also make the lunchables with the meat, cheese and crackers. We love making ours with salami and cheese. I am so thrilled they were a hit!

Homemade Lunchable Bento Box

Other School Lunch Ideas

Our kids love “Jersey Mikes sandwiches” so sometimes I will buy fresh baked French rolls from the store and make our own Jersey Mikes sandwiches.

Every once in awhile I will pack a breakfast lunch with Yummy Spoonfuls organic banana and sweet potato pancakes. They are healthy and my kids love them just the same as regular pancakes.

There was also a time when my son loved mini bean and cheese burritos. I would make a batch and freeze them individually. Just pull out a burrito the night before and stick it in a lunch bag!

I hope these kids lunch ideas help inspire you for new lunch ideas. I am always open to hearing your favorite lunches too! Let me know in the comments 🙂

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.