Group of kindergarten students eating lunch from lunchboxes

Tips for Packing Kids School Lunches

Handy hints for packing lunches

  • Have separate food containers for morning tea and lunch, or put morning tea in a ziplock bag for easy access – otherwise they may eat their sandwiches at morning tea.
  • Lunches aren’t refrigerated at school, so for summer, buy a lunch box with a freezer brick, or freeze their bottle of drink to keep the rest of the lunch cool and fresh.
  • It is preferable and cheaper to just give water to drink. If not, use diluted juice.
  • Put a variety of foods in their lunch box to choose from.
  • Lots of small serves are better than large quantities.
  • Steer clear of junk food. Packing chips and lollies is not good for their health, and not fair on the other children.
  • Check if your school has a policy on being a ‘nut free school’ (i.e. no peanut butter, nuts or products containing nuts).

Put a variety of foods in their lunch box to choose from.

Lunch box ideas for kids in school

Ideas for lunches and snacks

  • Container of peeled chopped fresh fruit salad, such as melons, peaches, kiwi fruit, grapes. (Put in a plastic spoon which you can afford to lose!)
  • Dried fruit in small quantities only, as it’s high in sugar.
  • Fruit/cereal snack packs (check the labels at supermarkets to find out which are most nutritious).
  • Cheese sticks or slices.
  • Wedges of hard boiled eggs.
  • Fresh or cooked vegetable sticks or wedges, such as carrots, celery, green or red capsicum, cherry tomatoes, snow peas.
  • Celery sticks with cottage cheese.
  • Mini wheat breakfast cereal.
  • Yoghurt, plain or with fruit.
  • Cold pasta or potato salad.
  • Sushi.
Boy and girl sitting outside having lunch from their lunchboxes

Sandwiches:

  • Bread options: pita or pocket bread, rice cakes, wholemeal bread or rolls, crackers, fruit buns or mini pizzas.
  • Filling options: cheese spread or slices, vegemite, avocado, cooked egg mashed with cottage cheese, ham, cold chicken tuna or salmon with salad vegetables, cottage or ricotta cheese mixed with pineapple or sultanas.
  • Don’t use wet fillings as this makes sandwiches soggy by lunchtime and your child won’t eat them – they will just put them in the garbage bin.

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