This is a question I’ve been getting a lot over on Instagram. “How on earth do you get your kids to pack their own lunches??” So I decided to take the time to write down all my best tips, tricks and resources if your goal is to get your kids to start packing their own lunches for school.
At what age should your kids start packing their own lunches?
There is no right answer to this, of course. It depends on so many things: Your kid’s personality, abilities and preferences, your schedule, and your priorities to name a few.
But, generally, your kids should be able to start packing their own lunches at some point during elementary school, if that’s something that you want them to do.
My daughters started packing their own lunches when they were about 7 and 9, but every kids is different!
Benefits of kids packing their own lunches
It might take a lot of effort on your part and some practice on your kids’ parts before they can pack their own lunches. But there are a lot of reasons why it’s worth it:
It’s a great way for your kids to learn independence and responsibility. Everybody has to work together to make a household function, and it’s great for kids to have their own tasks that they are responsible for. It helps them to realize that they are each a valuable and important part of the family.
They can have more control over the types of food they pack. Which means that they might be more likely to eat the food, since they picked it out themselves. You also won’t have to guess which foods they might eat, and how much they’ll need.
Your own sanity. Sometimes school mornings are hectic! If you can take one thing off your plate, it might help to make the whole day just a little bit more peaceful.
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How to get your kids to pack their own lunches: 9 tips
1. Get them excited about the idea!
Pitch the idea to your kids: What a fun new job they’re going to get to be in charge of!
And if they don’t respond to that announcement positively, maybe purchase a new book for them to look at- we love this one!– or let them take a look at some websites to come up with a few ideas they’d like to try.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
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Feeding Littles Lunches: 75+ No-Stress… |
$18.28 |
Buy on Amazon |
But give them some warning so they can start to get used to- and excited about- the idea before it actually becomes their responsibility.
2. Use a bento box
I think a bento box is the easiest way to teach kids to pack their own lunches, because there’s only a certain number of containers to fill every time. Visually, it’s really easy for kids to see what they have left to do.
There are a bunch of great options to choose from, but we love the Bentgo lunch boxes. The Bentgo kids are great for up to about 7 years old, and after that we switched over to the larger Bentgo Fresh.
They both fit great into our Bentology insulated lunch bags.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
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Bentgo Kids Bento-Style 5-Compartment… |
$27.99 |
Buy on Amazon |
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Bentgo Fresh (Blue/Green 2 PACK) – New &… |
$21.50 |
Buy on Amazon |
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Bentology Lunch Box for Girls – Kids… |
$11.99 |
Buy on Amazon |
3. Teach them to include the same categories every time
People always tell me that their kid would just pack junk if they made their own lunch.
One way to counter this is to use a 4 compartment bento box, and teach your kids to always include the same 4 categories:
- A sandwich or main course
- A fruit
- A veggie
- A snack
(Just my opinion: If your kids won’t eat veggies in their lunch box, just do 2 fruits instead, and worry about them getting their veggies during a different meal.)
4. Work together at first
Start by letting your child have a limited role in the packing. Maybe ask them whether they would prefer a clementine or grapes. Then hand them the fruit and ask them to put it into their lunch box.
Start small.
5. Make food and supplies accessible
One problem that we ran into was that our kids literally couldn’t reach their lunch boxes (which we kept in a basket on top of the fridge.)
Think about creating a storage spot for supplies low enough for your kids to reach them. Or invest in a kitchen stool that kids can use to reach higher. We love this one. The entire family uses it, from our 2 year old, to me, when I’m trying to reach the top cabinets!
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
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COSCO 2-Step Kitchen Stepper™ Adult… |
$59.98 |
Buy on Amazon |
6. Prepare what you can ahead of time
If you can, have a few choices from each lunch box category prepped and ready to go beforehand.
For example, I wash and cut up strawberries and keep them in a jar in our fridge. That way, kids just have to dump them into their lunch boxes in the morning if that’s what they choose for their fruit.
7. Involve kids in coming up with ideas and shopping for food
When you’re doing your meal planning or putting in your grocery order, take the time to ask kids what they’d like you to buy for their lunchboxes. They can even brainstorm a few main courses ahead of time. Jot them down and make sure you have all the ingredients you need.
I printed out the free printable lunchbox menu below, and my kids circle a few things in each category every week. Then I make sure to add what we need to our grocery order.
Download the lunch box menu here:
8. Create your own list of favorites
If the list above is overwhelming, or if you have very picky eaters, create your own list of go-to sandwiches, main courses, fruits, veggies, and snacks that you know your kids will eat.
You can print out the list below and fill it out, or make your own!
Download the lunch box choices page here:
9. Make it fun!
Check out my list of our favorite lunch packing accessories below. These are things that you don’t necessarily need in order to pack lunches, but they do make the process a lot more fun.
(Or you can check out my full list of favorite lunch packing supplies here!)
See examples:
If you’re interested in seeing real examples of lunch box ideas, check out this post I wrote about school lunch ideas.
You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook, because I often share pictures and videos of our lunches over there.
I hope you found this helpful! If you did, do me a favor and share it.
And have a great school year!
-Laura
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