Once you get back into the daily grind of a school schedule and routine, things can sometimes get a bit monotonous. To shake things up a bit and add a bit of joy to your child’s day, here are a few creative ways to spruce up their packed lunches.
Mix It Up
Keep a variety of snacks and easy grab and go items on hand that your children love. Even if you stick with a sandwich most days, you can easily add variety with the side items that you add.
Bento Box
Instead of the usual sandwich and fruit, try a bento box or homemade Lunchable of sorts. Add crackers, slices of cheese, pepperonis and a couple other finger foods that your child enjoys to their lunchbox.
Cookie Cutters
You can still get creative with the regular sandwich routine with cookie cutters. There are special sandwich shape cutters out there, but often cookie cutters work just as well. It only adds seconds to your lunch packing routine to cut your children’s sandwich into fun shapes.
Love Notes
Add sweet love notes to your child’s lunch. It will be a sweet mid-day surprise to let them know you are thinking of them and anxiously waiting to spend the afternoon together. Coupons.com has a great online magazine – The Good Stuff. They have some adorable printable bookmarks and school lunch notes available for free right now!
There are lots to choose from and they are adorable and colorful and the perfect addition to your child’s lunchbox. Just head over here to check them out and print them for free.
Reader Giveaway: Thanks to The Good Stuff by Coupons.com you can enter below for a chance to win a $300 Amazon gift card! That surely would go a long way to help with Back to School essentials or save it for Christmas gifts and Holiday items! Good luck!
Kristin Goodson says
My son loves sandwiches and cut up fruit in his lunch! I love the idea of using cookie cutters to cut out sandwiches. My son would love to open up his lunchbox to see what shape they are in. I love to make homemade trail mix using different things each time.
Kimmy Ripley says
My daughter loves to have an Olive Loaf sandwich, fiber bar, and juice box.
Adrienne Gordon says
It is pizza
Cathy French says
What kid doesn’t love good ole fashioned PB&J for their lunch
Sandy Klocinski says
Kid bedtimes can look more like a grown-ups in the summer. Gradually move up bedtime to get your kids back on their school sleep schedule a couple of weeks before the first day.
Sue Brandes says
Peanut butter and jelly, fruit, juice.
Tramond Roper says
I don’t have kids, but my niece likes grapes
David Fultner says
They love peanutbutter/jelli time. NO EGG SALAD.
Debbie F says
Cold pasta salad!
Or Snickers Bars. 😀
Claudia Davis says
Luckily its easy…PB and J. Easy to make.
Gayle J says
My kids are older but they used to love any type of sandwich and fruit and juice in their lunches.
Julie Murphy says
PB AND J and chips.
NinaB says
PB and strawberry jelly
Michelle Bartley says
PB and J All The Way!
sandra davis says
My son loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips and a piece of fruit for his lunch.
Gord says
Two or three weeks before the start of school start bedtime 5 minutes earlier each night.
Susan Hartman says
My daughter likes her turkey sandwich with baked chips.
Melissa says
They love taco fritters and quesadillas.
diane says
p&b sandwiches
Amy Pratt says
Surprisingly, bologna goes a long way around here.
Angela Podgorny says
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich
Layne Austin says
PB&J is a classic lunch and the kids always love it!
Dan Denman says
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips. Fruit and crackers are favorites too.
Alison says
Bento boxes are great! I lived in Hawaii for years and everyone loves these snack assortments.
Derek L says
Peanut butter and jelly, the classic!
kate burton says
My kids would live on PB&J with yogurt and trail mix
james doyle says
PB&J FOR SURE 🙂
Debra S says
The kids here love ham and cheese sandwiches. With some fruit and cookies.
Sharon Kaminski says
Our kids favorite lunch is peanut butter sandwiches and orange juice.
Chrystal D says
My tips are be prepared and get up WAY early!
nickie says
My son loves pizza, juice and grapes
danizilla says
Well, I don’t have any kids so I’m not sure what you would like me to comment!
MIchelle says
Ham and cheese and chips
Patricia treskovich says
love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
MsCrookedHalo says
Clucks Deluxe Chicken Sandwich
Tracy Davis says
Ham and cheese sandwiches.
Carolyn Daley says
My back to school tip is to pack lunches the night before. We never buy lunch, but we do not want to deal with the hassle of packing everything up in the mornings either.
David Balkin says
My daughter has been loving Strawberries lately!
Chris D says
My back to school tip would be to try and prep some of the snacks over the weekend.
TimDaniels says
My girls love PB&Js on rye.
Billie R says
My son has always loved leftovers for lunch.
Natalia P says
My daughter’s favorite lunch is lo mein with cheddar cheese and a pickle.. Not lying lol.
Angela Mittner says
My son likes sliced apples, grapes, and water melon with his lunch.
Ty says
My daughter likes a turkey a cheese sandwich with fresh fruit as a snack.
Erin F says
I don’t have kids, but I liked meatloaf sandwiches for lunch. I’m not crazy. My mom makes good meatloaf!
ELIZABETH C. says
Both my sons love tuna fish with onion & celery.
Deb. S. says
PB&J 🙂
natasha lamoreux says
Chicken nuggets and fries
RICHARD SKUSE says
PB&J
Patricia M says
Both my boys like sandwiches. One of them likes bologna, the other likes turkey.
Michael Perkins says
He’s having a great day when he gets a meatball sub
Thomas F says
PB&J with milk.
Joann Adams says
My kids favorite school lunch is an italian sub.
Nancy Krueger says
cheese quesadillas, milk, applesauce and chocolate chip oatmeal cookie
Tom Griffith Jr says
Friday is pizza day the only day 4 lunch!
Sara says
My son loves when i send him beans and hotdogs or pasta with carrots, corn and broccoli
desi says
Classic PB&J with an apple
robin lorraine williamson says
my son loves any kind of fruit and tuna sandwiches thanks for the contest
sarah hirsch says
my kids like bagels, cheese crackers and bananas
Angela Simmons says
We are vegetarian and try to stay away from processed food my kids love carrots and celery with hummus.
Kathleen Fleitz says
No tips. I just could really use the $300 Amazon gift card. I tutor Asian children and would love to be able to buy some extra teaching aids like a microscope to help make learning more fun and interesting.
Chris Martinez says
My son loves fruit, so I often send him with some fruit salad and cheese for lunch.
Meghan Malicoat says
My daughters favorite school lunch is the chicken filet sandwich, she loves those things.
Tabatha says
PB&J
Marnie G (Derrick Todd) says
My daughter’s favorite is a turkey sandwich, a piece of string cheese, an apple or banana and a granola bar.
Judith R. says
My daughter’s favorite lunch is a whole wheat peanut butter sandwich, followed by a banana.
Leisl Gering says
cheese and crackers and a juice box!
Michelle C says
My kids like having turkey and cheese sandwiches. They like having yogurt and fresh pineapple, too.
marc Woronoff says
like
doug gerard says
a nutella and banana sandwich with carrotts and broccoli and ranch dip
E Rose says
My tip is to prepare as much as you can in advance… I cut up vegetables, hard-boil eggs and such for the week and store them in the fridge.
amy c says
pizza
Kelly @RaisingSamuels says
My boys love macaroni and cheese, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Selinda says
Salami Sandwich, yogurt, fruit, green peppers!
Jacob says
The like the classic PB&J (apparently no Peanut allergies in their class this year)
Leela says
Grilled chicken and salad.
Caitlin M says
Do as much planning during the weekend as possible so nothing sneaks up on you during the week.
greg says
My son loves any fruit. He will devour it if it’s in front of him.
Joy Q says
My daughter loves ham and cheese with a side of fruit.
Annalisa L says
The favorite lunch is ham and cheese sandwiches
Juliana says
Pizza and fruit
Linda Lansford says
pizza or spegetti
Noura A says
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich & Pizza
Heather Miller says
fruit and turkey and cheese
Kelley Chapman says
My kids favorite is leftover pasta w/sausage and or meatballs.
Deana Honeycutt says
My kids love ham and cheese sandwiches, apple slices and an oatmeal cookie
Michelle H. says
I have been trying to keep my kids lunches interesting by getting fancier breads and making up things, such as taco sandwiches. They loved those taco sandwiches.
tracey johnson says
He loves PB&J
Kelley Roach says
I don’t have kids, but my niece likes grapes
Gina O says
My children are away at college, so I am sure that would be something hot that is not rice and beans 🙂
I used to have to pack lunches every day, and they usually preferred taking leftovers from dinner.
Bruce says
kids always liked fruit with lunch
Michele Baron says
My daughter loved a turkey sandwich on rye with mayo and chips on the side
clynsg says
My grandson normally eats the school lunch, but every once in awhile he wants to take it, and always wants to have yogurt included.
Elizabeth Glowienka says
PB&j and carrots and hummus
Shelbie Johnston says
my grandkids love pb&j!
Allyson Bossie says
My kids love taking bento boxes with a lot of different things in it to eat!
Rebecca Peters says
My daughter loves to bring turkey wraps
Audra O'Hara says
My daughter likes strawberries, ham, cheese, snack crackers and water.
Ruksana M says
Wheat Tortilla rolls with Nutella spread
Leslie Davis says
PB and Grape jam sandwiches
Breanne says
My nephew likes pizza.
Tara Woods says
No kids, but my nieces love cubed cheese, crackers and fresh fruit.
Leah Shumack says
My daughter’s favorite meal is anything that has mashed potatoes!
Sharon Braswell says
My daughter always loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with homemade treats, brownies etc., in her Scooby-Doo lunch box! My nephew loves anything pizza related, bagel bites etc. in his Spiderman lunch box if he needs to take a lunch! Thank you!!
Crystal S says
Nothing too adventurous at the moment. A PB & J sandwich, grapes, carrot sticks, milk, and a cookie!
Crystal S says
Definitely the printable bookmarks. She loves to read as much as I do!
Joann F says
My daughter likes turkey & cheese sandwiches
Ellen H says
my son is a big kid and he likes to take left overs for lunch. My daughter is a kindergartener and she is a standard pb&j with rotating sides. Right now she loves applesauce