Sharing is caring!

Packing your kids’ school lunch at home can help you provide a much healthier lunch during the school year.  With more than one child, and as the school year goes on, this task can become frustrating and be tiring.  Especially if both parents are working and you are rushing to get everyone out the door.  That is why I started packing and prepping five days of school lunches on Sunday afternoon. With both mom & dad rushing off to work in the morning I like to prepare as much as I can on the weekend.

If you have a picky eater this is its own problem. If there is anything positive about a picky eater it is that you do not have to too creative. On the other hand, it can get boring and monotonous. After years of packing the same packed school lunch, I have now decided to put all my creativity into the lunch box notes.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission which helps keep my blog up and running but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Click here to read my full disclosure policy.  

Importance of Lunch Notes

Experiencing and feeling loved is an essential part of any child’s development.  While I am not an expert on child development, I know from my life experience that knowing I was loved gave me the freedom to become the person I am today.  Expressing your love in simple words and actions is one of the most inexpensive things you can do to ensure well-being in your children.

Writing notes in your children’s lunches, backpack, or slipping a note in the pocket of the jacket is a quick and inexpensive way to continue to build the development of self-confidence and freedom to explore who you are. Writing quick notes takes so little time and it’s so inexpensive for the huge impact in the middle of the day for your children.

I’ve created these cute and simple printable lunchbox notes for you to print out, cut out, and keep on hand. You can complete them all Sunday night and stick them in the lunch bag, or each morning when you’re making this fresh sandwich right out the sentiments of love that you are feeling.

The simple act, whether on free printable’s an index card or the back of old greeting cards, will put a smile on your little ones face at lunch and reassure them that they are loved and can make the best of each day.

Item Needed:

• Lunch Box
• Lunch Bags (XL to fit water bottle)
• Water Bottles
• Paper Towel for Napkin
• Raisins or other fruit snacks
• Apple Sauce
• Plastic Spoons
• Chex Mix or Gold Fish
• Yogurt (easy packing size)
• Sandwich bags
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Peanut Butter (For my Picky Eater who only eats Peanut Butter Sandwich)
  {Leave out if there are nut allergies or not allowed in your school}

Prepare One Hour on Sunday

Preparing as much ahead of time, and having it stored in the cupboard and refrigerator ready to go will speed up your school lunch packing tremendously.  Knowing that I have 80% of the school lunches prepared, makes me not to read the Monday morning task as much.

• I have all of my lunch bags out and labeled with each child’s name. And in each bag, I have all the non-perishable food items.  When my kids were using lunch boxes, I would have all these non-perishables in a clear plastic bin in my cupboard ready to go. Then on each evening before school, I would have the lunch box packed with these non-perishables.
  • Water Bottles
  • Napkins
  • small baggies of Chex Mix or Gold Fish
  • Box of Raisins
  • Individual applesauce with a spoon
• In the refrigerator, I have another tidy clear bin with all of the refrigerated items in one place.
  • Go-Gurts
  • Drinkable Yogurt
  • A small ice pack (so many cute ones)

Now with the lunch bags are labeled packed with all the non-perishables, and a few cold items in the refrigerator are all in one place.  All I have to do is make the peanut butter sandwich.  Not peanut butter and jelly, just peanut butter. Yes, that has been my picky eater for all 13 years of school.

When he reached junior high, and no longer wanted a lunch box but a lunch bag, I perfected my prepared ahead of time method.  In order to save on snacks, and I purchased goldfish or Chex Mix in large quantities and packed 5 small bags for each day of school.  I had all 5 water bottles in an extra-large lunch bag, with the small bag of snacks. Each bag had a small box of raisins or a small bag of carrots.  In the refrigerator and a clear plastic bin, so it was easy to see, I had Go-Gurt and applesauce.

In the morning when I was preparing breakfast and myself for work, I grabbed a lunch bag, tossed in a Go-Gurt and ice pack, and make the peanut butter sandwich.  Staple the lid closed and hand to my kids as they walked out the door.

Any week that I forgot to prepare everything ahead of time and when Monday comes around and there was an entire lunch bag to prepare I regretted not sticking to my pre-planning method.

~Susan

For more free Printables in your inbox Click Here!

Do you have any Lunchbox/bag hacks to make your week go smoother?