School Lunch Ideas Kids Will Love Plus some tips!

Wondering how to make school lunches more fun? Check out our great list of school lunch ideas, plus some tips on packing lunches and more. This post has sponsored content and affiliate links. Don't forget to enter to win our Entenmann's giveaway below!

Back to School Lunch Ideas

If you've exhausted your list on what to pack in school lunches, here are some things to make your lunches fun again!
1. Bagel, Yogurt, Chips and Fruit | The Mama Maven
2. Corn Dog Muffins | I Am the Maven
3. Fruit & Cheese (or Veggie & Cheese) Kabobs | How Does She
4. Ham & Cheese Tortilla Rolls | Emmy Mom
5. Multigrain Chips, Guacamole, Pears and Cucumbers | Stuffed Suitcase
6. Waffles with Peanut Butter, Nutella or Almond Butter | Kids Activities Blog
7. Sandwich Apples | Dining with Alice
8. 4 Cheese Pepperoni Pizza Bites | Glue Sticks & Gumdrops
9. Bento for Teens or Adults | I Am the Maven
10. Zucchini Cupcakes and Pepper Boats | Kids Activities Blog
11. Mini Hot Dogs | Jo and Sue
12. Pizza Buns | Simple as That
13. Dinosaur Bento Lunch | Glue Sticks & Gumdrops
14. Apples and Cheese Wraps | Weelicious
15. Nutella and Banana Sushi | Kidspot

Tips for making school lunches

Use drinks as ice packs!

Freeze drinks the night before and they keep your lunches cool and be thawed by lunch time.

Make sandwiches in advance

Make a big batch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and freeze them. Your pb&j will keep in the freezer for about 4-6 weeks. Take one out of the freezer in the morning and should be thawed by lunch time.

Make single servings or rice or pasta

When you have leftover rice and pasta from dinner, portion them out in snack size bags. Make sure to label the bag with the date. You can freeze them for 30 days. Just defrost by running cool water over the bag and massaging gently.

Pack your lunch in divided lunch boxes.

Using a divided lunch box not only reduces packaging waste, but it helps you make sure you've packed a complete lunch.

Make your own lunchables.

Use your divided lunch containers to make your own custom lunchables. Plus when you make your own you can add some fruit too!

Make your own uncrustables

Use a sandwich sealer to make your own pocket sandwiches!

Have your kids pack their own lunches.

Give your kids the responsibility of packing their own lunches! Make sure they have guidelines on what to pack. You will save time, and they know exactly what is in their lunch!

Make a snack station for your kids.

Having snack stations makes it easy for the kids to not only pack their own lunch, but have a kid friendly snack they can grab without asking you. Make sure to give them some good options to choose from. You can keep dry goods on the counter or cabinet and perishables in the fridge. We have a special snack drawer!

Use fun containers!

Speaking of snacks... Using fun containers like these Snack in the Box containers from Precidio Designs is a great way to pack snacks in your kids lunch boxes without wasting plastic bags. They are great for car trips too, and just on the go! They come in lots of fun color so you can have a different color for each kid. (of all ages!) These snack boxes are BPA and Phthalate Free and dishwasher safe.

Hard boil eggs once a week

Hard boiled eggs are a great protein addition to your kids lunches. They are a great snack too!

Cut sandwiches with cookie cutters.

Make lunches more fun by using cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes and get rid of crusts. You will also drastically increase the chances of them actually eating their entire sandwich!

Cookie cutters are fun for fruits and cheese too!

Let's be honest, shapes make food more fun. Use small cookie cutters to cut fruit and cheeses into fun bite sized shapes.

Put your food on a stick!

Let's be honest, food on skewers are way more fun than plain sandwiches!

Use tortillas instead of bread!

Mix things up and use tortillas. From quesadilla pinwheel and DIY mini pizzas to cheesy rollups, tortillas are a fun addition to a school lunch.

Include special treats!

Make lunchtime special by including things like Entenmann's Little Bite's muffins! NEW Limited-Edition Little Bites® Cinnamuffins are our new Seasonal Favorite! My kids love Little Bites and they are such a fun addition to their lunch or as an after school snack! They contain no high fructose corn syrup or zero grams of trans fat per serving and are less than 200 calories. Serious lunchbox goals! For more information about Little Bites® Cinnamuffins, please visit www.littlebites.com.

**Through January 31,2020 you can also enter the #LunchBoxGoals Sweepstakes!
Entenmann’s, Little Bites® snacks and Sara Lee® Bread have teamed up to host the #LunchboxGoals Sweepstakes. Fans can visit http://www.lunchboxgoals.com/ to enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win $2,500 for themselves and their local school of choice. All sweepstakes entries must be submitted by January 31 via www.lunchboxgoals.com to qualify.
#LunchboxGoals also includes crafty yet easy lunchbox ideas and printables for activities with children.

Plus! Enter to win a $25 Virtual Visa Gift card and 3 Entenmann's product coupons below. This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 + void where prohibited. Giveaway ends January 31, 2020.
Entenmann’s Lunchbox Goals

More easy school lunch ideas!

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