This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Back to school – it’s that time again! We constantly get requests for school lunch ideas and I’ll admit that packing lunches is a challenge – balancing nutritious choices with what your child will actually eat. We’re sharing creative school lunch ideas your children will love, and you will feel good about what’s in their lunch box!
It’s the best feeling to open that lunch box at the end of the day and realize your child loved what you packed. I hope these school lunch ideas make your life a whole lot easier!
Don’t miss the kid-friendly parfait which is perfect for breakfast or an after school snack. It comes together in 5 minutes and you will be surprised by the simple wholesome ingredients. P.S. Also check out the hot lunch ideas at the end of the post – no microwave required!
(Kid-Friendly) SCHOOL LUNCH IDEAS:
We love lists! I print and hang these lunch ideas in the pantry for quick reference and inspiration. Here is the lunchbox that we love.
Fruit for School Lunch:
Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Grapes
Banana
Pineapple
Dried fruit
Clementine
Mango
Pear
Apple
Vegetables for School Lunch:
Cucumber
Baby tomatoes
Carrot Sticks
Snap Peas
Black Olives (not really a vegetable)
Corn on the cob
Sides and School Lunch Snacks:
Cottage Cheese
String Cheese
Granola Bar
Fruit Snacks
Annie’s Crackers (we love Annie’s White Cheddar Bunnies)
Main Course School Lunches:
Ham and Crackers (DIY lunchables)
Hummus with multi-grain chips
Lettuce Wraps with ranch
Chicken Avocado Salad
Thermos School Lunch Ideas:
1. Annie’s Mac and Cheese (any variety)
2. Chicken nuggets
3. Try one of Annie’s Soups (Ready-made and perfect for busy weekdays!)
4. Buttered noodles
We LOVE Annie’s mac and cheese. It’s so creamy and hearty – such a treat! I can imagine the smile on my son’s face as he opens his thermos at school filled with creamy, warm mac and cheese!
Tips for using a thermos:
- Pack hot thermos in the morning (5 hours before it’s eaten)
- Heat the thermos first: add boiling water, cover and let sit 5 min then drain (pat dry if adding chicken nuggets). Heat food until it’s hot. Place into heated thermos and close tightly with lid. Food will be warm at lunchtime. Here is the Thermos we use.
Kid-Friendly Yogurt Parfaits Recipe
These yogurt parfaits are perfect for breakfast or an after school snack. They are packed with protein, grains and fruit which provide lasting feel good energy. Kids can assemble their own parfaits, choosing their favorite berries. This is the easiest recipe with no cooking required.
Ingredients for 2 Parfaits:
2 (4 oz each) yogurt cups
1/4 cup Annie’s Frosted Oat Flakes Cereal, coarsely crushed
1 cup fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
How to Make Yogurt Parfaits:
1. In a small glass cup, add 1/2 package of Annie’s Vanilla yogurt. Sprinkle the top generously with crushed cereal then top with 1/4 cup of berries. Repeat with a second layer of yogurt, cereal and berries. Serve right away.
Kid Friendly Yogurt Parfait Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz Annie's Vanilla Yogurt, (2 cups, 4 oz each)
- 1/4 cup Annie's Frosted Oat Flakes Cereal, coarsely crushed
- 1 cup fresh berries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
Instructions
- In a small glass cup, add 1/2 package of Annie's Vanilla yogurt. Sprinkle the top generously with crushed cereal then top with 1/4 cup of berries. Repeat with a second layer of yogurt, cereal and berries. Serve right away.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I am always on the lookout for new school lunch ideas. Please share yours in a comment below and thank you in advance (from one parent to another ;).
P.S. Have you tried packing warm lunch in a thermos?? I’d love to hear about your children’s favorites!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Target & Annie’s. The opinions and text are all mine. We love partnering with brands we love and trust. Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Natasha, do you have recipes for toddlers 2 years old plus? Thanks!
Hi Iris! Nothing for this specific category, I’m sorry.
I am so happy I came across this on your page. My boy starts his first day of pre-K on Wednesday and I was having a hard time figuring out what to pack for his lunch. I make a lot of your recipes and their all great!
Where did you get your thermos for your kids lunch? The link provided Is not working.
Hi Nicole, thank you for letting me know. I wasn’t aware of that but I have updated the links. Here is the thermos we use.
That’s great. Thank you so much!
I hope you write a cookbook soon . I do love the videos and watch and rewatch but a cookbook would be great !
My wish would that it had a spiral binding so it’s easy to lay flat or prop up in a holder while cooking so it’s easier to make sure the page doesn’t jump Or bend at the spine when your hands are goo-covered And you can’t flip the page back ..that’s why I gravitate towards those old church or women guild booklets from all over the US that you find in thrift stores .. well and for the pre 1980 and earlier recipes with out smamcy ingredients from Real people ..ladies treasured recipe cards handed down from grandmothers from back in the 30s-40s .. when food tasted so good most of it farm grown ..
Thank you so much for that feedback, Maria. We love using cookbooks, I recommend investing in a book stand/ holder for the kitchen. Seriously one of the best inventions.
My girls love hot lunches, so they usually get something in the thermos, and 2 types of fruit/veggie/berries (apples+strawberries, sliced oranges+melon, carrots + raspberries, etc.)
In thermos goes: pasta with meatballs, plov, chicken alfredo, soup, mashed potatoes with chicken (I separate meat from pasta/potatoes with a piece of aluminum foil), lasagna, rice with chicken/pork/beef taco)
That sounds like the perfect lunch! Thank you for sharing yours with us Nina!
One lunch item that my daughter has been loving this school year are the Kids Clif Bars, Organic Z Bars. Target has a the best price I’ve seen for the larger packs and they come in a few different flavors. Our favorites are the Chocolate chip and the Iced Oatmeal. Ive been looking at the nutrition values of many bars for kids and these are the only ones that have a decent amount of vitamins/minerals. Thanks for always sharing Natasha!
My pleasure Yulia! Thanks for sharing your helpful suggestion with other readers!
Love this post Natasha. Can’t wait to make the Main Course School Lunches for my younger one. He loves chicken breast a lot so I think he’ll enjoy the salad.
Thank you Helena! Please let me know what he thinks!
Hi,
I’ve been packing my older daughter’s lunches almost every day for the last two years (and will start packing two lunches daily come Sept, as my youngest daughter starts kindergarten).
We’ve done many dinner leftovers in a thermos jar (tuna/salmon casserole being a favorite), soups in same jar, fish filets and fries (or variations on fries), various sandwich and tortilla wrap variations (with a nut-free school, have to use sunbutter–very much not a favorite– in what would otherwise be Pb&Js).
Sincerely,
S Duray
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with us!
amazing idea! I will use it everyday 😉 just so cool!
Thank you!! It really is a fun lunchbox to pack and I think my son eats better at lunch time because of it 😉
I Love this post! Both my girls are in school now, K & 3rd, and I’m on the hunt for new lunch ideas. We loves Annies and use that same thermos for leftover mac and cheese and spaghetti. Excited to try it with chicken nuggets and make homemad “lunchables”. I cringe buying those boxes! 🙂
I’m happy to hear you enjoy this post Patricia! I hope the girls like it too! Thanks for sharing 🙂
My daughters lunch last years:
1. Fruits / Vegetables
2. Snacks (no nuts at all aloud in school)
3. Sandwich (white bread + butter + caviar) / white bread + cream cheese + bologna / white bread toast & cheese & salami / grilled cheese sandwich / white bread + turkey breast + cream cheese / Cesar salad with chicken / white bread + butter + liver pate .
this year I am planing to do on a stick white bread (toast & cubed) + cherry tomato + cucumber + bacon + sausage (like from Russian stores cut in same size as tomato & cucumber) + bacon + lettuce romaine and etc. This is one of the to do lunches for my kids.
Still researching what to do next.
Thank you for sharing that with us Zoryana 😬
thanks for an ideas…You won’t believe,I always put a note to my daughters lunch too… Now I need to do for daughter and son 🙂 . and you know what? my daughter keeps them in a lunch bag, it is her collection of my notes :), isn’t it so cute?
i need to buy thermos and thanks for sharing tips how/when to put meal in thermos.
You are very welcome Zoryana 😬. It’s adorable that your daughter keeps your notes 😍
I have been using a planet box for my son for the last four years. I absolutely love it. I just ordered the larger one so that we have different options for lunches. I showed him your post and he loved the idea of mac and cheese in a thermos. I often send leftover homemade soup in a thermos.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
We love our planetbox lunches so much. I actually bought the bigger one for myself and my husband. It fits so much food and stays fresh, plus no extra dishes!! I also ordered a thermos last week for hot lunches to add variety. Definitely going to stock up on Annie’s as my kiddos LOVE them. Thanks for sharing some ideas!!
I wondered about my son outgrowing this box eventually but it’s great to know that the larger one is big enough for adults! We sure love it also – the best lunchbox I’ve tried! 🙂
Love these ideas! Where did you get your lunchbox?
Hi Katie, it is a planet box lunchbox (affiliate link). We love it and this is the second year we are using the same one. Very sturdy and fun to pack.
Hi where did you find the thermos for the kids? Thanks
Hi Diana, I purchased it on Amazon (affiliate). Click here to see the one we purchased and they come in different patterns on Amazon.
We bought a similar thermos at Walmart. They are also sold at Target.
Hi Nina, we saw them there as well. Our school doesn’t allow cartoon characters and we were only able to find the non-disney ones on Amazon. Thanks for sharing!
oh wow, cartoon characters aren’t allowed in school… I really like it, I guess i need to move to Idaho 🙂
Thanks for these ideas. My son wants to pack his lunch & I’ve really struggled with what to send that isn’t a regular old sandwich.
I’m so glad you found these ideas useful! It really is a great idea to get your kids involved in packing their lunch – I love that!