Tired of never-ending packed lunches? Here is the simple system I use to teach my daughters how to pack their own lunch independently.
Teach Your Child to Pack a Lunch
If you want your child to be capable and resilient, you must ask yourself…
“What can I not do for them?”
Or
“What can I teach them to do for themselves?”
Not to be neglectful or lazy! But with the intention of teaching.
Our job as parents is not to do everything for our children.
We must seek to prepare them to be confident adults, ready to launch into the world.
And we do this by intentionally teaching and giving them endless opportunities to practice.
This builds their confidence and encourages them to learn new skills… like packing their own lunch!
Here’s How to Get Started
1. Decide on your food categories.
In our family, we use 4 different categories (protein, carbs, fruits, and vegetables) but feel free to adjust and customize to fit the needs of your family.
2. Brainstorm
Have your child think of a bunch of options for each category that are easy to prepare, easy to pack, and that your child will eat.
3. Fill out your list!
Have your children help you sort each food item into its correct category. Go back and add to any sparse categories.
4. Print off and hang
Place your list somewhere easy to see like the panty or the side of the fridge. You want it to be easily accessible so your child feels confident to pack the lunch on their own.
5. Teach your child how to use the list.
Give your child instructions to choose at least one food item from each category to pack in their lunch. *And don’t forget to make sure the food items and lunch packing supplies are easily accessible.
It might take a few weeks of you “helping” and checking to make sure they have food from all the categories, but then they will be confident to do it on their own.
Why I Love My Kids Packing Their Lunches
My only job with this system is to scan our list of lunch options and make sure that we have a few options readily available in each category.
My girls have thrived using this method because they are so much more likely to eat what they have packed when they feel ownership for what they’ve done!
Lunch Ideas for Kids
Here are the lunch categories we use and a few examples of what my girls pack.
Proteins
- turkey slices
- protein balls
- boiled egg
- string cheese
- beef jerky
- greek yogurt
- nuts
- protein bar
- hummus
- shredded chicken
- peanut butter
- pepperoni
- tuna
Carbs
- muffins
- popcorn
- pretzels
- crackers
- tortilla chips
- granola bar
- rice cakes
- pita bread
- pasta
- tortilla
- overnight oats
- breadsticks
- veggie straws
Veggies
- cucumbers
- baby carrots
- celery
- cherry tomatoes
- celery
- sugar snap peas
- sliced bell peppers
- edamame
- olives
- guacamole
- baked sweet potato
- avocado
- salad fixings
Fruits
- strawberries
- blueberries
- fruit leather
- kiwi
- grapes
- banana
- watermelon
- apple sauce
- dried fruit
- oranges
- blackberries
- mango
- pears
Build a Balanced Lunch Printable
The Build A Lunch printable simplifies the lunch-packing process for you! And it enables your child to learn the art of packing their own meal.
This visual aid is designed to assist children of all ages in creating a nutritious, well-rounded, and wholesome school lunch with ease.
If you want to learn more about intentionally teaching your child, you’ll love these resources: