Whether your kids are going to school or getting homeschooled, lunch for kids is a very important part of their day. A well-balanced school lunch not only provides valuable nutrients to your kids but also helps keep their energy levels up and keeps them focused. If you’re struggling to get your kids to eat at lunchtime, then we’ve got some lunch box ideas for you.
There’s nothing worse than opening your child’s backpack and finding 2 or 3 old lunch boxes filled with half-eaten or barely touched food. Or the frustration of sitting with your kid and trying to force them to eat their lunch. Not only can this lead to food wastage, but it also hinders your children from getting the valuable nutrients and nourishment that they need.
Lunchtime shouldn’t be a fight or a waste of food, so we’ve identified some tips to make lunchtime fun again and to entice your kids to gobble their food right up!
Before we get into our fun lunchbox ideas, let’s chat about the importance of a well-balanced lunch.
Why packed lunches are important
It’s tempting to give your kids some money to sort out their own lunches but you never know what they may be buying to eat.
A packed lunch prevents your children from filling their bellies with overly processed and sugary foods. Healthy lunches keep your kids alert and focused and give them the nutrition they need to grow big and strong.
A well-balanced lunch can improve your child’s physical development, cognition, and behaviour. Without these important factors, a young child might not develop physically or mentally.
Lunch boxes can be an exciting part of their day, and you can make them super enticing if you vary the contents by including different food groups and preparing them differently every week.
Now you ask the question, “ but why are my kids leaving their lunchboxes untouched? Here are a few possible reasons:
1. They’re too distracted
Your kid’s days are filled with a variety of activities. From learning to playing with friends to
games and sports, a lot of the time, your child is so focused on everything else they have going on that they don’t think about eating their lunch.
2. They can’t open the containers
There are many lunch containers that your kids might struggle to actually open. Some containers are simply too tight, or they have complicated clips leaving them not understanding how to open the lunchbox.
When you’re packing their lunch or buying their lunchboxes, ask your child to show you how they open the container to make sure it’s easy enough for them.
3. They’re bored
We understand that as a parent, your days are super busy, and sometimes making your child’s lunch can be the last thing on your list. The easiest thing to do is default to a peanut butter sarmie or something of the sort.
If you’re making the same lunch over and over again, your children are most likely not going to want to eat it so it may be a good idea to change things up a little bit.
4. Maybe they’re just not interested
Some kiddies just couldn’t be bothered with their packed lunch. If this is the case it is best to contact your child’s teachers and communicate with them that you see your kid is not waiting for their lunch. That way you are providing your child with extra guidance when you’re not around.
Now, for the fun part, let’s take a look at some ideas on how to make lunchtime fun again!
1. Plan lunches together
Use packing lunch as a way to bond with your little ones. Ask your child to help you build the menu for their lunches for the week.
Involving your children in the process and allowing them to decide what type of food they want in their lunchbox will provide a sense of excitement and pride in their lunches. This will help encourage them to eat it.
You could even let your kiddies come to the shops with you to choose their food items for their lunch boxes. You could also use a whiteboard and let them fill out their menu for the week there.
2. Assign lunch-packing duty
You can also give your little one a fun job to do with their lunches. They can pack their food into their lunchboxes and get their lunch bag ready. This is a great opportunity to get them excited about their lunch.
3. Use fun cut-outs to cut their sandwiches or veggies
There are many cute shapes that you can purchase online and use to cut out sandwiches and make them fun. You can use sandwich cutters to transform a basic sarmie into a dinosaur, a flower, or their favourite cartoon character.
If you don’t have any food cutter shapes you can also use a knife to cut fruits and veggies into interesting and fun shapes. Your kids will love eating their lunch if it looks creative and interesting.
4. Offer them a variety
Kids can get bored easily. When creating their lunch menu for the week, maybe change the contents of their sandwich every second day or switch out the fruits or veggies that you add to their lunchbox. Your kiddies are more likely to eat up when they’re looking forward to what’s in their lunchboxes daily.
5. Leave little notes
Leave little notes in your kids’ lunchboxes each day, either a little letter, a funny drawing, or an inside joke. This is a great way to get them excited for their little surprise of the day which will encourage them to actually open up their lunchbox.
We truly hope that these tips will help your little one get all the nutrients that they need.
Yours in affordable health insurance that cares,
Oneplan.
