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As an elementary school teacher, I’ve seen it with my own eyes: new kindergartners missing their mommies, loud, gasping sobs. Then, they open up their lunchboxes and the sight of their familiar favorites slowly chase their tears away.
Food has a special way of connecting people, like how a song or a scent can transport you back to a moment or person from your past. Send your little ones off to school with a comforting reminder of home with these healthy, simple, and fun lunch ideas for kindergartners.
Tasty, fun, and healthy food — kindergarten approved!
The following lunch ideas are suitable for nut-free and sugar-free schools. They’re also relatively easy to make, can be eaten with tiny fingers, and are novel enough to keep your kids on their toes and excited about eating!
Each combination (loosely) follows the USDA’s MyPlate guidelines, and includes sides to help your kids “eat the rainbow”!
Turkey cheddar corn dog muffins with cucumber sticks, orange and yellow bell peppers, and watermelon.
Taste of Home’s one-bowl recipe is a quick and sure way to please even the pickiest of eaters! Try Kodiac Cake’s Cornbread Mix for protein-packed, 100% whole grain muffins, or swap the turkey dog for chicken and corn to make muffin-tin tamale cakes.
Flaky biscuit pizza with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and orange slices.
This four-ingredient recipe can be baked on a cookie sheet or in muffin tins for more compact pizzas. For a healthier twist, make it with Pillsbury’s whole-grain biscuits, or try this yogurt-dough recipe from food blog Kidgredients, which features “green cheese” (zucchini).
Rainbow spaghetti with steamed broccoli and red grapes.
Delish.com provides an easy way to revamp an old favorite. Drop different food coloring dyes in separate bags of cooked noodles, and top with cheese and chicken for a rainbow surprise! To cut down on refined sugars, Makeitgrateful.com recommends swapping regular pasta noodles with whole-wheat pasta (though the colors won’t be as vibrant), or trying corn, quinoa, or chickpea noodles.
Spinach-bacon mini quiches with cherry tomatoes, mixed berries, and yogurt.
This Momables recipe is simple enough for even the most inexperienced, time-strapped cook (like myself). Mix ingredients of choice with eggs and milk (I didn’t have spinach or bacon so I used broccoli, cheese, and hot dogs) and pour mixture into a mini muffin pan for bite-sized quiches your whole family will love.
Apple and cheddar quesadillas with cucumber coins.
Another Momables recipe, this unlikely pairing balances sweet and savory, gooey and crispy!
Chocolate protein muffins with a boiled egg, strawberries, and applesauce.
These yummytoddlerfood.com muffins look and taste like a brownie but are packed with zucchini, kale, banana, and sunflower butter (or peanut butter, if possible). Find butternut squash, spinach banana, and other veggie-packed muffins on this creative toddler food blog.
Cucumber tuna sushi with edamame and grapes.
Amy Lee, mother of two, shared this kid-friendly recipe with Mom.com: 1) Cut cucumber into long strips. 2) Mix canned tuna with mayo and a tiny bit of mustard. 3) Cover a bamboo roller with plastic wrap. 4) Layer cooked rice (use Japanese, Korean, or Chinese rice, for their stickiness) on the roller. 5) Add cucumber and tuna. 6) Wrap it. Leave one side of the plastic wrap open, so kids can open it easily. “I just try to make simple things that the kids are willing to eat by themselves, without me being there to nag at them!” Lee told Mom.com.
DIY lunchbox.
Cookbook author Debbie Koenig recommends letting your child select items from each food group: (1) whole grains, (2) protein, (3) fruit, (4) vegetables, (5) healthy snacks. “Together [my son and I] wrote up a list of things he likes to eat. I divided it into four categories and stuck it on the fridge,” Koenig previously shared with Mom.com.
How to keep lunch fresh: Start with the right kindergarten lunchbox
Now that you’ve decided what lunch to pack, are you wondering how to keep it fresh until noon? Invest in a high-quality compartmentalized lunchbox! These prevent squashing, keep food looking pretty, and allow you to throw bits and pieces of food together and call it lunch.
At the top of most lunchbox reviewers’ lists is the Bentgo Kids Lunchbox, favored for its leak-proof design and durability. It is also made with BPA-free plastic, is dishwasher safe, and comes in 28 different colors and prints!
Another great option is the OmieBox, which allows you to store both hot and cold foods in one box. According to reviewers at The Spruce Eats, it is also leak-proof and durable (but unfortunately, it’s not easy to clean — it has to be hand-washed).
Animal food picks, book sandwiches, and lunchbox notes for kindergartners
For some kids, presentation is everything. Jazz up your kindergartner’s lunch with these low-effort, high-return delights.
Animal food picks
Turn your child’s fruit, veggies, or protein into animals with these cute little toothpicks that make it look like a herd of tiny animals have taken over your child’s lunchbox!
Book sandwich
Using a cookie cutter, cut your child’s initial into a slice of bread, and she’ll feel so special she can’t help but take a bite of that sandwich.
Lunchbox notes
Never underestimate the power of a simple note placed in your child’s lunchbox to brighten their day — a few words of encouragement handwritten on a Post-it will do just fine. And on those mornings when you’re lacking inspiration, Amazon, Etsy, even Teachers Pay Teachers all have sets of illustrated notes with short, encouraging messages you can leave for your kindergartner. Visit The Spruce Crafts for 12 sets of free lunchbox notes!
