Whether you’re new to school lunch packing, or looking for inspiration for things to give your kids for lunch, we have plenty of school lunch box ideas for 2024 for you.

Packing school lunches can be a hassle. You prepare them early in the morning and then your kids announce they no longer like the foods they demanded only yesterday.

To help you, we’ve compiled a list of lunch ideas for kids – tasty balanced meals that kids enjoy eating.

We know hungry kids don’t learn as well as children with full tummies. A research review on the importance of breakfast for academic performance, published in Frontiers, found that kids who regularly ate breakfast did better in school.

A healthy diet benefits brain function, so it makes sense that a decent lunch is essential for an afternoon of effective learning.

School lunch ideas for 2024?

Although school dinners take the stress out of feeding your kids, a packed lunch allows you more control over the food your child eats.

Packing lunches needn’t feel like a hassle. Just make sure you plan in advance and not at 8 o’clock on Monday morning (please, learn from my mistakes).

1. Easy bento box lunch ideas for school

When it comes to lunch boxes, choose one with separate compartments of different sizes. Japanese-style bento boxes allow you to separate different foods and prevent contamination.

The key to planning lunch box foods is flexibility. Have an assortment of tasty hot food and fun cold lunch ideas you can switch between; this will prevent your child from getting bored.

Some examples:

Fruits
Dried fruits
Crudites
Crackers or breadsticks
A dip, such as hummus, guacamole or lentil
Miniature pies
Cous cous salad
Cheese cubes
Trail mix.

2. Ideas for hot lunches

Packed lunches don’t have to be cold lunches. Invest in a thermos so your child can enjoy hot dinners from home.

Some easy foods to send in a thermos so your child can have a warm meal at school:

Homemade soup (cheap and easy)
Reheated leftovers from the night before (can’t be easier than that)
Pesto pasta (warm or cold)
Noodles and stir-fried vegetables
Pasta and meatballs.

3. Healthy lunch box ideas for school

Here are some things to consider when packing your child’s school lunches:

Sugar content. Some convenience snacks have a surprisingly high level of sugar. Make sure you check the ingredients of your child’s lunchbox items. Crackers can have high levels of salt and sugar
Fresh fruits and veggies. It’s always good to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your child’s diet as they are an important source of fibre. Sadly, many people don’t get enough fibre in their diet and this can affect their digestive system. Encouraging good food habits now is important
Add protein. Protein helps us stay full for longer, so it’s a vital addition to your child’s lunchbox. Meat, tofu, nuts, seeds, and legumes are all good sources of protein and fibre. Not all schools allow nuts on site, so check the school policy in advance.

4. Ideas for kids’ high protein school lunch box

It’s easy to forget the protein source when packing school lunch for your kids, especially if they’re not big fans of meat.

For a protein-packed lunch, try the following:

Peanut butter and jam sandwich (or jelly, depending on where you live)
Chicken and mayo wrap
A piece of cheddar cheese
Hard-boiled egg
Air fried chickpeas
Marinated tofu pieces
Chicken nuggets or chicken sausage
A cream cheese dip.

5. Ideas for a cheap school lunch box

Food costs are rising and your kids keep growing and wanting more food. Food shopping can be expensive, but budget school box lunch ideas can help to keep your food shop within budget.

Here are some affordable school lunch ideas for you to try:

Pasta salad – easy, cheap and filling
Hummus and pitta bread
Homemade soup
Ham and cheese pinwheel
Cream cheese or cottage cheese sandwich.

6. Vegetarian lunch box ideas

It’s easier than ever to pack a vegetarian lunch your child will love. A quick walk down the meat-free aisle at the supermarket will provide plenty of options.

Here are some foods to try:

Vegetarian sausage roll
Mock meat sandwich
Cheese stick
Bean chili and rice
Salad and mock meat wrap
Hummus with pitta and crudites to dip
Homemade cheese muffin.

7. Vegan lunch box ideas

Whether you’re plant-based for the animals or the planet, there are lots of quick and easy lunch box fillers to try, such as:

Vegan mock chicken and salad wrap
Homemade vegan pizza roll
Chickpea and mayo sandwich
Lentil dahl and rice
Vegan sushi.

8. Japanese bento box lunch ideas for school

You have a bento box, so why not add some Japanese cuisine to the menu?

If you’re looking for quick and easy Japanese-style school lunch ideas, try:

Edamame beans
Steamed gyoza
Chicken ramen
Miso soup with tofu
Sushi.

9. Healthy Indian lunch box ideas for school

For an Indian-inspired lunch idea, try:

Lentil dahl and chapatti
Chicken curry with rice
Low-salt Bombay mix
Kachori or samosa.

10. Lunch box ideas for fussy eaters

If your kid isn’t keen on trying new foods, you’ll know all about the challenges of picky eaters.

Here are some lunchbox ideas to help you pack lunch boxes even a fuss eater will approve of:

Picky eaters might be put off by foods touching and contaminating each other, so use a Japanese bento box to keep food separate
Include some favourites. It can be frustrating to see your child eat the same thing day in, day out; it’s important to pack foods you know your child will eat
Add something new to try. You can’t force your child to eat new foods, but you can always offer them. One day your child might suddenly decide to try something different. Don’t include too much of this food as it could end up as food waste at the end of the day.

11. Kindergarten school lunch ideas

For young kids, cleanliness is key. If you send them in with tomato soup, they’re going to come home with orange clothes. For kindergarten lunch ideas for kids, include foods they don’t usually eat at home; sometimes kids are more daring at kindergarten.

A hot kindergarten lunch isn’t so easy for small children, so here are some easy cold lunch ideas:

Sandwiches cut into fun shapes. Use a cookie cutter to make fun sandwiches. You can have the offcuts for breakfast so they aren’t wasted
Cheese cubes
Halved grapes and cherry tomatoes
Toddler-sized crudites like cucumber slices and carrot sticks and celery sticks
Yoghurt (Greek yogurt or low sugar varieties).

Tips for affordable school lunch box ideas for 2024

Planning meals will save you money. Make sure you have everything you need for a week of lunches
It’s always cheaper to buy in bulk and bulk buying is easy when you’ve planned your menu in advance
Look for bargains. If you see an offer on your kid’s favourite snacks, stock up. Don’t buy too far in advance, though, because kids change their minds a lot
Make your own snack packs. Instead of paying a premium for snack-sized packs of raisins, for example, buy a big bag and measure out the right amount each day. Skip the expensive yoghurts for lunch boxes too; buy a big yoghurt and put a daily serve into a Tupperware container. Don’t forget the spoon.