When I originally wrote this post in 2016, my youngest was starting kindergarten. We have a 10-year gap between our older and younger kids, so at the time it felt like I’d been packing school lunches FOREVER.
Now that I can look back on all those years of packing plant-based lunches, I know which habits actually made the biggest difference. The biggest lesson? Keep it simple. You don’t need a Pinterest-perfect lunch box or a completely different meal every day.
These are the simple school-lunch tips that worked for our family and made busy mornings much easier.
This page contains affiliate links.
One thing that made packing lunch easier was sticking to a simple formula: a main dish + a fruit or vegetable + an easy side. I still think simplicity is one of the best ways to make school lunches manageable.
Want examples? See How to Pack an Easy Plant-Based Lunch Box.
Tip 1: Use Containers Your Child Can Open
If you’ve ever visited your kids at lunch, you can see it’s a madhouse, especially at the kindergarten table. A lot of the kids can’t open their containers or individual packages. You end up with a 5-year-old who can’t open their applesauce and just talks to their new friends.
We always have our kids practice with new lunch bags, lunch boxes, thermoses, and containers. They should be able to handle everything they take on their own. We even practice for a few days before school starts so that I can see that they can operate every type of container.
Tip 2: Keep the Lunch Simple
If this is their first school experience, they probably don’t know how to manage their time. Stick to just a few foods to avoid overwhelming them when they open their lunch box. We pack a main item, a fruit and/or veggie, and another item. Then each day, I check the lunch box to see what gets eaten.
If the lunch box is empty, I’ll add more food next time. If there is still food left, I’ll find out why: maybe a friend shared food, maybe something didn’t survive the morning in the lunch box, or maybe they spent the whole lunch talking to their friends.
Tip 3: Let Your Child Have Some Input
I didn’t give my kids unlimited choices. Instead, I’d offer simple options: apples or strawberries? Crackers or pretzels? Giving them some control helped me pack foods they were more likely to eat without turning lunch packing into a negotiation.
My ultimate goal is to teach them to pack their own lunch and make reasonable choices. No, you can’t pack a lunchbox full of fruit; you need more types of food to stay fueled.
Tip 4: Pack the Right Amount for YOUR Child
I quickly learned that my kids didn’t need identical lunches. One barely ate during lunch because he was busy with everything happening around him. The other wanted every bit of space filled—and ate it all. He normally gets two types of fruit, a main dish, something a little “snacky” like pretzels, and anything else he can fit in there. Pay attention to what actually comes home in the lunch box and adjust accordingly.
Tip 5: Let Older Kids Help Pack Their Lunch
My ultimate goal is for the kids to pack their own lunch. Around first grade, I caught one of my kids packing a piece of bread, a granola bar and crackers. Now he is 17 and still eats that way; he isn’t a fan of most fruit or veggies.
Though we’ve simplified our lunch box packing formula over the years, our earliest lunch box guide is still online.
Tip 7: Keep Cold Foods Cold
We always have various-sized lunch box ice packs that either go into a special pocket of the lunch bag or just go inside the bag. We’ve even used one where they put the whole thing in the freezer. I don’t have a favorite brand, so I just pick what is the best value and meets our current needs.
The best advice I can give you is to have twice as many ice packs as you think you will need. I can’t tell you how many times we went to pack lunches and realized that yesterday’s ice packs had not been returned to the freezer. In this situation, more is better.
More Plant-Based School Lunch Help
- How to Pack a Plant-Based Lunch Box — Our lunch box packing formula in action!
- 10 Easy Plant-Based Lunch Box Recipes for Kids — Need more ideas for the main part of the lunch? Start with these easy, kid-friendly plant-based recipes.
- Easy Plant-Based Lunch Box Sides for Kids — Simple ideas for filling those extra spaces in the lunch box with fruits, veggies, snacks and other easy sides.
- Oil-Free Hummus Without Tahini — One of our longtime lunch-box staples that’s great as a dip or spread for wraps and sandwiches.
This page contains affiliate links.
that looks like a good container for lunches, I’d love to win. Thank you for your food/meal ideas.
I like how these lunch boxes are BPA-free. Thanks for the contest!
I love that’s it FDA approved.
They are honest about not being leak proof. Do like that they nest.
I like that they are durable and easy for kids . My daughter also doesn’t like her food to touch so this is perfect . I hope I win cause they are so many lunch ideas for this container I would love to try .
I love their recipes for quick and easy lunchbox meals for kids! Healthy and fun!! So adorable!
I didn’t know about the little dippers–great option.
I love that you get multiple containers, allowing for advanced meal-prep for the wee ones!
I like that they are easy open for kids. Hopefully that means also easy to close 🙂 My kids are forever not finishing lunch and don’t close the containers all the way, making a mess in the lunch box
We LOVE these containers! I bought two sets last school year and used them almost daily and all summer. With my third child in school, I want to add another set to help get through the week!
I love portioned containers for lunches! By involving the kids in packing lunches, it helps make sure they get a good variety of wholesome foods.
I like that they are No BPA, Lead, Vinyl or PVC. I also like those dippers!
I’ve never seen a small Soy Nut Butter like that before. So perfect for lunch or snack. If these lunch boxes encourage kids to possibly pack or help pack their own lunches, I’m game 🙂
Thank you so much for the giveaway talk.about perfect timing ♡
I like the divided sections for packing multiple items
What’s not to like? They nest for easy storage, they are BPA and PVC free, and safe from freezer to microwave.
Great way to keep foods separated
I love how these are BPA free! These would be great for my kids!
Easy to open for little hands with enough compartments.
I like how they are in one container but separated!
Great idea – looks like it would be easy for kids to use.
I love making these types of lunches with a little bit of everything for healthy options the kids love! I have to use cupcake liners to separate food, so these containers look like they would be perfect!
I love the divided containers!
For me, it is important that they contain no BPA, Lead, Vinyl or PVC. I like the compartments!
I love the versatility of the containers. I would be sharing this with my kiddos for sure.
I like that they are bpa free and easy to open!
This containers look super simple to open and I love the compartments. My son too would love to just pack “snacks” vs a real lunch, LOL.
I love that they are easy to use!
Thanks for having this giveaway! I love how they separate food but it is still all together.
This looks like an amazing container would LOVR to win one for my kids!!
These look amazing! Having a kid with food allergies means we will be packing lunches for many more years. I’m all for anything that makes that easier!
These look like a great way to keep foods separated for lunch on the go!
Thanks for the contest! I like how you tailor the lunches to suit each child. 🙂
These make for easy lunches and time for a little creativity!
Awesome!
Love your products and lunch ideas. Thanks for the chance
I have one container and have been using it for my son’s 1st 2 wks of kindergarten. I’m loving it. I’d love to win more
I would love to win these. They are just what my granddaughter needs for K.
I like to see your lunch ideas. Makes me feel better about what I pack!
I love the containers and all the healthy lunch ideas from this blog
I like that they are “Safe for Freezer, Dishwasher and Microwave”.
Easy Lunchboxes are amazing! Definitely helpful not only for school lunches, but great for picnics and take-along snacks while out and about!
I have been eyeing easy Lunchboxes, great giveaway!
Great giveaway!! These lunch boxes look great for my daughters.
I love that they have 3 compartments!!
Different color lids for easy identification
Love how easy these are!
I just switched to these in the interest of more space in the fridge for 3 kids’ lunches…
I love that they’re neat and have the dividers so foods don’t mix and I can pack everything in one easy to open container for my little ones and older kids. Having 4 kids this is just easy! Having 4 containers and loss to find is chaos! Love this!
I love that they are different fun colors, so I can color code for each child and they always know which lunch is theirs. And that I can pack a variety of foods in everyone’s lunch box 🙂
Would really love these for my hubby’s work lunches!
Easy to open and holds the right amount for a good and healthy meal
I love that these containers have separate sealed off sections so ingredients don’t mix together. BPA free is also very important. Thank you!!
Love love love these! My boys are starting school next year and the thought of coming up with lunch box ideas everyday is a little daunting I won’t lie lol
I like that they have easy open lids and they nest to save on storage space.
I like that the containers are divided but it’s all one. Less to loose!
We are adopting 3 kids and making school lunches will be new for me. These look like a great solution to my quest for the perfect containers!
I like that there are three sections and only one container to wash. Easy to open lids. I love these lunch containers!
I like that these are divided containers. That is really the easiest way to organize a lunch.
Perfect timing. My 10-year-old has just gone gluten free and I am not used to packing lunches every day! This would be an awesome start to the school year!
I love that they are dishwasher safe.
These containers are great! I could definitely use them!
We have another version of these boxes now and it is clunky. These look light weight and user friendly. WOULD LOVE TO WIN!
Look great
I love Easylunchboxes!!
I would love some of the mini dipper containers also!
We love the Easy Lunchboxes!!! Everything has it’s own compartment!!
This looks great. I have four kids and really could put this to good use. My kids would think they were great!
These lunchboxes are great to keep food separated. Like the Urban ones.
Helps me stay organized and save time in the morning
I love that I can put the Easy Lunch Boxes in the dishwasher. Since I work full time outside the home and pack 10 lunches a week plus snacks it saves me being stuck in the kitchen each night washing dishes.