Teach Your Kids To Pack Their Lunch (Free Printable!)

This has been a LONG time in coming.

For years, I’ve been vowing to let my kids pack their own lunches. But I couldn’t hand over the reigns. 

It’s possible I have control-freak tendencies when it comes to lunch boxes.

It’s also possible I didn’t trust them not to pack a jelly sandwich with a side of tortilla chips and chocolate.

But really, it’s time. I have a seventh grader and a third grader, and they’re more than capable. And I could always use one less thing on my to-do list. Couldn’t you?

I designed a FREE lunch packing printable for kids that you can hang on the fridge. It walks kids through the building blocks of a healthy lunch, including main dishes, veggies, fruits, and whole grains so they learn what to include. You can fill in the boxes with whatever foods you’d like your kids to choose from.

Check out this fun lunch box idea I made: Sandwich Sushi! Have you seen this on Pinterest yet? It’s easy enough for kids to do themselves and a fun twist on a regular sandwich.

I like that it turns a sandwich into bite-sizes pieces kids can pop into their mouths, because food that’s fast and easy to eat is key when kids have a limited amount of time at lunch.

Here’s the simple how-to:

• Be sure your bread is soft and room temperature. If it’s coming from the fridge, pop it in the microwave for five seconds to soften it up.
• Cut the crusts off the bread (save them for homemade bread crumbs)
• Flatten the slice of bread with a rolling pin or the back of your hand
• Spread with your kids’ favorite toppings
• Roll and slice