This post is sponsored by Welch’s® Fruit Snacks. I am being compensated for this post. All comments and opinions are my own.
As we head back to school it’s time to use these tips for teaching kids to pack their own lunch.
Back to school season is here! Our kids actually start school this week, and I can hardly believe it! I feel like each year goes even faster than the previous one.
This year, we will have a 1st grader and 5th grader. This is going to be our son’s last year of elementary and he was only ONE when I started this website. I have such a hard time wrapping my mind around that. Each year, we encourage our kids to pack their own lunches, with some helpful tips from us of course.
We like to have a good balance between each food group when they are packing their lunch and also allow them to choose a sweet snack too!
Our kids’ snack of choice is Welch’s® Fruit Snacks. They are the perfect addition and fruit is the 1st ingredient too!
Find out where to buy Welch’s® Fruit Snacks by clicking here!
What should you pack for lunch?
We like to provide different choices, but overall we have these items in the lunchbox each day:
- Protein
- Fruit and Vegetables
- Dairy Item
- Grain
- Snack
I’ve found my kids prefer fruit in their lunch as opposed to a vegetable, so we typically offset that with carrots or something similar for an after-school snack.
Now, let’s get to some tips for teaching kids to pack their own lunch!
Teaching Kids to Pack Their Own Lunch
Make a station in the pantry and fridge
My all-time favorite tip and one that we do regularly is to make stations for different food items they can choose from. This way each child knows they need a food item from each station, and they have some different choices to choose from for that food item too.
In our fridge, we have a drawer of items that are for the kids consisting of items like fruits and vegetable bags to choose from. We also have an area in the fridge with meat and protein items.
The pantry holds the majority of the grain items as well as our snack bin that has Welch’s Fruit Snacks in it. These are our kids’ favorites to add to their lunch, of course! They are also America’s Favorite Fruit Snack. Fruit is the first ingredient, plus they’re made with Real Fruit so you can really taste the difference.
Give options
Just like adults, kids like options too! It’s best to have some variety. For instance, with fruits and vegetables, mix it up between bananas, oranges, grapes, carrots, or celery. Maybe even add some dipping sauces to go with different things as well.
Many times, kids get tired of sandwiches, so doing pinwheels with lunch meat and tortillas or making little pizzas is a great way to mix up the protein option.
Take some time to prep ahead
If you buy large quantities of food, take some time to prep it ahead for the week so the kids can come and choose what they want from what’s available. This means if you buy a large bag of pretzels, divide it up into smaller bags or containers so that it’s already portioned out.
Finish it off with a delicious snack
Most of us enjoy something sweet after our lunch. We love to add Welch’s Fruit Snacks to ours. That tends to be our kid favorite, but it’s always a good idea to add a pantry basket with a few options for snacks too.
This gives them something fun to look forward to after they finish their lunch.
Most kids really do enjoy getting involved in the lunch process. It teaches them how to make good choices with some help from the parents and also gives them control and choices on their own too!
Be sure to stock up on Welch’s Fruit Snacks- Mixed Fruit and Welch’s Fruit Snacks- Berries ‘n Cherries for your back to school lunch packing!
Happy back to school season!
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