50 Easy School Lunch Ideas for Kindergarten

Make packing school lunches easier with these yummy kindergarten lunch ideas. These are easy to make, kid-friendly, and a perfect way to start off the school year…or break a rut when you can’t decide what to send.

School Lunch Ideas for Kindergarten

Starting kindergarten is such a big milestone, and it can bring up a lot of emotions for kids and parents alike. Lunchtime should be a source of comfort, so having a list of easy, yummy, and nutritious meals that the kids will love to eat can go a long way toward making the lunch packing (and eating) efforts much easier on everyone.

These kindergarten lunch ideas work for starting the school year and beyond into elementary school. They are meant to give you lots of options to choose from so you never have to stare into the fridge wondering what to pack as an easy kids lunch idea.

You’ll find nut-free school lunches, vegetarian lunch ideas, cold lunch ideas, easy packed lunch ideas, and more in this easy-to-use list of school lunch ideas.

Easy Lunch Ideas for Kids

You may want to pack a kids water bottle, juice box, or boxed milk with the kindergarten lunch. Always pack lunch with an ice pack, if the food is meant to be cold or is perishable, and put everything into an insulated lunch bag for kids to keep it extra cool.

Use these school lunch ideas for kindergarten as starting places for packing easy, nutritious lunches.

Easy Sandwich Lunch Ideas

From sandwiches to pinwheels, wraps, and more, these easy sandwiches for kids make easy kindergarten lunch ideas.

1. SunButter and jam sandwich, applesauce pouch, cheese stick
2. Turkey and cheese sandwich, snap pea crisps, raspberries
3. Ham and cheese sandwich, snap peas, clementine
4. Cheese sandwich, fruit, veggie of choice
5. Hummus sandwich, banana, cookie
6. Cream cheese and jam sandwich, apple slices, roasted chickpeas
7. Pita pocket sandwich with hummus and cucumbers, veggie medley (in a thermos), fruit cup
8. Pita pocket wedges with hummus or ranch, diced chicken, baked chips, strawberries
9. Meatball sandwich, blueberries
10. Tortilla with SunButter and banana (sliced into rounds), bell peppers

Snack Lunches for Kindergarten

Combine a few snacks from different food groups to make a filling school lunch idea for kids.

1. DIY lunchables with meat, cheese, crackers, and fruit in a lunchbox
2. Crackers, cheese, fruit, veggies (carrots, cucumber, snap peas)
3. Crackers, hummus, fruit, veggies (carrots, celery, mini cucumbers)
4. Pretzels, cheese, fruit, veggie
5. Pretzels, hummus, fruit, veggie
6. Cheerios, raisins, yogurt, grapes
7. Snap pea crisps, cheese, fruit, veggie
8. Granola bar, cheese, fruit, veggie
9. Granola bar, cheese, salami, fruit, veggie
10. Turkey wrapped around a cheese stick, pretzels, cucumbers, orange slices
11. Ham wrapped around a cheese stick, roll, rainbow carrots, pineapple
12. Apple slices with nut/seed butter, crackers, cookie
13. Tortilla with hummus and cucumbers, strawberries, cheese crackers
14. Tortilla with refried beans and cheese, applesauce, peas
15. Tortilla with turkey and cheese rolled up, baked chips, fruit

Breakfast for Lunch

Packing breakfast foods as easy kids lunches is one of my favorite options since these tend to be easy, satisfying, and nutritious.

1. Healthy Chocolate Muffin with cheese and fruit
2. Blueberry Banana Muffin with yogurt pouch and cucumber
3. Banana Zucchini Muffin with pepperoni and cheese
4. Leftover yogurt pancakes with syrup and fruit
5. Leftover banana oatmeal pancakes as a sandwich with nut/seed butter, and fruit
6. Leftover French toast with syrup and fruit
7. Hard-cooked egg, crackers, grapes, carrots
8. Hard-cooked egg, pretzels, berries, bell peppers
9. Yogurt and granola, blackberries
10. Greek yogurt, Banana Bread, sliced carrots
11. Greek yogurt, crackers, banana, olives
12. Cottage cheese with pineapple, whole grain crackers, bell peppers
13. Cottage cheese with blueberries and granola
14. Mini bagel with cream cheese, celery sticks, small pear
15. Mini bagel sandwich with turkey and cheese, applesauce

Burrito and Pizza Lunch Ideas for Kids

1. Pesto Pizza Roll, fruit
2. Mini Pizza Bites, applesauce pouch, carrot sticks
3. Broccoli and Cheese Pizza Pocket, Strawberry Applesauce
4. Black Bean quesadillas, corn, apple
5. Bean and cheese burrito, fruit

Easy Pasta Lunch Ideas for Kindergarten

Pack a hot lunch in a kids thermos to keep it safe and warm until lunchtime.

1. Mac and Cheese with Peas, fruit
2. Pesto Pasta Salad, fruit
3. Pasta and meatballs, clementine
4. Favorite pasta salad, watermelon cubes
5. Baked tortilla chips, salsa, diced chicken or black beans, shredded cheese, fruit

Best Tips for Success

• Pack cold lunch ideas with 1 or 2 ice packs in an insulated bag to keep the food at a safe temperature.
• Pack hot lunch ideas in a kids thermos to keep the food warm until lunch.
• Add lunch snacks as needed to round out any meal.
• Try to make sure the food is easy for the child to chew and that packages are easy to open since school lunch periods are often short.
• Make a list of the kids favorite kindergarten lunch ideas and put it in an easy to access spot so you can let them choose to simplify packing.

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