Whether your child is going back to school at their school building or online, there are several helpful rules that will keep lunchtime healthy and easy.
- Involve children in lunch planning and consider packing their lunch box even if their lunchroom is the kitchen table. This can be done the evening before.
- Be creative. Instead of sandwiches always on bread, try wraps or pinwheels with flatbread/tortillas. Have children create names for their “entrees” when planning the week ahead, and post the menu in the kitchen.
- What are the children’s favorite foods? How can these be incorporated into their lunch? Leftovers can often be eaten cold and are quite good that way.
- Depending on their age, children can research healthy foods and snack options that they can help look for in the grocery store (or online grocery order). A healthy guideline for packaged items (granola/protein bars, pretzels or crackers) would be that the item has a short list of ingredients, only words that your child can pronounce, organic ingredients whenever possible and little or no added sugar.
- Create a “foods class” for children to count out items, measure ingredients and prepare lunch entrees. This is educational and gives children ownership of their own meals, keeping them excited about lunch.
- By packing our own fruits and veggies, we are not limited to what is available in prepackaged portions. Include carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell pepper strips, broccoli, cauliflower and grape tomatoes, as well as orange sections, bananas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and peaches.
Children thrive on a schedule. Staying in a routine for school and meals is essential to keeping things as normal as possible, as well as keeping them well-nourished for all the learning they have ahead.
