Easy Back to School Bento Box Lunch Ideas

No more staring at an empty lunchbox at 6 AM! I’ve got you covered with these easy back to school bento box lunch ideas that will be your new go-to ideas all school year long!

Let’s start this new school year off strong with these realistic lunch ideas for kids!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know how I’m always sharing what I pack my 3 kids for lunches.

All of the ideas I’m sharing with you today are real lunches that my kids actually liked!

So if you’re currently staring down 180 days of packing lunches – don’t worry, today we’re going to simplify.

Now considering the fact that packing lunches is a daily task for most of us, let’s make it easier by streamlining it.

Here’s what I mean: rather than feeling all over the place with packing lunches this school year, it makes sense to have a system in place for something that’s on your daily to-do list.

school snack and lunch ideas | because I said so baby

Your system might consist of:

Where you store all the bento boxes
After school system for emptying backpacks & lunchboxes
Where you keep all of the insulated lunch bags & water bottles
When/what time you pack lunches for the next day

The truth is this: what makes packing lunches “easy” isn’t necessarily the ideas or recipes you use, it’s the systems you have in place.

It’s having 5 basic ideas on repeat
Keeping all of your gear organized
And knowing in advance when you’ll pack their lunches (or have them help!)

lunchbox finds amazon | because I said so baby

FAQs

What to put in a bento box for school?

Without oversimplifying it, my best advice is to pack food that you know your child likes and that you know they’ll eat.

How long do kids have to eat lunch?

Most school lunchtimes are short, about 20 minutes, and we want to take the worry and guesswork out of lunchtime by just packing a lunch that’s a no-brainer for our kids.

What if they don’t eat what I packed?

Of course, some days their lunchbox will come home completely empty and some days it’ll come back with a half-eaten cracker and everything else untouched. I swear some days my kids come home starving with an empty lunchbox and some days they aren’t hungry at all and their lunch is still full. I always bring an after school snack for pick-up time!

Here’s my basic formula for what to pack inside a kid’s bento box:

Fruit and/or Veggie
Snack (something crunchy)
Dip
Main component
Treat

No Cook School Lunches & kids who don’t like sandwiches…

If your kids love PB&J, I’d say there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel.
If they’re not bored of sandwiches, it’s fine, no one is keeping score.
It’s easy to fall into this trap of feeling like we need 180 days of school lunches, no repeats, but that’s a surefire way to feel burnt out on packing lunches!
Kids like what they like and it’s okay to stick to it and pack PB&Js as part of your regular rotation!

Almost all of the bento box lunch ideas in today’s post require no cooking and can be packed cold!

My kids like quesadillas so I will prep those in advance and they’ll eat them cold in their lunches.

Some cooking upfront required, but not much!

Ultimate Bento Box School Lunch Guide

In my Lunchbox Guide you’ll learn how to create a system for packing lunches that makes sense for your family.

Inside the ebook you’ll get printables and helpful step-by-step guidance so you’ll feel confident heading into this back-to-school season!

The guide is packed with easy back to school bento box lunch ideas!

Ultimate School Lunch Bento Box Guide

your new best friend this school year!!

Yes, I Want This!

Easy Back to School Bento Box Lunch Ideas

Simple back to school lunch ideas, perfect for elementary school kids! You can definitely modify these ideas for preschool or check out my list of preschool bento box lunch ideas here.

“Lunchable” Style Lunches

If you ever need to throw together a last minute lunch, this is my go-to idea!

Even if the fridge is running empty, I can almost always pull this one together.

The basic formula is:

Crackers
Cheese
Meat (pepperoni, salami, turkey, or ham)

I use Simple Mills crackers (Costco has the big boxes!) because they’re more nutrient dense and one of my kids is gluten-free!

You can cube the cheese or buy cracker-cut slices from the store so it fits the cracker and bonus it’ll look more like a “lunchable”.

My kids also like a DIY pizza-style “lunchable”

Here’s what you need to make it:

Mini Naan bread
Pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Mini pepperonis (optional)

On the side you can add:

Blueberries, orange segments, strawberries, halved grapes or whatever fruit you have
Fruit snacks, mini muffins, cookies, or another sweet treat

Doesn’t get much easier than that!

PB&J Two Ways

We’ve got the classic PB&J and my new favorite, homemade “uncrustables”!

You can prep a bunch in advance using this sandwich press (under $10!)

If you make the “uncrustables” you can freeze them and pack it in their lunch in the morning
For a regular sandwich, you can make it the night before and keep their lunchbox in the fridge overnight (peanut butter on both halves, jelly in the middle so it doesn’t get soggy!)

On the side: chips, cheese balls or pretzels with some fruit, a cheese stick – easy!

Read: Family Favorite Weekly Meal Prep

Snacky Lunches

This idea is perfect for picky eaters or kids who just don’t eat much, but you still want to pack something filling!

My youngest is starting Kindergarten this year and she’s definitely the pickiest of my kids so I’ll be packing a lot of snacky lunches.

snacky lunchbox idea for school | kindergarten lunch idea

Here are a few ideas of what to include in a snacky lunch:

Yogurt drink or applesauce pouch
Smoothie melts or yogurt melts
Protein bar or granola bar
Cheese & crackers or pretzels & hummus
Fruits & veggies (like cucumbers & carrots)
Cheese (string cheese, Babybel, cracker-cut cheese)

Quesadillas & Warm Lunches

If you’re lucky, your kids will eat warm lunch food, served cold.

This opens up more possibilities outside of a sandwich.

My kids aren’t big on sandwiches, but they love quesadillas.

I prep a bunch in advance, with regular tortillas and with Siete almond flour tortillas!
Once cooled, I cut them up in triangles and add to the lunchbox with sour cream in these little containers

You can also do the same thing with mini burritos or taquitos!

I have also packed chicken nuggets in a thermos.

If you have time, you can warm them up in the morning, add to the thermos while they’re still hot, and the nuggets should still be warm by lunchtime.

School Lunch Sandwich Ideas

I like to keep it classic with turkey & cheese!
Since my kids aren’t big on sandwich bread, I make these on mini Naan breads (sold in the deli section) or rolled up without bread (great gluten-free option).
Hawaiian rolls or other small sandwich buns are also easy ideas kids will love!

Pack their sandwich with: fruit, a crunchy snack, and a little treat!

My kids also love Perfect bars (not sponsored or anything), so if they’re in one of their “hungry” phases, I throw one in their lunch for extra protein.