Ideas on What to Pack for a Kindergarteners Lunch Box.

here is what i pack my pre schooler. she gets a sandwhich (balonga, turkey or pb and j), and 2 sides- goldfish, yogurt drink, apple sauce, carrots, string cheese, etc. and i pack a water with some mio squirted in it.

make a chart, in the first column put bread options - hot dog bun, hamburger bun, white, wheat, rye, croissant, hawaiian bread, crackers, etc.
in the second column put protein options - roast beef, turkey, chicken, tuna salad, hot dog, peanut butter and jelly, bologna, cheese, etc.

if you have a thermos then you can add a third option of hot leftover type foods - spaghetti, casseroles, soups, etc.

last column should be fruits/veggies that you can put in there.

Then all you have to do is rotate between the columns and you are set!

We are having the same issues...

This is what we plan on trying (btw - I got some cute sandwich cutters to help)

PB sandwich
Jelly sandwich
Cheese Sandwich
Bagel/cream cheese
Cold Pizza
Cheese & Crackers (one mom had a good idea of cutting salami/cheese same size of crackers to make her own lunchable using like a cookie cutter)
Rice (going to try and heat up and put in thermos)
Nuggets (going to try and heat up and put in thermos)

Yogurt
Applesauce
Goldfish/etc
Grapes
Raisins
Blueberries
etc.

small treat

We have put all hard to open items in a twist open ziploc container. I tried Glad flip up and it was still too hard. And I put everything else in ziplocs as they can easily open those.

Good luck!

My daughter is also in Kindergarten this year. For the sandwich (my kids don't like lunch meats):

~~ PB&J - natural PB (the only ingredient is peanuts), whole wheat/grain bread.
~~ Chicken salad (mayo, onion, celery) then wrap it in a kid size wrap. I make a roaster chicken and use that to make the chicken salad (the premade roasters work really good too) She loves this and has it today :)
~~ I'll also make wraps out of other things like PB and apples or apple butter
~~ I've tried wraps with flavored cream cheese and fruit but she doesn't like them - your kids may :)

For sides:
~~ I cut a whole piece of fruit and put it in a container (don't forget the pack the pastic fork :)
~~ Fig Newtons
~~ Pretzels or other crunchy snack like crackers or whatever

I always pack a juice box with no added sugar and a bite-size candy treat.

Good luck - it's hard coming up with something everyday!

We wrap cream cheese, olives, and if your child likes other things like small onions or even thin meat and roll it into a flour tortilla and slice them into pinwheels.

I pack reusable containers of cut up veggies, fruit, lunch meats, cold left over chicken from dinner cut up. All with another container of ranch dip or yogurt.

Small cucumber boats with cream cheese or favorite dip and topped with sunflower seeds.

cubed cheese, raisins, dried fruit, popcorn.

dry cereal and a bowl and spoon and money for milk.

Cold pizza slices from leftover pizza.

pasta salad

Have a happy Kindergarten year!
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PB & honey, applesauce, carrots, chips, granola bar, mini bagels and cream cheese when they get tired of sandwiches. Apple, yogurt, nuts, raisins, cheese and crackers, tuna and crackers.

Here are some things that I pack for my daughter:

I take a Hawaiian roll and cut in half and put turkey and cheese on it. I make two. She LOVES these!

I make up over the weekend...instant chocolate pudding and pour into little round containers with lids and put in the refrigerator, mini baby carrots, grapes, apple slices and put caramel syrup from a bottle in a little container for her to dip apples in, mini box of raisins, animal crackers, jello cups, peanut butter/jelly and use a sandwich butterfly cookie cutter that I found at dollar store, Uncrustables, mixed fruit cups, Snyder's pretzel cheddar cheese sandwiches, Ritz Crackerfuls, any fruit in season: strawberries, watermelon, etc. Del Monte fruit chillers, yogurt in long tubes that you freeze, cheese sticks and cheese squares.

My kids often carry a hot lunch in a thermos with leftovers. On rare occasions, even ravioli or something like that. I did have to train my kinder to open his thermos and I just make sure it was tight enough not to leak but not too tight for him to open. You could substitute cheese and crackers or a wrap for a sandwich on occasion, just to mix it up. A pre-peeled hard boiled egg, if they're into that (my kids are). Good luck!

I'm fretting about this same dilemma. Before packing PB and J or any nuts, find out if your child's classroom is peanut or nut-free. My child's room is nut free.

That said, we got a bentos box lunchbox called the laptop lunchbox. It comes with several containers of various sizes even one just for dip.

We'll do grapes, other fresh fruit, fruit cups, carrots with honey, broccoli with dressing to dip, sandwiches - cheese, turkey, ham, roast beef, whatever. Cheese sticks, Gogurt, raisins, tortilla roll ups, cup up meatballs cold or hot in a thermos, leftovers in a thermos squeezable applesauce from Target or Trader Joes. That's all I can think of right now.

See if your local library has any lunchbox cookbooks or search online for lunchbox ideas or lunchbox recipes.

Keep in mind the "opening up" aspect. If your Kindergartener might have a hard time opening things like string cheese, pudding cups, etc. look for alternatives. Not sure the size of your school but this was a fairly big issue at our school--not enough helping hands around to open all the stuff. So, sometimes waxed paper is easier that ziplock bags, etc. Certain drinks--pre-crack the lids open......
Otherwise, a sandwich, veggies and some dip, yogurt, fruit (fresh or a fruit cup), and a goodie! And a drink.

My kids usually have a sandwich, cold pizza or a salad for their main course. I send in a fruit or a veggie and a chip or a cracker. No treats liek candy or cookies for lunch.