How To Pack School Lunches That Your Kids Will Actually Eat
Summer is coming to an end and kids are back in school. Time to get into that dreaded school year routine. If your kids are anything like mine, they prefer packed lunches versus school lunches. They are not thrilled with school lunch food. When it comes to packing my kids lunches, I can include healthy foods that I know they will actually eat and it doesn’t cost any more than what I would be paying for lunch at school. The biggest pet peeve I have is when they come home with food they didn’t eat. How do you get them to actually eat their lunches? The key then is to find things that your child loves and enjoys eating.
Have Your Children Make Their Lunches
Depending on the age of your kids, you could put them in charge of making their own lunches. My children are old enough now to do just that. By involving them in the lunch making process, chances are they’ll pack something they will eat. Not to mention, this teaches them responsibility at an early age. Allow them the opportunity to make choices with what goes in their lunch box. Younger children can help too. Even your kindergartner can wash grapes and put them into a container, or pick a snack for his lunch box. Give them a list of options and then head to the store so you have everything you need for the week.
Encourage your kids to pack and eat healthy foods.
Insisting on all healthy, organic food options all the time may not work all the time. Strike a balance and make compromises. If your kids pack and eat a healthy wrap or salad for example, let them have some cookies for dessert. Teach them to make good choices, but don’t freak out if they decide to pack some Cheetos or a pack of Oreo cookies. Your goal is to get them to eat fairly healthy and make smart food choices, not restrict all access to junk food, causing them to trade with friends for forbidden Twinkies.
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