It’s frustrating when your kids come home from school and you learn they didn’t eat the lunch you sent. You know that having a full belly is important for your child’s concentration and success, but some kids don’t eat like they should, especially when they’re away at school and you can’t be there to encourage healthy choices. Here are some tips for packing a tasty and nutritious lunch your kids can enjoy.
Provide Options
Many parents find that their children will only eat a few bites of any single food. If this is the case in your household, use that to your advantage and pack a lunch with small quantities of many different foods. For example, instead of packing a sandwich, chips and an apple, try a few pretzels, a cheese stick, baby carrots, half a hard-boiled egg, some blueberries and popcorn. Your child may eat more when choosing from a variety of small servings of several different things. Pinterest is a great place to get lunch ideas.
Embrace Variety
Another key to packing lunches your children will enjoy is variety. Try to choose a few different things for each lunch so your child doesn’t get in a rut of eating the same thing every day. If she is bored with her daily lunch, she may be more likely to eat less or try trading her food for more exciting options from other kids. Offering a different lunch every day can also help your child be excited about trying new foods and seeing what’s in the lunch box every day.
Encourage Input
Another way to get your kids more involved is allowing them to make suggestions or even pack their own lunches. Of course, you can’t send an entire lunch of cookies if that’s what your kid suggests, but you might get a few new ideas when asking for input. Many children are much more likely to eat things if they feel they were given a choice in the matter. Choosing an insulated lunch box that can keep foods cold or one that has room for a thermos can greatly increase the options for foods your kid can take to school.
Make a Fun Presentation
Another way to encourage your kids to enjoy the lunch you provide is to pack it in a fun way. You can use cookie cutters to make sandwiches into unique shapes or include a sticky note with a message. The internet is filled with ideas for cute food presentations. The lunch box in important too and most kids enjoy choosing one that fits their own style. There are so many fun and functional kids lunch boxes available from Arctic Zone that every child can find a design he or she loves.
It can be a process to help your kids learn to appreciate a healthy lunch. Your children may eat more healthy foods when they have several options to choose from or are given the responsibility or packing their own lunch. Having a cute and functional lunch box is also important. Allowing your child to be included in the process can also encourage healthy choices and appreciation of new foods.
