After years of packing school lunches, I’ve come up with a great rotation of easy bento box lunch ideas for kids!
We’re almost a month into school and it’s about that time where you realize you’re in a school lunch rut. Kids may be bored of the same type of sandwich. Or it took you some time to get this new school routine down.
But now it’s time to spice things up a bit and offer some fresh new ideas for your kids’ school lunch! I love a good bento box lunch for kids- the dividers, the flexibility, the options = yes!
If you scroll Pinterest, there are plenty of cute bento box lunch ideas like a sandwich shaped like a unicorn or a waffle that looks like a bear, and as cute as that may be, we need mornings to be EASY. Quick and easy.
Let’s make mom or dad’s job a tad easier while packing school lunches. These are some of our favorite healthy and easy bento box lunch ideas for kids!
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. All opinions and recommendations are my own.
Which Bento Box Is Best For Kids?
First things first, which bento box is best for kids? This ones tough to answer. Most have their pros and cons. Some bento boxes are better for the toddler years, while some are better for elementary school. Some are more leak-proof, while others offer more space for bigger appetites. However, I’ve narrowed down are tried-and-true favorite bento boxes for both age groups.
Bento Box For Toddlers
For our youngest kids, we’ve always used the Yumbox Original Bento Lunch Box.
The Yumbox Original Bento Lunch Box has always been a crowd pleaser in our house with the toddlers and youngest eaters. It’s lightweight, easy to close and open (but will not pop open on its own), has labeled dividers for Protein, Dairy, Grains, Veggies, Fruit and a small extra divider for dips/sauces, a small sweet treat (or even the kids gummy vitamins!). I think it’s the perfect size for smaller appetites, and the bento box only consists of 2 container pieces, making it easy to wash.
Bento Box For Older Kids
For our older kids, in 3rd grade and 2nd grade, we’ve been loving the Bentgo Modern Leakproof Lunch Box as our bento lunch box of choice.
Talk about sleek and stylish! Not that style is the first priority in a bento box for kids, however, these look GREAT. My daughter loves her white bento box with its brass-colored locking clip. Bentgo really put some thought into the simple, yet stylish aesthetic of this lunch box, even with the choice of colors and brass-colored locking clip alone. The white, mint green, and lilac were are favorite options amongst the girls, and my son went with the deep navy.
Okay enough about looks. The Bentgo Modern Leakproof Lunch Box has a removable divider (magical) that allows for either 4 compartments or 3. The flexibility with the removable diver is GREAT when I have a larger main dish that I want to fill in the largest section of the bento box. The bento box is lightweight (so it won’t weigh down their backpacks), locks securely, doesn’t leak, and is easy to clean. And it fits in their Pottery Barn Kids lunch bags perfectly (“cold pack style” from PBK- which offers the most space!).
Easy Bento Box Lunch Ideas For Kids
Now that we have recommendations for bento boxes for kids, let’s fill ’em up! Here are some easy bento box lunch ideas for kids:
Overnight Oats + Mini Bagels & Cucumbers + Frozen Strawberries
- Overnight Oats: The perfect substantial main dish- oats, chia seeds, almond butter, almond milk, etc. There are so many healthy recipes for overnight oats to choose from and most are loaded with nutrients. The best part is you make it the night before and by morning it’s ready to go, and delicious served cold.
- Mini Bagel + Cucumbers: These mini bagels (ours here are from Trader Joe’s) fit perfectly in the side compartment of the Bentgo Modern Lunch Box. Add cream cheese and cucumbers for a delicious veggie side!
- Fresh or Frozen Strawberries: Taking care of so many young kids in the morning, I find it easiest to just pop in some frozen strawberries.
Bagel & Lox + Healthy Chia Donut + Cucumbers + Frozen Strawberries + Chocolate Chips
- Bagel & Lox: Smoked salmon with cucumbers on a bagel with cream cheese is not only delicious (our kids all love this), but what a great way for kids to get their heart-healthy omega-3’s and protein. (Plus selenium, thiamine, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12 & B6- salmon is such a superfood!). The best part is that smoked salmon is ready to eat right out of the package.
- Cucumbers: Extra veggies never hurt!
- Frozen Strawberries: Again, because frozen fruit = easy.
- Healthy Chia Donut: I make mine with oat flour, chia seeds, almond milk, and sweetened with maple syrup. I also make a light lemon glaze on top. The kids love these as a quick breakfast or lunch (plus, it’s very nutrient-dense). Chia donuts/muffins hold up well if you bake them the day before. Then they’re ready to pop into a bento box the next morning!
- Chocolate Chips: Because in our house, dessert is usually a requirement.
Greek Chicken On Naan/Pita + Veggie Tortilla Roll Up + Cashews & Dried Mango + Oatmeal Cookies
- Greek Chicken + Naan/Pita: Greek chicken is always a kid-friendly hit in our house. Full of flavor, not spicy for the littles, and even tastes good cold. It can be made as a weeknight or weekend dinner, then topped on a piece of naan or pita for an easy source of protein in your kids school lunch.
- Cashews + Dried Mango: This is our first year not having to follow the “nut-free” school lunch rule and I could just jump for joy! Not only are nuts so healthy from a nutritional standpoint, they’re such an easy “snacking food” source of protein. Create your own mini trail mix by adding in some dried mango and kids will love it. (If your kids are in a nut-free classroom, try substituting with sunflower seeds).
- Veggie Tortilla Roll Up: These are such a yummy way for kids to eat their veggies. Spread some cream cheese on a tortilla, lay thin slices of cucumbers and carrots in the center, roll up, and slice into little “sushi/maki-style” bites.
- Oatmeal Cookies: A yummy cookie leftover from last night’s dessert. There are many recipes for healthier oatmeal cookies, and it’s a win since they’re packed with oats!
Veggie Tortilla Roll Up + Apple Slices + Pumpkin Muffin + Sliced Almonds & Chocolate Chips
- Veggie Tortilla Roll Up: Again, the kids love them. In our house we call them “Magic Carpet Rolls” (pretty sure we found them in some Disney Cookbook). Spread cream cheese on a tortilla, lay down thinly sliced cucumbers and carrots in the center, roll up, and let some of the veggies hang out the sides if you want it to actually look like a “Magic Carpet Roll”. A super fast, easy option for a quick and healthy kids school lunch for their bento box.
- Apple Slices: Any fruit will do!
- Pumpkin Muffin: A delicious, healthy, and sneaky way to add in some nutritious pumpkin! I bake these the night before, so it’s easy to just pop in their lunch in the morning.
- Sliced Almonds & Chocolate Chips: You can buy thinly sliced/shaved toasted almonds, which I find the kids eat better than large almonds. Mix in some chocolate chips, and you have a healthier dessert combination.
Mushroom/Pepperoni Pizza + Carrots & Ranch + Blueberry Lemon Bread + Frozen Mango + Nuts & Chocolate Chips
- Mushroom/Pepperoni Pizza: In our house, especially in the fall and winter, we have a weekend tradition of making homemade pizzas from scratch. Is it easy? Not particularly. Is it worth it? Absolutely. But what is easy is leftover pizza to pop in a kids bento box for school. Cold pizza is even delicious. Give it a try to make your own, so you have days of easy leftovers. Or just save leftovers from your favorite weekend pizza! Mushroom pizza is a great way to add some tasty vegetable to the kids school lunch.
- Carrots & Ranch: Because carrots and ranch are the perfect side veggie dish to accompany pizza!
- Blueberry Lemon Bread: If you like to bake as much as I do, bake some variety of fruit bread or muffin on the weekend, and it will give you an easy option during the school week for a dessert/side/fruit. I often freeze mine if I make a large batch, that way it’s easy to quickly defrost a couple weeks later when I’m ready to switch up sides in the kids’ lunches.
- Frozen Mango: Easy, pre-cut, healthy, and the kids prefer their mango frozen because it tastes more like a frozen dessert.
- Nuts & Chocolate Chips: An easy way to get kids to eat nuts is by adding in some chocolate chips. If you don’t have picky eaters, switch up the nuts- one day almonds, the next day pistachios, etc. Or switch to sunflower seeds if your kids are in a “nut free” classroom.
There you have it! One school week’s worth of easy bento box lunch ideas for kids!
Additionally, these are a few of my favorite “add-ons” to the kids bento boxes that make life a little easier:
Hammered Stainless Steel Mini Coffee Spoons
A great, inexpensive set of 12 mini “coffee spoons” in a stylish hammered stainless steel. They fit perfectly in the Bentgo Modern Bento Lunch Box but could also fit easily outside of a bento box, simply placed in the kids lunch bag. Dishwasher safe. More “big kid” style than the little plastic toddler spoons.
These inexpensive, stainless steel forks match the hammered coffee spoons, and are the perfect small size for those bento lunch boxes.
Perfect for storing any foods that can spill, or that have the need to stay warm/cold. I love these for overnight oats, oatmeal, pasta, greek yogurt, fried rice, soup etc.
Another bento box add-on recommendation are these silicone baking cups. These are GREAT! Make sure to get the “jumbo” size which will fit perfectly in the Bentgo Modern Bento Lunch Box so that items will not spill out! Not only are these great for kids bento box dividers but they are also a multi-use item for baking.
Another highly recommended add-on are these slim ice packs! They’re very thin so it’s easy to store a bunch in the freezer. Also, they fit perfectly into most lunch bags. Despite their thin size, they stay cold for a very long time. We have the PBK lunch bags and these ice packs fit perfectly into the inner zip compartment.
Lastly, I always add a little note and quick artwork to my kids’ lunch bag 🙂
Here’s to a great school year!!
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