A lunch box planner is a great way to plan your child’s school lunches for the week, or even to use for your own weekly lunches. Grab a free printable lunch box planner now, fill it out with your kids, and be prepared for packing lunches!
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If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I am not a fan of lunch box prep.
Have you seen those amazing insta reels? The woman that makes elaborate themed lunch boxes, like Hello Kitty sushi and Disney extravaganza picnics. What about the Mom that hand draws beautiful illustrations on her kids’ bananas… Yeah, that’s not me. My husband is the chef in this house, and I reign supreme over the niche, but all-important, skill of snack plates.
When it comes to lunch boxes I, more often than not, find myself in a hurry, uninspired, and making the same few things over and over again.
So I created this handy lunch box planner for kids’ school lunches. It’s been a game-changer for me, and I know you’re going to love it as well.
How To Use A Lunch Box Planner
The great thing about planners – and bullet journals, diaries, anything like that – is that everyone has their own unique ways of using them that suits their life and routine. And because this lunch box planner is printable, it’s totally flexible.
Planner insert:
You could print the school lunch box planner to the same size as your diary or daily planner, whether that’s A5 or A4, and stick or staple a sheet to the beginning of every week. That way, everything is in one place. When you’re looking across your week, checking what clubs the kids have and what special events you might need to remember, you’ve also got all their food prep there too. You could add in a second sheet for dinner planning, and really take control of the week!
*You can grab my free printable weekly meal planner here!
Hang it on the fridge:
Is it just me or is the fridge the center of the universe when it comes to family life?! Kids’ drawings are stuck on there, good report cards, party invitations, special photos – and, of course, it’s where the food is! (Mmm precious snacks…) So if you hang your lunch box planner on the fridge, you KNOW you’re not going to forget about it.
Laminate and re-use:
If you don’t have regular access to a printer, or are worried about the amount of paper you’d use printing off weekly planners, print one and laminate it. It’s really easy. You can take your sheet to somewhere like Office Depot or Staples, and they’ll do it for you. Then use dry erase markers to plan your week, wipe off on a Sunday, and start again from scratch.
Why Use A Lunch Box Planning Template?
Some people are great at using their brain as one massive Filofax (wow, remember those?!) They have everything under control. But I, for one, need to write things down. Notes on my phone. Events in my calendar. Chore charts. Lunch box planners. I need them all! And here are a few reasons why you do too.
Keep it healthy:
Lunch boxes sometimes get a bit of a bad rep for not being the healthiest meal. So much so, that some schools even police them! And no-one wants to be the Mom who gets a call from school because their kids’ lunchbox didn’t contain enough healthy choices.
But it’s not intentional! Moms are busy, and lunch boxes are far from being the only chore on their list. But using a planner can help you to pause, and just double check the lunch box covers all bases to make it as balanced as possible.
Engage the kids:
Have you ever experienced that thing where, if you give your kids a new meal or food, they don’t want to eat it. But if they helped to make it, all of a sudden it’s their new favorite thing?! Yeah, kids are contrary. So getting them involved is always the best way to engage and empower them.
Sitting down with your kids, and planning their own lunch boxes with them, helps them to understand decision-making and choice, and the difference between healthy foods and treats. You can answer questions, ask for their ideas and, although it might take a little more time, it can really make the process more fun, and help to relieve any anxiety your child might have around school or food. And, as they get older, they can plan their own lunch box and just bring the planner to you for final approval!
Make it routine:
OK, routines are not glamorous, they are not sexy. But every Mom needs one! We’re spinning too many plates to go free style. And incorporating lunch box planning into your Sunday routine really helps to take the stress out of it.
You know what you need to buy in advance. You have plenty of time to make sure you’re making varied, balanced meals across the week. You can engage the kids. You can prep certain items in advance. And you can’t do any of that stuff if you’re frantically smearing peanut butter onto a slice of stale bread 4 and a half minutes before you’re due to leave the house.
And, honestly, there are so many more reasons why you need a printable lunch box planner for kids’ school lunches, but I know by now you’re ready to try it for yourself. But wait: you know how to use your lunchbox planner, you’re sold on the reasons why – but what on earth do you put in it?! Don’t worry, check out these easy lunch box ideas to get inspired, and don’t forget to let me know how you get on!
Free Printable Lunch Box Planners
Want to develop your own lunch box system? Whether you need a weekly bento planner or a simple list-style school lunchbox planner, these templates can help you plan some healthier options for your child’s lunchbox!
Just click the download link below, and a new window will open with the PDF file. Then you can print the digital file and incorporate the planner into your daily lunch planning! *NOTE – This digital download is provided for your personal use only. You may not share or sell the file.
Click HERE for the Lunch Box Planner Templates
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