27 Best Recipes as Lunch Foods for Kids

Here are some of the best recipes and best homemade lunch food ideas this fall. Never wonder what to make for lunch with these creative sandwiches, DIY lunches, homemade lunch box tips, and tutorials. Get yourself some free printable lunch box jokes and lunch menu ideas too. Find out which are best for you and your kids!

Best Lunch Food Recipes

Looking for new lunch ideas? We have the best homemade lunch ideas and the easiest lunch recipes you can make at home! Check out these best food recipes for your next DIY lunches.

1. Homemade Fruit Roll-ups ~ Fruit rolls are a big ‘kid favorite’ and very easy to pop into lunches or backpacks for kids on the go. They are not only healthy and tasty but also a great way to use up summer fruits, especially those that are too ripe to eat. You can use just about any fruit with this recipe.

2. Pizza Pockets (unavailable) ~ Sometimes, the most simple food is the best. This quick and easy recipe only requires four ingredients and would be great as a kid friendly dinner, appetizers, or snack food for the night.

3. A Lorax Lunch (unavailable) ~ Have your kids seen the Lorax movie yet? Are they obsessed? Make them this light lunch of a Lorax sandwich with fruit and veggie trees. This could be your go-to healthy after-school snack favorite.

4. Piggy Sandwich {Edible Crafts for Children} ~ Your little one would not hesitate to gobble up this cute piggy sandwich. This tutorial shows you how easy it is to turn your favorite sandwich into a fun farm animal themed lunch. Cute lunch ideas like this make kids love even the simplest food.

5. Homemade Granola Bars {No-Bake} (unavailable) ~ The cost of snack foods can add up quickly, especially if you have more than one kid in the house. Healthy snacks seem to be more expensive than junk. These homemade granola bars make for great homemade lunches that are not only a fraction of the cost of the store-bought version, but you know exactly what is going into them, giving you peace of mind that your family is getting a truly healthy snack.

Cute Lunch Box Ideas

Lunch doesn’t have to be boring. Create cute lunch ideas that the kids will love. There are plenty of lunch foods to make and DIY lunch for kids around. Check out these cute lunch ideas to make great homemade lunches fun and nutritious.

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Bento (unavailable) ~ Your very hungry preschooler will eat up this Very Hungry Caterpillar themed lunch. A great way to incorporate lots of fun veggies into their lunchbox, the caterpillar and leaves are all nutritious and delicious.

7. Frog Prince Bento Lunch (unavailable) ~ You can make a simple sandwich, a creative masterpiece with a few cookie cutters and fun containers. In this post Melissa gives you the low-down on a cool lunch box, as well as some fun sandwich cutters. Who said a PB&J had to be a boring type of lunch foods to make?

Creative Homemade Lunches

Homemade lunches don’t have to be time-consuming or expensive. Check out these easy-to-make, cute lunch ideas for your next lunch foods to make with your kids!

8. 12 Creative Craft Food For Kids {edible crafts} ~ These DIY lunch for kids are creative crafts with food that are so much fun to make and are sure to impress your children. So if you are wondering what to make that your kids will eat, try these creative craft food recipes!

9. 12 Creative School Lunches~ You are not going to believe how amazing these are! I hope you will check out the tips & tricks and be inspired to make something fun for your little one this week. Best homemade lunch ideas need not only some love but a dash of creativity too!

Free Printable Lunch Box Notes

These printable lunchbox notes are a great way to communicate encouraging words, scripture and fun reminders. Kids will always be excited to see these DIY lunch notes waiting for them at lunchtime.

10. Lunch Box Ideas {free printable} ~ Stay out of a rut with these lunch ideas. This free printable list has lunch ideas from veggies, fruits, carbs, dairy and proteins. Put a list on your refrigerator for a quick reference everyday.

11. Free Printable Lunch Box Notes (unavailable) ~ Print out these free jokes to give the kiddos a little chuckle while they are at lunch. There is also a blank option if you want to fill in your own little love notes.

12. Lunch Box Notes {Stationary} (unavailable) ~ Is it wrong to write myself a lunch note? Because these are so adorable, I just might do it. You could also use these for little notes to the teacher or friends.

13. Free Printable School Lunch Notes {Printable Card} (unavailable) ~ Send a little love note to school with your kiddos with these free printable school lunch notes. Use blank designs or fill in the prompts.

14. Lunch Box Love Notes {Printables for Kids} (unavailable) ~ Free printable Lunchboxes, Love Notes in Fun Spring Colors! The perfect way to spruce up a boring brown bag lunch!

15. Vintage Lunch Box Notes {printable} (unavailable) ~ I am just loving all the free printable lunchbox notes out there right now. These vintage prints are not only pretty, but give your child a riddle/handwriting challenge. Great for Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

16. Lunch Box Jokes {for the kids} (unavailable) ~ Here are some fun printable lunch box jokes for kindergarten that you can stick in the kid’s lunch boxes. They are designed to be pasted together and cut with an Exacto knife so that they lift up a little flap for the punchline. Check out the tutorial for all the details.

Lunch Menu and Planners

Great tools to help you plan your lunch each day and create an assortment of DIY lunch for kids. They include ideas for creative sandwiches and daily plans plus some tips for choosing the right food to eat throughout the day.

17. Free Printable Menu Planner ~ Creating a healthy lunch your child will eat is no longer an overwhelming task! Thanks to this amazing Pick Your Lunch food checklist, your children can help create their own custom yummy school lunches. Simply have your child mark the food they want to eat for lunch. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

18. Printable Lunch Meal Planner (unavailable) ~ A cute lunch planner to help you stay organized and feed the kiddos a healthy lunch. They feature images of cute healthy food so let the kids get involved in the planning too.

Paper Sack Lunch Ideas and Lunch Box Tips

So you need a lunch box that you can pack with a variety of your favorite foods. What kind of lunch box will you choose? The following patterns can be used to turn your DIY lunches to great homemade lunches.

19. Oil Cloth Lunch Bag (unavailable) ~ Oil Cloth is a great option for lunch bags because it is reusable and can be wiped off. This adorable gingham bag has a velcro closure so the oil cloth will stay folded shut. It also makes the bag easier for little hands to carry.

20. Sketchbook Lunch Bag (unavailable) ~ This embroidered lunch bag is absolutely darling! It’s not only reusable, but also washable. The pattern is ironed onto the fabric and then embroidered. Adding in funny and silly lunch box jokes for kindergarten will be a sure hit!

21. DIY Notebook Lunch Bag (unavailable) ~ Just like notebook paper you can write on this adorable notebook lunch bag. It’s made with striped canvas fabric and can be written on with a fabric marker. It’s definitely cool to get your paper sack lunch ideas to look like the real ones!

22. Mushroom Lunch Bag {tutorial} ~ Not only is this critter fabric absolutely adorable, but the mushroom shape is fabulous! The inside of the bag is insulated so it will help keep the food cool. The mushroom top has a flap lid with a handle for easy carrying.

23. Bento Lunch Box (unavailable) {pattern} ~ Bento lunches are so creative and fun for children! Instead of a bento storage container you can make a bento lunch box with this free pattern. The flap lid ties securely and has a nice handle for carrying.

24. Personalized Lunch Box {tutorial} ~ Personalize a plain metal bucket with painter’s paint markers. The markers are permanent, streak-free and dry almost instantly. You can dress it up with a pretty bow and a fabric napkin.

25. Reusable Lunch Box (unavailable) ~ Paper sack lunch ideas from a milk carton is a terrific way to recycle and will cost you virtually nothing to make it. Best homemade lunch ideas come free with creativity and resourcefulness.

26. Chalkboard Lunch Box ~ What a fabulous way to send notes in your child’s lunch box. This project is perfect for a non-sewer. Just add chalkboard paint to the inside lid of a metal lunch box. Voila! You are ready to begin sending notes or even lunch box jokes for kindergarten.

27. How to Make Your Own Lunch Box Ice Packs ~ I love the idea of making your own ice packs for lunch boxes, and this is definitely a favorite of the many lunch box tips. They are not only much cheaper to make and can last forever (if taken care of), but are also non-toxic. And, you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen to make them. {wink}

What to have for lunch?
Free Printable Menu Planner and Free Lunch Box Jokes!

More Creative and Best Lunch Foods Ideas from Tip Junkie

• Sports activities for kids will be fun with this Olympic Symbol Food theme!
• Be extra creative! Embellish a paper sack with these tips and tricks.
• Worry no more by following a menu to eat well and feel full.
• Now that the kids are back at school, take on the challenge of preparing a healthy lunchbox.
• Save more time with these easy school lunch ideas!
• What To Have For Lunch? Check out these plenty of lunch ideas for your kids.
• Turn that first day of first grade absolutely special with these lunch ideas.
• Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with festive lunch box printables.
• Your kids will be hooked on to these bento lunch boxes made with love this Easter!

If you love these activities for kids, then you’ll find HUNDREDS more just as creative over on the Tip Junkie Kids site!