Welcome to our elementary school lunch do’s and don’ts article. As children age and go on to school, feeding becomes different. Even if you didn’t have much of a schedule before your child entering the education system, now you do! Therefore, it’s super important to know what they should eat for their elementary school lunch, for the sake of their nutritional and health needs.
Research shows kids aged between 6 to 12 develop and grow slowly, but consistently, and the elementary school lunch you pack for them is essential to maintaining their steady development.
The great news is that as they get older they can help you meal-prep their lunch. Hooray!
It’s new for school children to have to eat and then go several hours without food until lunchtime. Therefore, a nutritious breakfast that will keep them full is important.
Here are our elementary school lunch do’s and don’ts.
Do: Visit Your Child’s Cafeteria
Some schools have excellent lunches (and breakfasts) but many do not. The best thing is to go try it out. If you like their food, then you will know it’s okay for your child to eat there. If you don’t like it, then you know you’ll need to provide lunch.
My personal preference would be to send them in with a home-made pack up, full of delicious food I know they will eat and allow them to eat in the school cafeteria once per week as a special treat. Often it appears the school cafeterias are working to a really tight food budget, so it’s down to the creativity of the chef to produce regular nutritious meals.
Many simply offer cheap frozen food with some fruit on the side, and I’m not comfortable with that, which is why I recommend it as a special treat to balance it out.
Ask yourself, ‘Would I serve frozen food 5 days a week at home?’.
Do: Let Your Child Take Their Lunch
If your child wishes to take their own school lunch in, you can help them prepare it the night before. As parents, we can offer a range of healthy options so our children feel like they have some power and choice over what they will be eating, and we have peace of mind knowing they will be consuming a nutritious lunch.
Usually, kids will eat up to 5 times a day and it’s around this age that habits, likes, and dislikes appear, so getting your child engaged in packing their lunch can really help steer them towards making more healthy food choices. Of course, they are going to be influenced by others, especially by their peers and the media, but I’m absolutely convinced that your child could be the one who influences others and so eating healthy, home-prepared food becomes the norm for their class or school.
We have designed a Bento Lunch Box to help and the feedback has been amazing, we are completely overwhelmed at how many families it’s helped.
Do: Offer a Snack after School
Most kids, especially when they first start school, are starving when they get home. They have to go long periods of time with neither food nor water, which is not natural for them and most likely not what they’re used to with you at home. Offer a good hydrating snack after school like apples, chicken or turkey sandwich, crackers and cheese or milk – not something processed like microwave pizza bites.
These after-school snacks are really important as they may contribute up to a third of their calorie intake for the day, and as the evening approaches they are likely to be less active and so sleep and weight could be affected over the long-term if poor snack choices become habits.
Do: Feed Them a Good Breakfast
It’s new for elementary school children to have to eat and then go several hours without food until lunchtime. Not to mention lunchtimes are super-short these days – sometimes no more than 20 minutes including waiting in line. Therefore, a nutritious breakfast that will keep them full is important.
Always ask what your little one wants for breakfast, it shows them that you value their opinion and tells you what their favorite is. Be sure to offer them new options too, so that they have a broad choice of tasty breakfasts to start their day with.
Oatmeal and cereal are really quick and easy to make and fruit can be added to both. I know it can be a struggle in the mornings as time just seems to evaporate, but try and eat with your child as this demonstrates how important breakfast is and is an ideal time to talk to them about their school day and allay any worries they have, especially if they are really young or recently changed schools.
Do: Make dinner at a Reasonable Hour
It’s important when your child starts school to set up a reasonably scheduled mealtime. You’ll want to ensure that each evening they have a set time to get dinner so that they can study, sleep well, and learn better.
The My Plate icon is divided into five food group categories, emphasizing the nutritional intake of the following:
Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy & Protein. The USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services developed it to guide us in selecting foods for children age 2 and older to eat a healthy diet, a variety of foods and encourage the right amount of fat calorie intake.
Don’t: Micromanage Their Choices
When you set dinner out for your child, let them self-serve. Then they can choose what to eat, and how much. Don’t give them the choice to eat snacks later if they don’t eat their dinner, but don’t micromanage how much they eat at each meal or even what they eat out of the things you offer them.
If you see that they are regularly not eating much of the right things, talk to them about it. It may be they are being influenced by the media, especially TV, or their friends. Ask what foods they like and dislike and agree to serve a mixture of meals during the week. Another great way to introduce the right nutrients is juicing and smoothies!
Don’t: Make Them Clean Their Plate
The worst thing you can do is force your child to clean their plate. Sure, there are starving kids all around the world and maybe even in your own city. But forcing your child to clean their plate won’t help any starving kids anyplace. Instead, it might make your child ignore their real hunger cues, putting them on a path of obesity.
Don’t: Pressure and Bribe Kids with Food
It’s very tempting to bribe your little one with a Twinkie if he gets good grades, goes to bed on time, takes a bath, brushes his teeth, and so forth. But, while it may get immediate results, it will set up your child to become an overeater – especially of reward foods and junk foods.
Rewarding them for good behavior does work, but the reward should not be food-based, instead giving them a special sticker, taking them to the park or their favorite place works just as well. Reward them once for multiple good things, so if they go to bed on time 5 nights in a row then they get the treat. I have found this really helps with setting up a routine; kids LOVE routine!
Don’t: Forget to Offer Fluids
A 2% drop in hydration can lead to a 20% loss in concentration. Dehydration can really impact your child’s memory too and so it’s really important water is offered with every meal. When sending your child to school do ensure they have a flask of freshwater with them as it can be easily re-filled after a sports session or lunch.
It may seem scary to send your child off to school and away from your control for several hours a day, but by following these simple steps it will make that transition so much easier. School is a place that your child will develop socially, learn new skills and create life-long friends and you can really play your part in this development by ensuring they have the right nutrition.