Lunch Ideas for 1St Grader

Ask her what she wants and give her that. I wouldn't want someone packing me lunch every day without asking me what I like and want.

www.weelicious.com is a great site for lunch ideas! Also, if she is craving a pb&j, you can use sunbutter.

My kids are high school and college aged now, but I never worried much about spicing it up. Kids like familiarity and knowing their lunch is something they liked. When my daughter was in first grade, she mostly took peanut butter or bologna sandwiches with fruit, a treat and bought milk at school to go with it. My son at that age would bring any kind of cold cut sandwich with water, fruit and a treat. We would like our lunches spiced up and switched up but I don't think a six year old cares.

My kids like the same things normally. My oldest will pack peanut butter for her protein, and have it with celery or carrots. My middle son likes ham and ranch sandwiches and the youngest likes pb&j. BUT - they do mix it up.

I just got them the Everything Bagel Thins to use for break instead of the normal bread we buy - and my daughter had a ham sandwich on it yesterday - she loved it!

My middle son is bringing leftover chicken alredo for lunch today. We portion it out after dinner so in the morning they just have to reheat it and put it in the thermos (I second getting one from the camping section and NOT the lunch section).

My youngest son packed a nutrigrain bar for his "sandwich" today.

So everyday they pack a sandwich (or salad, soup, leftovers, etc), chips/pretzels/popcorn, a fruit or veggie - sometimes two of these, and a treat if they want it. They all bring a bottle of water every day, and sometimes they want a juice box.

Let your kiddo decide. She may be happy with the same thing.

Almond butter is delicious.. It also comes with honey..

Sandwiches.
Turkey
Ham
Roast beef
Cheese
Avocado
Cream cheese
Piminot spread
Chicken sald
Tuna Salad
Grilled Hot dog
Grilled Hamburger patty

Tortillas instead of bread.
Bagels instead of bread
Pita instead of bread

Hummus
Refried Beans

Chili

Salads with chicken pieces/ Turkey/ Tuna/ cheese.

Left over pizza, yes even cold.

Pretzels with Almond butter

Pasta with sauce

Meatball sandwiches

Tortellini with sauce
Ravioli with sauce

Soups
Chinese dumplings
Spring rolls
Fried Rice

crumb, I was going to suggest peanut butter and jelly rollups, which my daughter is currently really enjoying. We've been rolling it up in tortilla shells and cutting it like the little tortilla rollups with cream cheese. I'm going to try it with cream cheese and jelly, I think that would be good. I've also heard rolling it around a banana is yummy, but I'm not sure it would be without the peanut butter.

We've done the roll ups with meat and cheese, too, which she likes, even when she won't usually eat it in a sandwich.

Kids are weird, though. I've started packing her yogurt with her sandwich and goldfish crackers, and she's started dipping the crackers in the yogurt and thinks it's the best thing ever.

Try not to stress. As strange as it seems to adults, most kids don't want you to "spice it up." They really do want the same ol thing day in and day out.

I bet your daughter is happy with things just the way they are.

So I may not pack the healthiest of lunches but atleast I know they are eating their food. Lol. We have two in 1st grade, and one in 3rd, 5th, and 7th. I either pack them a sandwich like ham and cheese with salome, or turkey and cheese, or pb&j. Then they can pick two other items like pudding, fruit cup, fruit snacks, chips, cheezits, string cheese, granola bar, etc. And a capri sun or juice box. BUT if they want something other than a sandwich, sometimes they will have ritz crackers with cheese and ham, crackers with pb, and sometimes we will buy an extra pizza from little ceasers and they eat cold pizza. Then I try to focus on healthier alternatives for afternoon snack and dinner when I can make sure they actually eat it vs going in the trash or giving it away.

Hummus and pita/pretzel chips or baby carrots? They make single-size containers of baby pickles, guacamole, and hummus. Turkey roll-ups?

Kids don't usually mind having the same things regularly.

My daughter rotates between several of her favorites. If we have leftovers she loves, I put them in a thermos for her.

Salami (nitrate/nitrite free) and cheese
Turkey/cheese sandwich
Turkey/cheese/veggie cream cheese roll-up
PB&J (you cut use almond butter)

Carrot stick, cucumber slices or spinach salad with ranch

Clementines, pears, grapes, blueberries all keep well and don't B.

Pistachios that I shell otherwise she would spend all of lunch shelling them.

I also pack a treat, usually 1 starburst or 5 m&ms or half of a cookie. Not much but enough to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Whatever she doesn't eat she has for her mid-day snack.

My first grader, last year his kindergarten teacher, teacher's assistant, and a couple moms who pulled lunch duty all commented on how "good" his lunches were and what a great eater he is. For in-class snack (since their lunch is at 1, they have a 10am snack that they can eat at their desk while doing work), I give him granola bars, nutrigrain cereal bars, grapes, dried fruits, goldfish, ritz crackers with some sliced cheese, cheese sticks, or carrot/celery sticks.

For lunch: pbj, pb and honey, cheese, pimento cheese, lunchmeat/cheese, tuna salad sandwiches he likes toasted, his favorite treat is a quarter of a muffaletta, warm fajitas, burritos, or a gyro wrapped up in foil, leftover soups, spaghetti o's, his favorite is gumbo, sometimes redbeans and rice with a wedge of cornbread in foil. You need a good thermos for warm foods, we got ours in the camping section, not lunchbox section. Some other treats he likes: I take those pillsbury crescents and put a little shredded cheddar, some chopped up jalapeno, and a sliced hot dog wiener in it, roll it up together, and bake---he loves these but they're rare. He also likes to bring pierogies. Wrap up some egg rolls! Or if I make sausage and peppers one night and have leftovers, I'll put some of that on flat bread and wrap it up for him. My kids, unlike me, do not like cold pizza BUT they do like cold fried catfish made into a sandwich, and they like cold fried chicken too. If he's eating fish or chicken, I'll include a small corn on the cob too. He loves them, he's a great eater. You could also go the pasta salad, chicken salad over spinach, etc route.

I always pack an "entree", a fruit, or veggie sticks with hummus or dip that we make together, and then sometimes a treat (a little plastic bowl of pudding, jello, a homemade cookie, etc). He has a little thermos for tea, lemonade, or juice for lunch and a larger sport bottle of water for snack and breaks.

A key to remember is that they do have a relatively short period to eat in, so don't pack too much, or make it too complicated. Example: I'd love to send him with taco salad, which he loves, but keeping the meat warm and then salad cool and putting them together, then adding the cheese and sauce....it just gets to be too much. SO that's an at-home lunch or dinner. I like to sneak as much veg in as possible though, so I may pack a small little bowl with spinach leaves and tomato slices that he can throw onto his sandwiches (so the tomato doesn't make the bread soggy). Something easy to eat, that you know they'll love, but they're going to be gone all day so pack a little bit of protein, carbs, fruit/veg, and a little "fun food" too.

I seen this on Pinterest. I just packed my sons lunch for tomorrow I put a sandwich thin(those thin breads kinda taste like pita bread) some leftover spaghetti sauce, shredded cheese, and some organic pepperoni slices. It's like one of those pizza lunchables but much healthier. I packed it in one of those ziplock containers that has three sections the small section for sauce, other section for cheese and pepperoni(that I wrapped), and I put the bread and baby carrots(in a ziplock bag) and a small spoon in the larger section. Very easy. I also included a drinkable yogurt.

Just chiming in to agree with the others. My boys are ages where they make their own lunches (4th and 10th grades) and they WANT to take the same thing every day.

My youngest takes a peanut butter sandwich with goldfish crackers every single day, and my oldest takes a turkey sandwich with fruit.

Honestly, I don't mix my lunch up much either. I take either soup or a PB sandwich, and that makes me very happy. :)

My son would take a peanut butter and jelly everyday if he could! And he does 90% of the time. Every once in a while if I make something for dinner that he can take and eat cold I will pack him that - like spaghetti or pizza.

For pre - k 4 thru 1st (hes in 2nd this year) he went to a much smaller school and I could send him with macaroni and they would heat it up for him so I am trying to just change what sides I put in his lunch now that its mostly pb&j

Yesterday he took a pb&j, doritos, grapes, a chewy bar, string cheese, and juice.
Today he took a pb&j, orange, m&m yogurt cup, tomato & cucumber salad, fruit snack, and juice.
Tomorrow ill probably pack him salami roll ups (salami & cheese he rolls), teddy grams, an apple with peanut butter, box of raisins, and a couple oreos

my daughter chooses the same thing every day if I make her lunch. She chooses a turkey and cheese bagel sandwich, yogurt and a cut up apple with peanut butter. My son also chooses the same thing and he gets a pbj waffle sandwich (we use the whole wheat waffles), yogurt and a cut up apple with peanut butter. Luckily their school still allows peanut butter or my son would be out of luck.

i use the same 3 compartment "zip loc" containers mentioned below. When we mix it up I toast a freezer waffle and cut it into strips (can do the same with french toast) you can put syrup in one of the smaller sections and if you seal it well it is pretty tight and leak proof. These containers are semi-reusable meaning you will need to replace them more often but with the way kids loose or toss things it makes it worth it. add some fruit and a drink and you are pretty good.

I haven't used it, but it looks like a great idea ... http://www.momables.com/. They are also on FB ...

I usually consult my kids. they do not have a big variety but it is usually:
1. ham and cheese roll ups.
2. turkey roll ups
3. cream cheese and jelly
4. pb & j
5. nutella and bananas
6. chicken nuggets

these things can be made differently by sometimes using different things like:

-cheese (muenster, provolone or american for my kids)
- tortillas, waffles or mini bagels instead of sandwich bread
- honey instead of jelly
- peanut butter and sliced apple sandwich

today I did cream cheese honey and cucumber pinwheels.

Also varying the snacks works too. I try to keep a variety.

have your kid help you pack the lunch!

I just packed my kids whatever I knew they liked and would eat. Not always "lunch" food, like sandwiches, but often pasta, rice, sushi, leftovers, pretty much anything.

-Salami & cheese w/crackers
-turkey, cheese, veggie strips & light smear of Ranch wrap
-heated chicken nuggets double wrapped in foil
-veggie strips (carrots, celery, cucumber) w/Ranch
-salad in a bowl w/Ranch in sep bowl to add later & croutons
-ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce & diced tomatoes wrapped in a
warmed tortilla double wrapped in foil
-cheese tortellini heated up & put in a thermos w/a fork,add garlic cheese bread
-tuna mixed w/little bit of mayo put in small tupperware surrounded by those ice packs to keep cool & crackers
-ham & turkey sandwich put on mini hoagie rolls or those soft mini Hawaiian rolls
Always add fruit, juice box & some cut up veggie