Parents of young children have a singular challenge when it comes to lunchtime. They must prepare meals that are nutritious, well-balanced, and above all, appealing to their children. Most kids are also notoriously picky eaters. How do you get children excited about lunchtime and willing to try new things? The key is getting them involved.
Let Kids Help in the Kitchen
Mealtime is a stressful time for so many parents because they’re trying to entertain the kids while preparing the food. But it’s possible to kill two birds with one stone by enlisting kids’ help in the kitchen. Put them to work setting the table, pouring ingredients into a pot, sprinkling grated cheese, spreading mayo on bread, or arranging vegetables and dip on a plate. Just make sure they wash their hands first.
Bagel pizzas are a favorite in many households because kids can help every step of the way. With appropriate supervision, they can spoon out the pizza sauce onto a bagel and sprinkle it with grated cheese and any other toppings. They’re guaranteed to have fun and be excited to eat “their” very own pizza when it comes out of the oven.
Try a Theme Meal
Themed meals are always popular with kids. Try focusing on a color, a letter, or a culture to make lunch interesting. An all-red lunch, for example, might feature foods like cherries, toast with strawberry jam, strawberry yogurt, red Jell-o with red Kool-Aid to drink. Any theme you choose will be fun (and educational) for young children.
Breakfast is a wonderful theme to try. Most mornings are just too hectic to cook, so why not make hot breakfast foods for lunch? Great foods to try are omelets, scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, French toast, breakfast burritos, or toast with sausage gravy. Kids just enjoy the silliness of eating the “wrong” thing for lunch. You might even want to tell your kids that breakfast-for-lunch today is in honor of “Backwards Day.” Read a book from the last page to the first with your kids, say “goodbye” instead of “hello,” wear your clothes backward, and so on.
Presentation is Everything
Sometimes it doesn’t take a whole new lunch to keep kids from getting bored. All you need is a new way to present a food. Serving it in fun shapes can get young children excited enough to eat just about anything. Try cubing your lunch and having kids eat it all with toothpicks (or chopsticks, if they’re older). Arranging vegetables, fruit, and cheese in the shape of a smiley face or a dinosaur is another way to get kids to eat from all the food groups. Use those cookie cutters to serve sandwiches in fun shapes. Not only will they be fun for your children, they will also be in a more kid-friendly portion size.
Rediscover the Sandwich
Variety is important. Even if the kids are content to have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day, mixing up the lunch routine is necessary both for a balanced diet and for mom and dad’s sanity. Remember that everything, even the common sandwich, has countless variations. Try egg salad, tuna, and B.L.T. sandwiches in addition to classics like grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly. Even putting standard sandwich fare on a different type of bread, like a croissant, bagel, pita, or wrap is a refreshing change of pace.
Another tasty sandwich to try is a grilled turkey melt (it’s also a great way to use up Thanksgiving turkey leftovers). Spread bread with mustard, top with slices of bread with cooked turkey pieces, broccoli florets, and shredded cheese, and put in the broiler until the cheese melts. Eat as an open-faced sandwich, or if you prefer, put another piece of toasted bread over the top.
20 Creative Lunch Ideas
Another thing to keep in mind is that kids, just like grown-ups, can get bored with the same old thing for lunch day after day. Here are more creative lunch ideas that you may not have thought of yet:
- taco soup (crushed tortilla chips topped with chili, chopped tomatoes, black olives, shredded cheese, and sour cream)
- noodles, Alfredo sauce, chopped tomatoes, and chicken
- mac and cheese with steamed carrots and broccoli mixed in
- chicken salad cups (hollowed-out tomatoes stuffed with chicken salad)
- trail mix and fruit
- veggies with cottage cheese dip
- crackers topped with summer sausage and cheese
- peanut butter spread on crackers with fruit on the side
- tortilla chips with chili for dipping
- yogurt with fruit and granola stirred in
- microwave baked potato and steamed vegetable
- chicken pieces, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn layered together in a bowl
- hard boiled egg and fruit
- flavored rice mix with ground beef added
- fish and chips
- pita pockets stuffed with chicken Caesar salad
- ABCLT wraps (avocado, bacon, cucumber, lettuce and tomato with a mayo-vinegar-sugar spread)
- tortilla roll-up with meat, cream cheese, and pickle
- bagel with cream cheese and yogurt
- bagel spread with cream cheese and fruit preserves
When it comes to lunch, getting your kids involved is crucial. If they help prepare the meal, they’ll be more likely to try it even if it is unfamiliar. Make it fun with theme meals, creative presentation, and lots and lots of variety.
Readers might also enjoy "Making Friends as a Stay-at-Home Parent" and "Getting Kids Involved in Meal Prep with a Restaurant Game."
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