Need back to school lunch inspiration? You’ll love these easy bento lunch ideas for kids! These DIY Lunchables bento boxes are a fun and nutritious back to school lunch idea.
I first shared this back to school lunch idea back in 2013. Since these DIY lunchables are still a hit at my house, I thought I would re-share them. (Just in case you missed them back in 2013.) Are you ready for the new school year? It can be difficult coming up new lunchbox ideas that the kids won’t get bored with. Maybe this fun bento for kids will help.
I have made a lot of school lunches throughout the years and there are two important things that I have learned – keep it fun and offer lots of variety. Doing these two things will ensure that kids will not only eat, but will enjoy their lunch. Variety is important, especially if you have picky eaters. With one of my daughters the list of dislikes seemed to change daily, so I never knew if she loved PB&J or hated it. Packing a bento lunch for kids is one of the simplest ways to keep lunchtime fun and offer variety.
Need more school lunch inspiration? Get these Back to School Lunch Ideas + Printable Lunchbox Notes!
DIY Lunchables Bento Lunch Ideas for Kids
DIY Lunchable
The beauty of a this lunch is that it’s healthier than the pre-made box kind, and offers the flexibility that you need for picky eaters. To keep it fun I cut the meat, cheese, and cucumber into flower shapes with a small flower shaped cutter. If you don’t have silicone baking cups, the paper baking cups will work just fine.
What’s in the box?
whole grain crackers
thick sliced deli meat (I used a combo of bologna and chicken.)
sliced cheese (I used a combo of Cheddar and Provolone.)
cucumber slices
cherry tomatoes
red seedless grapes
Don’t worry about being wasteful when using the shaped cutters. The extra meat and cheese makes for a nice breakfast for you Mom, or if your at my house it’s a treat for the two begging dogs at your feet.
DIY Pizzables for Kids
This Pizzables lunch is a favorite of the older kids. You can mix and match the toppings based on your child’s preferences. What’s in the box?
Pizza Crust – For the crusts I used whole grain round sandwich thins.
Sauce – I used bottled pizza sauce, but you could use spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce.
Toppings – I couldn’t resist the mini pepperoni, but sliced ham would be good too. You could add mushrooms or really get crazy with the toppings if your kid is a veggie lover.
Cheese – Shredded Mozzarella is what I used. Any shredded cheese blend would do the trick. Just use whatever you have on hand.
Fruits and Veggies – I rounded this lunch out with some blueberries and baby carrots.
Pictured above are the mini plastic cups I used for the pizza sauce and pepperoni. They have lids and fit perfectly on top of the pizza crusts. I believe I picked these up at Walmart the last time we made homemade ice cream for dogs. You can reuse them several times, that is if they make it home from school.
When packing school lunches, remember to keep it fun and offer lots of variety.
If you like this back to school lunch idea, please share it with friends and Pin It for later.
You might also like this lunchbox refresh and Simple Fall Themed Bento Lunch for Kids!
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Love the cute bento lunches. They are such the craze right now. I’m so glad my kids just buy lunch LOL.
What a cute lunch, I bet it’s so much fun for the kids to put together a pizza!
love these and my daughter would love if i made them for her lunches!
These ideas are great and so much healthier than store bought Lunchables!
I have really enjoyed making my son fun lunches like these. Thanks for the cute ideas!
I love the idea of Bento boxes, I just don’t have the time to make them.
My kids would so love this, thanks!
Love this, so much healthier than the ones they sell in the store!
I love making bento style lunches for my kids! I love your ideas and I am really liking your colorful little holders.
Okay where did you get those little holders that you have the food in for the first photo? I have been searching all over for them and I can’t find them anywhere!
We got them from Amazon, Jenn. Here’s the link (affiliate link): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00COWLXJ4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00COWLXJ4&linkCode=as2&tag=abamo-20