How to Make Kids Lunches

Secret codes aren’t exclusive to the CIA. Go beyond pig Latin and write your child a note in a secret code. Here’s what 007 has been using:

• Write down the alphabet vertically, then write down the alphabet again vertically right next to the first list, but start with “z” and go backwards. Then write a note using your new alphabet where “z” is “a”, “y” is “b”, “x” is “c”, and so on. Don't forget to include the codebreaking list.

• Fold a piece of paper lengthwise into three sections. Then unfold it and write a message down the creases. Once you have your secret message written, fill in the rest of the paper like you are writing a letter. It can be about anything, but only you and your child know where the real message is.
• Write an entire note by spelling all the words backwards. If you are really deep undercover, write the sentences backwards, too. It’s a super-cool secret code that almost makes you feel like you're speaking another language.

Encourage a little playing with food and make their sandwich into a puzzle. Cut out the middle of the sandwich with a cookie cutter, but leave it in place. Choose a fun shape like a dinosaur or a star, then use a knife to cut the outer section into smaller pieces. Now, an ordinary sandwich is an interactive puzzle. This works best with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Put a little something in that you know your child likes. It could be something related to their hobby or a small coupon, such as one for "No chores after school. "

Invite your child for a playdate after school. Make up a cute poem or riddle that has personal meaning and plan to pick them up after school. Plan an escape to a favorite spot, whether it's bird watching, the aquarium, a museum, or the park. For example: “Roses are red, violets are blue, let's escape for the day, and bring our favorite treats with us, too! Let’s go to the park and feed the birds. You, me and a loaf of bread. What a perfect combination!"

Trading and upgrading your lunch is a huge underground enterprise at school. Make sure your child is ready to either trade away or keep what they have. Pack their favorite treat in their lunch, whether it's homemade rice crispy treats, your special granola, or a chocolate pudding cup. Slip it in there to make their day.

Switch things up a little from the everyday PB&J and make something unusual. Try chicken tenders or a grilled chicken breasts (marinated is best). Cut the chicken out with animal shaped cutters and stick them on a popsicle stick for chicken pops. It's fun, easy and healthy.

Depending on whether or not your child has a lunch box or takes a bag lunch to school, you can always get creative by decorating that bland brown paper bag:

• Cover it with tic- tac-toe boards or hangman setups and include a pen in the bag. This way, they can play with their friends at lunch.
• Turn the bag upside down and make it into a creature. Your child can use it as a hand puppet.
• Get alphabet rubber stamps and put scrambled words and notes on the bag for kids to play with.
• Have a joke or riddle of the day on the outside of the bag for them to laugh at or solve.
• Include some stickers and markers so they can decorate their own bag after they eat.

Insert a picture of you and your child in the bag that brings back a really great memory, like the time you had a food fight, or when they were first born. It makes them smile and remember a quality family moment they really enjoyed. To make it extra special, make it be a picture of a place you can take them to that weekend or after school.

Let the tooth fairy come early and include a special coin like a Susan B. Anthony, a $2 bill, or a silver dollar in their lunch box for buying snacks or milk. It will make that everyday process way more exciting.

Every kid loves a happy meal, so take the concept and make your own from scratch. Include a sandwich, a snack/side, a drink, and a super cool toy and you're set. Some toy ideas are a deck of cards, a mini etch-a-sketch, or one of the pens with the games on the top (see link below). It’s homemade, healthy and fun.

Include a coupon or a gift certificate for an after school treat like a frozen yogurt, ice cream from your favorite local spot, or cookies from the bakery. It’s easy and gives you both a place to spend some sweet extra time together.

Make Fruit Loop or Cheerio bracelets or necklaces by stringing the cereal onto elastic string. It gives them something to play with and makes eating cereal a little more eventful.

In warmer months, there is nothing better than having a cold, fresh drink in your lunch after recess. Freeze the juice boxe the night before, and then put it in the lunch box in the morning. They will be mostly melted and slushy by the time lunch rolls around. It’s an easy way to make a popsicle out of healthy juice.