School Lunches Organization System for Stress Free Lunch Packing

This is a refreshed post from a few years ago.

How to organize kids school lunches for the week

When both of my kids started going to school, I realized I needed to develop a system of organization for school lunches. We used to struggle each night trying to decide what to pack for lunch at the last minute. It was always stressful.

Therefore, I wanted to avoid the lunchmaking stress and get everything primarily ready beforehand. Below, I’ll share with you my school lunches organization system.

Here’s my School Lunches Organization System for Weekly Lunches.

First, I bought 2 of those soft hanging shoe organizers and hung them up in the laundry room.  Next to the hanging organizers, I have small cube shelves to create a workplace for packing lunches. 

We also use the top of the shelf for the kids to drop off their backpacks when they come into the house.  Then, behind the shelves, I hung a whiteboard.

Each Sunday, I put together all of the non-refrigerated items in the shoe rack (by day).  I try to include one fruit-type item (apple, fruit cup, etc.), one type of chips or crackers, one dessert, and one bag for snacks. 

On the whiteboard, I write the additional refrigerated items (organized by the child’s name and day of the week).  This includes yogurts, sandwiches, and other items that should not be left out.

If I can make or set out the items ahead of time, I go ahead to do this and place them in the extra fridge we have in our laundry room.  If there’s anything I have to wait to make that day, I underline it on the whiteboard.  That’s my cue or reminder.  

The green marker indicates their snack for that day.

Overall, the system seems to be working out well.  I have been doing this now for almost 3 years.  It’s a lot of work on Sunday, but it prevents stress during the week.

What about you?  Do you have a system you use to organize school lunches?  Please share it or provide a link to your blog post.