Lunchbox Heroes: 5 Preschool-Perfect Tips for Back-to-School Success
Written by Cate Graney
It's the season of opening the fridge and thinking, “What on earth should I pack my kid for lunch?" formally known as back to school! To make the transition back to preschool as smooth as possible, this blog highlights practical strategies to ease your child’s adjustment. These tips are designed to ensure your child feels confident and ready for their school day, making mealtimes at preschool a positive and stress-free experience.
The talk of ‘back to school’ is nothing foreign or new, but there are certain niches that only apply to preschoolers and parents of preschoolers that are not as covered in the plethora of parent blogs and Facebook groups.
The talk of food and mealtime is a transition that can be difficult to navigate in preschool because of the designated snack and lunch times. It is essential that kids receive the proper nutrition to fuel their long days of learning. Meaning that there may be habits that must be broken before the school year so that the children have trouble-free return to school.
After speaking with the director at Jardin de Mariposas preschool, Melissa Graney, she has a couple of pointers to make this transition easier.
5 tips to make going back to school easier:
Schedule meal time: Once kids are back at preschool, they will be unable to eat whenever they feel hungry. By creating a structured mealtime at home, kids will learn to take full advantage of snacks and lunch once they get back to school. This will create a sense of security when they go to preschool because they will know the routine and expectations. The foundation of preschool is all about structure; practicing at home will simply make the overall preschool experience better.
Pack food the night before. Are mornings not your thing? Me neither. A great way to make mornings as efficient and smooth as possible is to actually pack lunches the night before. This can include packing all of the snacks and cutting up fruits and vegetables, and then you can actually do the main course in the morning. Not only is this more efficient, but it can also be a way for kids to have more responsibilities and independence. If you feel comfortable and with child-friendly knives, kids can peel/cut items and place them in containers.
Make a list of foods for children: Making a list of foods with your kids, or even taking them grocery shopping, is extremely beneficial, so kids know what is coming. At preschool, they will be learning and participating in new things every day. By having a lunch and snack that they chose, or that they are expecting, they will have something consistent and reliable to bring them comfort.
Buy new Tupperware and practice opening and closing: MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS KNOW HOW TO OPEN THEIR CONTAINERS! I personally have spent summers working at preschools, where I spent the entire lunch period running back and forth opening kid containers. Not only is it a hassle for the teachers, but doing something as simple as opening a thermos is actually a great step for kids to feel confident doing something by themselves. It's reassuring for the kiddos to know they can be independent.
Open up conversations about food. At a very young age, children learn what's right and what's wrong, what they can and can't do, but less about what they want and don't want. Food is a great way to start these conversations. By opening up this dialogue, not only can children practice expressing their wants and needs, but it also makes parents' lives easier to figure out what their children want to eat and how they can change. Is it the texture they don't like? Cook or cut the item in another way? Is it the flavor they don't like? Try pairing with sauces or seasoning in another way. It is crucial that the food children are eating at preschool be nutritious and appetizing so they have the energy for long days of learning.
These steps not only ease the adjustment period but also help children develop a sense of routine and independence that will benefit them throughout their preschool journey. Embracing these tips will make mealtime at school a positive experience, allowing children to focus on learning and enjoying their time with friends.
