Several years ago one of my kids was having a really rough week at school. To perk her up, I added a little sticky note into her lunch box with a terribly drawn picture (I lack artistic talent) and a simple motivational note telling her how much I loved her and how special she is.
I did this for a few days until she was back to her carefree self. When I stopped adding notes she was not happy with me 😂. She told me how much she appreciated and enjoyed those notes. They were guaranteed to be a bright spot in her day.
Once my other kids got word of these notes, everyone demanded them 🤣
Why to write lunch box notes
My kids love it when I add notes into their school lunches. It's become our thing. Adding a note or joke into your kids lunch can be have a positive effect on your child's day. Let's be real school can be hard! For parents and for kids!
While your kids are at school, you are probably wondering if they are having fun? Are they eating the food you packed? What are they learning? Are they listening to their teachers? Are they making friends?
When your kid is at school you have ZERO control over what happens and how events make your kid feel.
But adding a little message into their lunch box was one thing I can control. I know my kids appreciate it. There are days that these notes make them laugh, and other days my child kid simply needs to know that they have someone in their corner, thinking of them from a distance.
One year, when cleaning out one of my girls backpacks at the end of the school year, I found every, single. note. that I had written. Clearly I had rocked at one tiny aspect of parenting!
What to write
When my kids were little I frequently drew a simple picture or emoji and placed it in their lunch boxes. If I wrote something when they were too young to read, I told them before we left for school what the note said. They didn't care that they knew what was written on the lunch box note. In all honesty, they often forgot about the note by lunch time, so it was still a surprise when they pulled it out!
Now that they are older, I send along a variety of notes, jokes or riddles that I know will put a smile on their face halfway through the day. I switch up what type of note I send. I used to research funny things to write, but wow was that a lot of work! Thankfully there are fantastic pre-made, tear off lunch box notes now available and my life is a little easier.
No matter what type of premade lunch box note I send, I always personalize it with a quick message on the back. It takes less that 30 seconds to write something.
But do you want to know a little secret? You don't need anything fancy to write a lunch box note! Half the time I simple add a simple post-it with “I Love You” written on it.
On the days I don’t write a note I usually get a complaint in the evening so I know they love these.
How often to send lunch box notes
This is up to you and that's the best part. You can send them daily, once a week or whenever your little one needs a pick me up! I write my notes in the morning so I can tailor the note's contents to what is going on with my child that day. I know plenty of people who sit down and write a stack of notes on the weekend so that they are ready to go for those chaotic school mornings.
No matter what you write or how often, I can guarantee you child will love a lunch box note from you!
