Lunch Box Notes

Do you have anyone in your family or friend circle heading to school this year? Our oldest is going to kindergarten and I’m having so many feelings about this transition.

She needs to get out of the house, and I know she will LOVE school, but I’m going to miss her. Some days she drives me absolutely bananas, but she is kind and helpful with her younger sisters. I love the person she is becoming and genuinely enjoy spending time with her. It’s a big deal to have her out of the house 5 full days this year after I’ve spent so much time with her the last few years.

She’s feeling “very excited and a little nervous”, especially about being gone all day and eating lunch at school. A hot topic of conversation in our house right now is hot lunch vs cold lunch. She wants to bring soup and warm pasta the first day (in August) and keeps calling it “hot lunch”. Clearly, I’m not explaining it correctly, but her menu planning cracks me up.

I used to leave for work while all of the kids were still sleeping, so I would write messages on a dry erase board for them to find before breakfast. That was a fun way to connect from a distance during the day. I found it to be a meaningful ritual for myself and the kids loved it! I thought lunch box notes would be a good way to carry that connection forward into this next phase of life.

Here’s what you need

I do this activity solo, so instead of action shots of this activity you get to see how big Brinley is all of a sudden.

• Paper

• Scissors

• Pen

Set up

2 minutes

1. Cut paper and write messages or draw pictures. I like to batch create these to make it more likely that I stay consistent with this during the year.

2. Put the notes in a spot where your child, spouse, or friend will find them during the day.

Clean up

1 minute

1. Find a spot to stash your pre-made lunch box notes.

2. Remember where that spot is. I somehow always put things in a safe spot, but then forget where that spot is.

I know you really don’t need directions for this post, but thanks for humoring me.

These would be a perfect idea for kids of all ages. You can slip them into a lunch box, onto the seat or taped to the steering wheel of a teen that drives, or even under a cup or on the mirror for a child that is homeschooled. They provide the perfect way to let the students in your life know you are thinking of them.

My 5-year-old can only read a few words, so I use colors, shapes, and acronyms she is familiar with on my love notes. My favorite examples of this are “UAS” and “ILU”. My grandfather, Gpa, always used to write these acronyms in letters and say them in person. “UAS” means “you are special” and “ILU” means “I love you”.

I know it seems so simple, but it always felt special when I was told those words and it feels very special to have now carried that message forward to my daughter. Even though she can’t read, I know Brinley will feel loved every time she sees one of these notes.

If you are like me and sometimes want something pre-made, I have a pack of 24 unique Lunch Box Notes with encouraging messages and fun colors available in the shop store. These notes are yours, so you can print them off as many times as you want throughout the year! I plan to use them as a way to foster intentional connection with Brinley, even when I won’t spend as much time with her.

To say thank you for your support on this site, I made a different set of Lunch Box Notes available as a free digital download when you sign up for the Filling Our Days newsletter. These notes have some open-ended messages, so you can make them special and specific to the person you are giving them to.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE LUNCH BOX NOTES

Lunch Box Notes Free Download

If you are sending someone to school soon and are feeling nervous, excited, happy, eager, worried, or all of the above, know that I see you and can relate. I hope these Lunch Box Notes give you a way to share your love and maybe give someone a highlight in their day.

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