Parenting

20 School Lunch Notes We Are Definitely Going to Steal

ParentingPublished Feb 12, 2019
By Stacy Lenz
featured-img-of-post-217682xo.xo.mama/Instagram

School lunch notes are a fun way to brighten up a kiddo's school day! Any child who finds a personalized note in their lunchbox is sure to have a smile spread across their face. It's a great way to send a little bit of love mid-school day. We absolutely love this little gesture as a way to deliver a midday pep talk, silly joke, or even just a simple "Hi!" The only downside to these adorable exercises in bonding is the volume of notes we have to commit to. Even with being generous with snow days, half days, and in-service days, that's still about 160 notes to write each year. We only know so many puns. Is it possible to get lunch note writer's block? 

It's so many notes and we only have so much time! We can't just write notes for the first two semesters and then drop off? That's no way to teach follow-through! We are just one empty napkin away from letting down our lunchtime audience. Sure, we can send the little munchkin with lunch money to buy us some time, but once it hits Chicken Tetrazzini Wednesday, we know we're back to packing lunches, complete with adorable notes (TBD).

For inspiration, we turn to the Internet! There are so many clever parents out there Instagramming their daily lunch note masterpieces that we can source for inspo. From throwback cartoons to stickers to googly eyes, there are crutches we can rely on when it's 6 a.m. and we are alone with a Sharpie and a blank napkin and not a drop of creativity. With all the inventive lunch note ideas, we should have a notes surplus until our kiddo graduates from high school (or at least becomes a surly middle schooler who insists on buying a slice of pizza every day.)

1/21
A Little Help From Printed Napkins-placeholder
A Little Help From Printed Napkins
sashalyn/Instagram

A Little Help From Printed Napkins

These printed napkins are a great start to crafting an adorable lunch note. The quote leaves just enough space for a few sentences to let LO know he's loved. This note is a cute example of sending a daily affirmation as a lunch note.

2/21
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Here Comes the Pun
spatulacheckonetwo/Instagram

Here Comes the Pun

What's a lunch note without a pun? We don't want to know! Puns and silly jokes are always welcome on lunch notes, especially if paired with a drawing as good as this one.

3/21
Fun Facts-placeholder
Fun Facts
lunchlines_/Instagram

Fun Facts

Fun facts are always fun, heck, it's in the name. Lunch notes featuring fun facts are especially good for kids who love knowledge. They can even serve as conversation starters if there are fellow dino lovers in the class.

4/21
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Celebrate Every Holiday
heatherabsher/Instagram

Celebrate Every Holiday

Take a page from every social media manager's book and celebrate every silly holiday! Thanks to the Internet, there is everything from National Pizza Day to National Smile Day to National Outfit of the Day Day. Celebrating National Cupcake Day with a little note -- and obviously a cupcake -- is a festive way to celebrate with lunch notes!

5/21
Stickers!-placeholder
Stickers!
lunchbox_comix/Instagram

Stickers!

Kids are obsessed with stickers for a reason -- they're awesome! This lunch note is a perfect example of plunking down some stickers and letting them do the bulk of the work. This is a handy option for those of us who aren't as artistic.

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A Little Nudge
elizabethlgr/Instagram

A Little Nudge

Lunch notes are a way to show the kiddos a little love and also can be used as a subtle reminder to do chores. This note is a clever way to say hey and also say "Feed the cat" without straight out nagging. A cute drawing to soften the ask for chores is a great way to distract as well.

7/21
It's OK to Phone It In-placeholder
It's OK to Phone It In
xo.xo.mama/Instagram

It's OK to Phone It In

We feel this, hard. This note totally explains how we feel 90 percent of the time when we're writing these notes while packing a rushed lunch. Sometimes, honesty is the best policy.

8/21
A Little Throwback-placeholder
A Little Throwback
lunch_notez_from_dad/Instagram

A Little Throwback

Share that nostalgia! This example has a drawing from what we assume is the artist/Dad's favorite childhood cartoon. In the comments, he even details how he started watching the cartoon with his kids and this inspired the drawing.

9/21
When All Else Fails, Add Googly Eyes-placeholder
When All Else Fails, Add Googly Eyes
brdraper/Instagram

When All Else Fails, Add Googly Eyes

This example steps up its lunch note game by adding googly eyes. Googly eyes are like stickers but better! Sticking on these additions makes everything that much more fun.

10/21
An Old Standby-placeholder
An Old Standby
davestl/Instagram

An Old Standby

Let it go! There's always Elsa, or who ever the character of the moment is, to bring a smile to the lunchroom. Don't be afraid to rely on old favorites for lunch note inspo!

11/21
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Modern Art-Inspired Motivation
xo.xo.mama/Instagram

Modern Art-Inspired Motivation

We love this note because it's inspirational and modern-art inspired. Even for kids who wouldn't know Banksy from an actual Bank, it's still accompanied by a cute picture and inspirational message. It would inspire any kid!

12/21
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DIY Crossword
lunchbox_funnies/Instagram

DIY Crossword

A DIY crossword lunch note like this one is really going above and beyond. This one is extra sweet because the answers are family members. We love the creativity!

13/21
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Jokes on Jokes
dataink.io/Instagram

Jokes on Jokes

This lunch note includes a cool *Minecraft-*inspired character as well as a joke (and a colorful napkin). We absolutely love the way the joke is written upside down on the bottom. Another idea is to send the answers to the riddles in the next day's lunch.

14/21
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Today's Earworm
lola__bunny_bg/Instagram

Today's Earworm

We spend at least 40 minutes of each day with "Baby Shark" stuck in our heads. We might as well inflict it on our children, too. The idea would also work for snippets of songs the family actually likes, too!

15/21
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Acrostic Poem
lunchbox_funnies/Instagram

Acrostic Poem

Acrostic poems are normally written by kids, but we're turning the tables. It's mom's time to get in on the super easy poems. A quick acrostic poem is a sweet way to personalize a note and pepper it with compliments.

16/21
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Vocab Words
lunchnotesforevan/Instagram

Vocab Words

Might as well sneak in a little more learning while the kids are taking a break in the middle of their day full of learning! Simple illustrations paired with sight words or vocab words are a fun way to practice reading with the littles. The example uses bright color to make a traditional flash card a little more fun.

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Illustrated Puns
sarahabernard/Instagram

Illustrated Puns

Lunch notes rely heavily on puns and we're OK with that. This lunch note illustrates the pun in a way that would make Amelia Bedelia proud. It's sure to make any kiddo giggle.

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Bilingual Puns
lunchogram/Instagram

Bilingual Puns

Again with the puns, we know. This pun takes it up a notch by making it bilingual. The cute avocado gato is a clever twist on the idea of using vocab flash cards as lunch notes.

19/21
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Mood Check-In
shantimommie/Instagram

Mood Check-In

We love this note because it helps kids check in with their feelings. It's also a great ice breaker to get typically stoic children to open up about how they feel. We also encourage getting silly with the mood options to keep things interesting.

20/21
Countdown-placeholder
Countdown
ashers_lunch/Instagram

Countdown

What could be better than a countdown? This note is a cute example of a countdown, marking the days until winter break. The same idea could be used for a countdown to a vacation or until the end of the school year (and a three-month reprieve of writing lunch notes!)

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Pin It!-placeholder
Pin It!

Pin It!

Save these lunch note ideas to your Pinterest boards to brighten up a kiddo's school day!

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