10 Best Lunch Boxes for Elementary School Students
These are the best lunch boxes whether your kid is eating at school or taking their lunch to camp.
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A lunch box is one of the pieces of school supplies your kid will use nearly every day, so it's important to make sure they're equipped with the right one for them. Whether their pick is based on their favorite color, hobby or lunching style, it can be tough to sort through all the options available. Plus, as a parent, you'll want something roomy enough for all their snacks and durable to keep sandwiches fluffy — no one wants a squished sammy. We sorted through the hundreds of options online and found the very best lunch boxes for elementary school students no matter what color they like or lunch they prefer. If you've got an older kid, we also found the best lunch boxes for teens.
How We Picked
We took into consideration a variety of factors when choosing the best lunch boxes for elementary schoolers.
- Size: It's important that each lunch box fit enough food to feed your child at both lunch and snack time. We gave bonus points to lunch boxes with compartments to keep snacks separate and looked for containers with sizable space for sandwiches.
- Insulation: Chances are your kiddo isn't keeping this lunch in a fridge, so insulation is key for making sure their food makes it from the morning rush to the lunch table without getting too warm. For kids who like dairy products like yogurt and cheese or cold cut sandwiches in their lunch boxes, we recommend one with a freezer pack to ensure the food stays at a safe temperature until it's lunchtime.
- Easy Open: Little hands means these lunch boxes need to be easy to open. We prefer boxes with grippable handles, so your big kid doesn't have to go to the teacher for help if they don't want to.
- Easy Clean-Up: This lunch box is sure to get messy in just a matter of days or weeks, so we opted for lunch boxes that are dishwasher-safe or soft ones that have a wipe-able interior.
These bento box-style lunch boxes are the best for picky eaters (and kids who don’t like their food to touch!) with multiple compartments to fill with a little bit of everything. The hard plastic is BPA free and easy to wipe down, plus the tray is dishwasher safe. It comes with a built-in ice pack to keep things cool when necessary.
For the most pattern options, check out the FlowFly lunch box line. This classic style comes in 30 colors and patterns and fits everything your kid needs for lunch including a hard-sided bento box, thermos and a piece of fruit. There's even an outside pocket for them to store their smartphone if they have one.
This lunchbox is unique in that it keeps food both hot and cold, so your kids can dig into last night’s spaghetti with a side of fresh fruit. The vacuum insulated Thermos (hot) container is removable making room if a sandwich is preferred. It’s easy to open and close — perfect for elementary school little hands.
For younger kids who might only have a half-day of school, this mini cooler bag from FlowFly comes in a ton of color options and is the ideal size for small lunch of sizable snack time. It comes with a side pouch for a thermos or water bottle and a front pocket for holding important items like a smartphone or special snacks.
If you’re looking for a stylish lunchbox, Pottery Barn has one of the best selections featuring everything from glow-in-the-dark options (a best-seller) to sparkle and glitter. But these aren’t all style and no substance. These lunchboxes come in multiple sizes and have plenty of room for food and drink.
No need to worry about accidentally thrown-out ice packs for this lunch box. The PackIt lunchbox is designed to be frozen, so it’ll keep lunch cool the next day. It folds down flat and can go in the freezer the night before. It’s easy to unzip and can even buckle on to your backpack. Kids will love all of the fun colors and patterns, too.
Sometimes a cool-looking lunch box will go a long way in getting kids to eat what’s in it! These Thermos lunchboxes can be trusted to keep food well-insulated, but the fun taco truck design will be a hit in the lunchroom. Everything is PVC free, too.
Free of BPA, PVC and phthalates, you can rest assured that your food is in good hands. Lots of bold colors and patterns make this lunchbox a favorite amongst the elementary school crowd. It’s durable and has plenty of room to store any kind of school lunch (plus an ice pack if you need it!)
This lunch box is made of the same material as L.L.Bean backpacks, so you know they are designed to last (and they’re free of the yucky stuff). The slim design makes it easier to slide into backpacks, but still contains plenty of space for all of the food. An exterior mesh pocket can easily hold an ice pack or cutlery.
This lunch box is durable but also has a little style, perfect for choosy older kids. The compartment is easy to wipe down (great for parents!). The waterproof front storage area comes in handy for any extras you need to pack.
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