Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Packed Lunch Planner: Free Printable Planner for Year 3
- ForYear 3
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Packed Lunch Planner is a free printable planner for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8). Children plan a week of lunches by filling in a table with a day, a main, fruit or veg, a snack and a drink. It takes about 15 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help, a stretch idea and answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children fill in a planning table for a week of packed lunches. For each day they choose a main, a fruit or veg, a snack and a drink and write their choices in the boxes. There is no single right plan. The task is to think about what goes into a lunch box, make choices and write them down clearly, ideally with a grown up before the school week begins.
- Day
- Main
- Fruit or veg
- Snack
- Drink
Planning a lunch box together
Start with the main
Talk about what a main is. Ask your child what keeps them going through the afternoon and which mains would travel well in a lunch box.
Add fruit or veg
Look at the fruit or veg column. Ask which ones are easy to eat at school and which ones your child likes to eat.
Choose a snack and a drink
Discuss a snack that is small and easy to pack. Then choose a drink that suits a school day.
Look at the whole week
Read the finished table from top to bottom. Ask whether any days look the same and whether your child wants to change one.
Why plan a packed lunch?
A packed lunch is eaten away from home, often a few hours after it was made. That means it needs thought. Children have to decide what will taste good later, what fits in a box and what they will actually want to eat. Planning ahead turns that into a calm task rather than a rushed one on a school morning.
Planning is also a real Design and Technology skill. Children think about who the lunch is for, choose from a range of options and write down a clear plan. Because the lunch is their own, they have a reason to care. Children are often more willing to eat food they helped to choose.
Check your school's food rules before packing a lunch, as some schools ask families to avoid certain foods because of allergies. Adults do any cutting, heating or other kitchen work when the plan is turned into real lunches.
Lunch box facts
- Eating a mix of different foods helps the body get what it needs.
- Water is a good drink to have during a school day.
- Foods like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes are starchy foods that give the body energy.
- Packed lunches are best kept cool, and an ice pack in the bag helps.
- Some schools ask families not to send certain foods, such as nuts, because some children have serious allergies.
Skills and curriculum link
- Planning ahead
- Making choices
- Healthy choices
- Writing in a table
- Explaining reasons
Ideas to help you talk about lunches
- VarietyEating different foods across the week keeps lunches interesting and helps children try new things.
- BalanceA good lunch box has more than one kind of food in it. Ask your child what kinds they can see in their plan.
- Keeping food freshFood that is packed in the morning needs to stay good until lunchtime. Talk about how a lunch box can be kept cool.
- Personal choiceChildren have likes and dislikes. A plan they chose themselves is more likely to be eaten.
Key words
- PlanDecide what you will do before you do it.
- MainThe biggest part of the lunch.
- BalancedMade up of a good mix of different foods.
- SnackA small bit of food eaten between meals.
- ChoicePicking one thing from several different options.
- Shopping listA list of things you need to buy.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Use a pencil and fill in the planner with your child before the school week. It takes about 15 minutes.
- Work through the table together the first time. Talk about each choice and ask why they picked it.
- Check against the notes on page 2 and the answers.
- Come back to it another day and plan a new week. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Offer three choices for each column and let your child pick one. For example, give three possible snacks, then move on to the drinks. Fill in one day together first, so your child can see how the table works before trying the next.
To stretch confident children
Turn the finished plan into a shopping list for the week. Ask your child to read down each column and write every item needed. They can group the list by type of food and check what is already at home.
Make it a game
Swap plans with a friend or family member. Each person reads the other's plan and picks one new idea they would like to try. Then swap back and talk about which idea you chose and why.
Talk about it
- Which day of your plan are you most looking forward to, and why?
- What makes a lunch easy to eat at school?
- Which foods in your plan will still taste good at lunchtime?
- Is there anything in your plan you have never tried before?
- How could you change a day to make it more interesting?
- What would you tell a friend who is stuck planning their lunch?
Take it off the page
Design a lunch box
Draw a lunch box on paper and sketch the food inside it. Label each part with the name of the food.
Lunch box menu
Make a small menu card for a lunch box. Give each day a name and write the choices neatly.
Shopping trip game
Look at a supermarket leaflet or visit a shop with a grown up. Find the items from your plan and say where each one is kept.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first go and let them lead. Ask about each choice and why they made it. It takes about 15 minutes. Then use the plan when you pack lunches during the week.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. It fits a lesson on food and healthy eating, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider Design and Technology or food topic. Pair it with a trip to the shops, a recipe book or a cooking session led by an adult. Reprint it for brothers and sisters or to plan a new week.
Where this fits in learning
Before this sheet, children will have talked about foods they like and begun to notice that different foods do different jobs. They will also have practised making simple choices and writing short lists or labels.
After it, children can move on to more detailed Design and Technology work. At Key Stage 2 this includes the cooking and nutrition strand, which covers healthy and varied diets and preparing dishes. The habits of planning, choosing and reviewing also carry into designing and making.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Packed Lunch Planner for?
It is written for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8), in Key Stage 2. Children in this age group can read the column headings, make their own choices and write them into a table, ideally with a grown up beside them the first time.
- What will children practise?
Children practise planning a balanced lunch box and making choices. They also practise writing in a table and giving reasons for their decisions. It is a simple Design and Technology activity linked to healthy eating.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. Use a pencil and fill it in with a grown up before the school week. It takes about 15 minutes. Keep page 2 for the notes and answers.
- What if it feels too hard?
Offer three choices for each column and let your child pick one. Fill in one day together first so they can see how the table works. Then let them try the next day with less help.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or to plan another week of lunches at a later date.
- How long does it take?
It takes about 15 minutes. Children who like talking through each choice may take a little longer, which is fine. Come back to the sheet on another day to plan a new week.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add colour with pencils if they want to, but the activity works without it.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.