Lunch Box Notes | Peace but Not Quiet

Kids are so funny. One of mine would die — just diiiiiiie — if I sent him to school with lunch box notes from his mom. But another one loves, loves, loves them. She saves every one. She saves every note from everyone, period. Notes from kindergarten teachers. Notes from friends. Notes from me. Notes (both sweet and otherwise) from her siblings. They’re her Love Language, and I’m not even exaggerating when I say a note in her lunch box can turn a terrible day into a great one for her.

So. If you have a note-loving kid (or even if you don’t…sometimes even when we’re embarrassing the heck out of our kids, it’s reaffirming how much we love ’em), here are a few tips for lunch box notes this year.

1.) WRITE A BUNCH AHEAD OF TIME

You don’t love your kids any less because your note-writing isn’t spontaneous. If anything, you love them enough to set aside time each Sunday night, or whenever works, to write out all your notes to them. And if you have a kid who thrives on this, it’s going to mean a lot to them that you didn’t forget a day.

2.) DON’T OVERTHINK IT

These don’t have to be long. You can write anything from a heartfelt note about how proud you are of them…to a cheesy joke…to a goofy drawing…to a simple, “Have a great day!” You’re not being graded on longevity here, just reminding your kids halfway through the day that someone’s thinking of them and rooting for them.

3.) ANYTHING CAN BE A NOTE

You can write it on the napkin they take with their lunch. Or a Post-It. We cut out parts of old greeting cards to re-use and we’ve even used a cardboard clothing tag shaped like a minion. You could of course use actual note cards. But you don’t have to.