Fruits and vegetables are an important, healthy and easy to prepare addition you should include in your child's lunchbox every day. The Georgia Department of Community Health website explains that children don't always need to eat fresh produce to receive beneficial nutrients, fiber and taste. Frozen or dried fruits, canned fruit in natural juices and 100 percent juices are good substitutes, but try to buy fresh, seasonal produce.
Food for the Brain suggests you invite your child to participate when you go shopping. Encourage children to choose a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables that match the colors of the rainbow.
Apples
Whole apples do well in children's lunchboxes where they get jostled around before lunchtime. One way to entice children to eat fruit is to pack a cup of unsweetened or vanilla yogurt for them to dip apple slices into.
Berries
Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are a popular finger food with many children. Try to buy and serve berries that are in season, or look for frozen, unsweetened berries to add to a homemade fruit cup or to mix with plain yogurt.
Bananas
Bananas can be sent to school either whole, on sandwiches or in fruit salads. Squirt a little lemon juice on cut up or sliced bananas to keep them from becoming brown.
Melon
Cut melon into slices or cubes, or have your child use a melon baller to scoop up round balls of honeydew, cantaloupe or watermelon. Mix fresh melon with blueberries and shredded coconut to create colorful, quick and easy-to-prepare fruit salad to bring to school in a lunchbox.
Mandarins
Most children love Satsuma mandarins in their lunchboxes because they are seedless and easy to peel. On the Aggie Horticulture's Texas Citrus and Subtropical Fruits website, Texas A&M University professor Julian W. Sauls says delicious satsumas are available from October through December.
Carrots and Celery
Children enjoy dipping carrot and celery sticks into hummus or a low-fat ranch dressing. You can also add shredded carrots to your child's lunchbox sandwiches or spread peanut butter or almond butter on stalks of celery for a protein-rich vegetable snack.
Bell Peppers
Cutting vegetables such as bell peppers into different shapes may make eating fruits and vegetables more fun for young children, according to the Massachusetts Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Council.
Include children in the preparation of school lunchboxes by asking them to fill a container with a colorful mixture of red, green and yellow bell pepper strips or chunks. Send along some hummus, a protein and fiber-rich dip you can either purchase or make at home with garbanzo beans as the main ingredient.
Broccoli
The vitamins, fiber, minerals and antioxidants in broccoli provide essential nutrients and may help boost your child's immunity. Children may prefer broccoli if it is blanched; to blanch broccoli, boil or steam for a few minutes and then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. When you put it in your child's lunchbox, the broccoli will stay green and fresh-tasting until she is ready to eat it.
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