9 creative (and not too complicated) sandwiches your kids will love

Who doesn't hate unpacking their children's lunchboxes after school – only to find they have barely touched the food in them? Trying to drill into my kids (well, my 7-year old, as my 4-year old couldn't care less, really) just how important eating their lunch is, only proves moderately effective in my books. My children can be extremely good at ignoring me when I harp on about something. The only way forward, I have discovered, is to beat them at their own game, and make their lunchboxes so tempting and fun that they will eat the contents. Sandwiches are a classic, fool-proof lunchbox food, but can become a little boring with time, so the trick if to keep changing things up. So if you are in my boat (and sick of chucking barely touched food in the bin every afternoon), here are nine variations of lunchbox sandwiches your kids will love:

1. Monster Sandwiches Now, we dare any little monsters NOT to scoff these spooky sambos up straight away! And the best bit? They are SO easy to make. Put butter on your toast, add ham and cheese (trim the edges to make the cheese more monster-like) and stick on some olive eyes. Done! Image via Chocolateandcarrots.com

2. Sandwich Kebabs Kids love it when you make the same old boring sandwiches, with a new presentation!  Skewering your sandwich ingredients is fast, fun, and – for kids who normally don’t eat tomatoes on their sandwiches, they just might when it’s on a stick! All you need is bread, butter, cheese (cut with a cookie cutter), lettuce, tomato, turkey, more cheese and another piece of buttered bread. Image via Superhealthykids.com

3. Birdhouse Sandwich We bet your kiddos would love to tuck into this cuter-than-cute birdhouse on their lunch-break, no? All you need is bread, butter, pretzel sticks, silicone cupcakes molds and whatever little sides you have to fill them with. TOP-TIP: Silicone cups like these are PERFECT for adding into lunchboxes, and will keep little bits like nuts, berries or treats neatly in their place. Image via Cookiecutterlunch.blogspot.com

4. Snowman Sandwich (with treats on the side) Ever since Olaf burst on the scene, my kids are obsessed with snowmen (I also blame their DNA a little, being half-Norwegian). Which is why this snowman sandwich is bound to go down a (snow)storm with both of them. To make it, put butter on some toast and use a round cookie cutter to make perfect circles. Decorate with raisins and a carrot nose, and serve with a combination of healthy and not-so-healthy side treats. (Marshmallows aren't that bad, surely?!) Image via Lisastorms.typepad.com 5. Under-The-Sea Sandwich The most effective way to get your littles to eat their sandwiches at lunchtime, is to tailor their lunchboxes to their interest and favorite foods. If your little boy, like mine, is obsessed with boats and all things water, how about packing an under-the-water themed lunchbox to make him smile (and eat!). Use cookie cutters to shape your b sandwich, and get creative with sides. These cucumber starfish are a nice touch, as is the mandarin sailboat. O'hoy! Image via 5dollardinners.com

6. Ham and Cheese Pinwheels Tortillas Ingredients they know and love – presented in a new way. Sometimes that's all it takes. Use a large tortilla, spread with butter, add ham and cheese, and roll. Cut into nicely sized bits and pack into their lunchboxes. Easy, tasty and more interesting than your regular ham and cheese sambo, what's not to love? Image via Centercutcook.com

7. Rocket Ship Sambo Aim for the stars with this high-flying lunch. Simply make a rocket sandwich (add a spread, cheese, ham even too if your kids are into it), place it on a bed of spinach leaves (here's hoping they'll eat those too!) and add in some fun and tasty sides. Bet your little astronauts will love this one! Image via Eatsamazing.co.uk 8. Harry Potter's Hat Lunch Now, reserve this one for mornings when you have a little more time on your hands. But we promise you, this lunchbox will go down A TREAT. Use brown bread with ham and cheese sandwich hat, then a tortilla for the pointy bit, as well as the end of your broomstick. A Babybel cheese makes the perfect owl and go mega-creative with your sides. Image via Eatsamazing.co.uk

9. Angry Bird Bagels Easy, peasy and terribly tempting. Use cream cheese or butter under your salami to get it to stick to the bagel, then decorate with slivers of cheese, and some black olives to make faces. Put some greenery in so that the birds can rest on the grass. (I am a firm believer that seeing a bunch of green bits day in and day out will make my kids fear it less and less, and will eventually dare to try a bite. It's still an ongoing project.) Image via TheBerry.com