Bento is a home-packed meal that is very common in Japan. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more cooked vegetables packed in a box-shaped container.

Bento boxes can be found anywhere in Japan such as a train station, department store, or even a gas station, but the best bento boxes are packed with love from home!

In this post, we show you how to make the foundation for your bento – the box!

This is an engaging project for children of all ages because there are 7 Japanese characters to choose from! Some of my Japan class students went on to make all of the additional characters just for fun.

The 7 printable templates are the Cherry Blossom Tree, Maneki-Neko, Daruma Doll, Kokeshi Doll, Panda, Koi Fish, and Sushi.

With each printable character template, we provide a small description of what each character means so that learning occurs simultaneously with fun!

Bento box templates to choose from:

KOI FISH

CHERRY BLOSSOM TREE

KOKESHI DOLL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN…

HOW TO MAKE THIS PROJECT MORE ENGAGING FOR KIDS:

– Before choosing a template to print, take the time with your kids to look at and read through each character description. By doing this, you are not only exposing them to Japanese culture, but you are providing them an opportunity to choose their character based on insight, rather than just how it looks.

– Go online or read a good book about bento box designs. Start with its history and then move on to viewing different bento food examples. There are SO many creative bento ideas out there and it is so entertaining to view them. If you see one idea and you know you have the ingredients on hand, by all means, make it right away!

Here is a great book to get you started: Little Bento: 32 Irresistible Bento Box Lunches for Kids by Michele Olivier. It will help you plan and prepare healthy – not to mention, adorable – lunches and snacks for your kids. It is chalk full of delicious recipes and ideas for creative presentation – a game-changer for picky eaters!

– Take a trip to the International Food aisle at your grocery store to find Asian food or snacks that you can fill your bento box with. Trader Joe’s has an incredible selection of Asian foods to choose from.

SUPPLY LIST:

– BENTO BOX CONTAINER(S) (This is the one I chose because I am trying to move away from plastic. These containers are beyond durable and are made with BPA-free borosilicate glass, which is much stronger than the tempered glass meal prep containers other brands sell. If you choose a different container, just make sure the lid is smooth and has the dimensions of at least 5 X 7 inches in order to accommodate our printable bento templates.)
– CRAFT FOAM
– HOT GLUE GUN
– CARDSTOCK (any color)
– SCISSORS
– PENCIL
– BENTO BOX TEMPLATES

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING YOUR BENTO BOX LID:

STEP 1: Open our printable Bento Box Templates here, read through each one with your child, then have your child choose his/her favorite.

Scroll through our templates below for a sneak peek!

Bento-Box-Templates-Our-Crafty-World

STEP 2: Print your favorite template on cardstock and then cut out each individual template piece.

Tip: Print in black and white to save color ink! 

STEP 3:  Now that you have your template pieces, flip them all upside down to prepare for tracing. By doing this, you will avoid pencil marks showing on your final design. You can even mark the front with an “x” to more easily tell the sides apart.

STEP 4: Trace and cut out each template piece on your desired color of foam.

STEP 5: Glue your foam pieces until your design is complete, then generously glue your design to the lid of your bento container. Make sure to glue all the way to the edges to lessen the chances of your design peeling off over time.

Note: These lids are not dishwasher safe due to the foam, so when it comes time to wash the lid, either run water on the underside of the lid and pat dry or simply wipe it clean with a damp rag. I have made these lids several times in the past and am shocked at how long the foam design withstands the test of time and wear!

Once your lid is complete, have fun filling the various compartments with food, arts and craft supplies, toys – you name it!

What bento box template appealed to your child and why? Leave a comment below!

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive a small affiliate commission. Regardless, we give our promise that we only recommend products or services we would use personally and believe will add values to our readers.