School-Canteen Tips & Survival Guide for Sensory-Sensitive Children

A young boy in a school canteen proudly displays the menu for the day, excited to choose his meal.

The Canteen challenge

Fluorescent lights, echoey queues, unpredictable smells—school canteens can overwhelm even adventurous eaters, let alone kids with ARFID or ASD. But with planning, they can order safely and build food confidence. Here are our top 3 school canteen tips!

Pillar	Strategy	Practical tool
Predictability	Send a laminated visual menu board with photos of 5 tolerated items. Child points, staff tick.	Download our editable Canva board (link).
Control of environment	Request a “quiet-pass” allowing student to order five minutes early, before peak noise.	Template letter to principal in resources.
Texture-safe choices	Focus on naturally crisp, low-mess items already on most Aussie menus:	1. Toasted cheese pocket, Sushi (no sauce), Corn chips + cheese tub, Plain muffin (seed-free), Apple slinky

Training the handover

1. Role-play at home – practise queueing, pointing to the board, paying with canteen tokens or prepaid card (no fiddly coins).

2. Gradual exposure – Week 1 parents order via Qkr! app, teacher collects. Week 2 child walks to the counter with EA. Week 3 independent pick-up.

Sensory-smart canteen kit

• Noise-reducing earmuffs (kept in classroom, sanitised daily).

• Crisp cooler bag – an empty container lined with paper towel so crunchy foods stay dry.

• Napkin barrier – for kids worried about greasy textures on fingers.

Collaborating with the canteen manager

Provide a one-page profile: allergies, sensory triggers, preferred textures, safe swap list (e.g. plain wrap instead of sauce-laden burger). Most schools appreciate clear guidance.

Linking the journey

Next step: Use our printable bento template (Post #8) to practise ordering those same foods at home, then transfer confidence to the canteen queue.

Take-home

The goal isn’t to force a flavour revolution overnight; it’s to remove sensory roadblocks so lunchtime equals nourishment and participation. With a visual menu, quiet pass and crisp-friendly picks, even the busiest canteen can feel manageable.

Need tailored guidance?

Balanced Nutrition’s paediatric dietitians can help! Book a consult today.