At what age do they realise they need to eat all of their school dinner so as not to feel hungry later?

[Mouseketool]

DS 4.1 has just started reception and is coming out starving/stroppy. Yesterday he only ate his fishfingers - left his potatoes (I think having an 11am snack of milk & fruit doesn't help but not much I can do on that front)

Does there come an age when they become responsible for their own appetite and will eat everything as they know it's the last they'll get for a while?

If not, I'm tempted to switch to packed lunch (even though I really can't be arsed TBH) so at least I can give him less stuff rather than pay for hot food that he doesn't eat

I think it's more the yakking to friends rather than eating, and then wanting to rush out and play once they have had 2 mouthfuls, rather than whatever is provided to eat.
And they always come out of school starving and stroppy

My ds in yr 1, had sandwiches last year, school dinners this year. Still comes home starving. We have a snack on hand when he leaves the classroom

erm, all kids come out of school starving! Just make him a good dinner when he gets home.

and take a snack with you to school pick up.

Thanks all - trouble is the childminder picks him up 3 days a week therefore no snack. He wolfs an early tea at hers and then if I don't fill him right up before bed (and he's often too tired to eat well then), then we have hunger meltdowns in the morning - stressful

Is there an answer to my original question or do kids never really mature enough to eat stuff they don't particularly like if not hungry?

I would struggle to eat stuff I'm not keen on, even though I will be hungry later. I'm 35

Only exception was in hospital after having one of the children when I was so hungry I ate all the hospital food even though it was shite.

DD is in Y3 and still doesn't realise that the reason she is starving after school is that she has left most of her lunch. She still doesn't equate playing with her breakfast and messing around to being ravenous by morning playtime and now she is in KS2 she doesn't get morning fruit to tide her over.

My 8 yr old forgets to eat bits of his packed lunch that he likes sometimes because he wants to go out to play as quickly as possible. So the maturity cut off is definately later than 8!

If he is eating a reasonable tea at the childminders perhaps something like porridge rather than a proper meal might work better in the evenings?

I have two primary age kids and both are starving when they finish school despite a snack and a decent packed lunch.

I have a range of kids aged between 5 and 14 and they are without exception ALL starving after school. All have school lunches at two different schools. It is normal!

My ds apparently often has 3rds of his school lunch and he's still starving at home time. My dd only eats the veg and often leaves the meat and is rarely starving at home time. I think it depends on the child.

My DD eats lunch (well, she tells us she does), has a snack directly after school (milk and biscuit) and tea at 4.30pm at her childminder. When I pick her up she has a decent meal around 4pm.

Then at 6.15 - 6.30pm she eats a full dinner together with us.

I honestly don't see a problem. At that age they can be distracted, regardless if it is a packed lunch or school dinner. And they still need smaller meals and therefore more often than adults.

I'd send him in with a snack for later. Or ask the childminder to provide one.