Getting Your Kitchen Back to School Ready

Updated on: October 24, 2022

It's that time of year when the kids trade their play days for school days and family life gets a lot busier with lunches to make, homework to do, and activities to run off to. Getting your kitchen back to school ready will help make life a little easier!

Organizing Your Kitchen for Lunch and Snack Prep

Mornings are tough when school starts back with everyone rushing around in attempt to get out the door on time. If your kitchen is organized, it will make lunch prep so much easier in the morning and not let this be the reason you are running late. Dedicate a shelf in your pantry to snacks such as pretzels, nuts, snack bars, and crackers. Organize them in plastic bins, available in most major retailers, so you can see the items easily and grab what you need. Your plastic sandwich bags and food containers should be easily reachable as well.

In the refrigerator, place all your lunch related items together such as cheese sticks and yogurt. The night before, I would suggest pre-packing your child's fruit and vegetable lunch components so you can just grab them and place them in the lunchbox before leaving the house. Packing everything except the refrigerated items in the evening is a big timesaver. That way, the only thing you have to do is throw in the cold items with an ice pack and you're ready to go! Having your pantry and refrigerator organized will also make it easier for kids to find snacks when they come home from school.

The kitchen is the main hub of the home and it's almost always where your kids will unload their backpacks and do their homework. It's also nice to be right there so you can help them or keep them on track with all their assignments. You don't need a large area to use as a homework station in your kitchen. Your kitchen island or peninsula is a great place as long as it has room to spread out and access to outlets for chargers when a computer or tablet is required. It's also handy to have a letter holder nearby to serve as an "inbox" for permission slips and homework that isn't due the next day.

Organization and tidiness is key in getting your kitchen back to school ready. If you have the wall space, I would hang a chalkboard and calendar up. The chalkboard could be used to write snack "wish lists" for the next time you are at the store, or the weekly dinner menu, as well as a few words of encouragement for your kids for their school week. The calendar will help everyone know what's going on with the family over the next month.

To encourage healthy eating, keep a bowl of fresh fruit out so everyone is more tempted to grab a banana or apple over a bag of cookies in the pantry. So, now your kitchen is ready for school to start and hopefully so are you!!

Inspired to redesign your kitchen? Talk to a Cabinets.com kitchen designer today and get started with your design. For more information, visit www.cabinets.com/design.