August 26, 2022
How to set up your kitchen for kids, for all the activities that happen there. Get 5 easy solutions and eliminate frustration.
HOW TO SET UP YOUR KITCHEN FOR KIDS
How do you transition smoothly between homework, meals, and arts & crafts? Your kitchen table is the hub of it all, and you can’t keep it all organized.
There’s syrup on the homework, no pencils to be found, multiple trips during meals to get spoons, napkins, and straws. There’s glitter glue on your tablecloth, and scissor cuts on your placemats.
Even worse, when you see all this you have a little inner reaction.
A frustration that says “I can’t do it all.”
That phrase is always ready for a grand entrance, right?
Today, we will put down the frustration, and pick up a fix.
One thing that can always help you is to eliminate patterns of frustration.
If you have something annoying you every day, take a minute to see what you can do about it.
That’s exactly what happened to me: I needed to know how to set up my kitchen for kids.
Like most other projects, it meant I had to think about the needs, and find a way to get them met.
You’re doing it too. At warp speed, you’re working, cleaning, coaching, homeworking, cooking, and filling in every gap in the lives of your family.
I know. So do moms everywhere. Sometimes we just need a minute to think and rest and solve problems.
5 Easy Fixes for a Kid-Friendly Kitchen
Making things easier isn’t always easy.
Good news: Today, it is.
These fixes put the things you need at your fingertips. They keep your activities separate, and your kitchen table clean.
And there’s absolutely no magic involved.
Kitchen with Kids: THE PROBLEMS
First problem: Paint/glue on your placemats.
Makes for yucky eating, right?
Second problem: Sticky food on homework papers and supplies.
Gross, right? Putting important papers down in a puddle of jelly.
Third problem: Scrambling for straws.
Opening the package, trying to get just one, spilling the rest. Uugh.
Fourth problem: Searching for forks and spoons.
Kid utensils have a way of getting lost in a drawer, don’t they?
Fifth problem: Scrambling for pencils and erasers.
Even if you find them, the pencils aren’t sharpened, or erasers are missing.
Those are the 5 Kitchen Table Struggles We Can Resolve Today
It’s the start of a new school year, and you’re already struggling. How do you get that kitchen table from one activity to the next?
It’s just not working.
Welcome to motherhood.
You didn’t realize how life would *actually* function, did you?
Remember Table Settings?
Yeah, remember when you registered for your “bride” gifts (🤗) , and imagined that beautiful table, set daily to perfection? Pretty dishes, candles, flowers, cloth napkins.
Changing the place settings with the seasons, and using your best dishes? Dreamy. Just like at the store. Just like on Pinterest.
Just like not.
Those days are over, aren’t they, Mama? That kitchen table has seen some things we really don’t want the world to know about.
It’s just not our season to have a composed table.
Which isn’t a tragedy. It’s an opportunity.
Let’s embrace that truth, and stop regretting it.
You know what’s real?
When those little feet are under your kitchen table, it’s your time to love them in a safe space (🥰 ) .
Today is about making that space work for you, so that the time spent at your table is full of love, peace, and comfort.
What’s the reality of your kitchen table?
- Composed and picture-worthy?
- Or ready for your family?
FIVE EASY FIXES FOR YOUR KID-FRIENDLY KITCHEN
1-2. First, super easy: Have separate “eating” placemats and “art” placemats.
- Have the “eating” placemats on the table , wiping them clean after each use. Including underneath. Because… you know.
- Keep the “art” placemats nearby.
When it’s time for an art project (or homework), just lay the “eating” placemat aside and put down the “art” placemat. Soon it will have marker residue, dried paint smears, and maybe scissor marks. But after the homework or art, you simply put it away until it’s needed again.
Papers and jelly, finally separated.
3. Store those kid utensils right on the table. Just like napkins.
Grab a container and stand all those little forks and spoons in it. Next to your napkin holder. How perfect — they are right where you need them.
4. Use a straw dispenser.
That’s right, just like at Johnny Rockets. Pull up the top, and the straws helpfully lean out to be grabbed as singles. The rest stay right where they belong. Clean, neat, efficient.
5. Create a homework basket.
This is a huge help and frustration eliminator. Gather all your pencils and erasers. Get yourself an electric pencil sharpener. Place the (plugged-in) sharpener, the pencils, and the erasers in the basket.
No delays starting homework because you’re looking for a pencil with a point. Kids actually enjoy solving this pointless problem themselves. (Whrrrrr.)
Let me show you a quick peek at how this looks in my kitchen, then I”ll give you some products to get this project completed.
Mom, You know this, but I’m gonna say it anyway.
See if I’m right:
If you spend $1000 (that you don’t really have) on new gear for one child, take them to practice after school, and stay up until midnight working on the pumpkin project, he will still have the same question:
Would you kiss my forehead before bed like you did for my brother?
Hard to remember they just want that direct expression of love, isn’t it?
We forget it every single day, but God gave us everything our children want from us: He gave us eyes, hands, arms, hearts, lips — all to deliver moments of love.
What we’re doing here is clearing the way for moments of love to happen.
Clearing the way.
By seeing to the ordinary needs, and having the time and patience at the end of the day to kiss a forehead before bed.
With that important thing said, I’m gonna insist on something.
Because you are tired and discouraged so many times.
I’m going to insist that you accept the honor you deserve.
That you view motherhood as the noble and treasured gift that it is.
I want you to take seriously the unique vantage point you have, to create a home where tasks are pleasant and love is present.
When you see the repeated frustrations with a certain activity, a certain area, or a certain person, remember that you’re the person who will see the pattern and make things better.
(And after you’ve done all that, kiss a forehead.)
I love you, and I know how hard it is. We all do.
How to Set Up Your Kitchen For Kids
Setting up your kitchen for kids is like everything else.
You gotta have:
Purpose, plan, problem-solving, products, and patience.
And speaking of products, here they are —
Everything I talked about today, to show you how easy it will be to get some organization at your kitchen table.
Right now, think about your kitchen table.
You have the power and the ability to arrange it so that the memories made there will be treasured for a lifetime.
Make the area efficient, and watch people enjoy themselves.
Every organization project here is shared to make life easier and help you create spaces and routines that work for your family.
Come here anytime, for a nudge toward embracing the life you have, and a little encouragement to enjoy the people who put their feet under your table.
You want more recognition for your busy-mom schedule? Check out Mom Has No Time and get a smile.
Here’s all you need to do:
Tackle one problem spot today, and take that first step toward making life easier for your family.
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-Grammye
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Lol I thought this post would be aimed at me, since I’m the equivalent of a child when in the kitchen. My skills are still very basic, and I’m aiming to improve them every day. Thankfully, I haven’t had to do homework for a while now, so I can skip a lot of the stationery 😛
Anyway, thanks for this post!
Haha. You usually sound like a healthy eater. So I’m guessing there’s no jelly on your homework.