Encouraging Independence with a Kid’s Pantry

Having a preschooler and kindergartener is great!  They are independent and willing to get what they want.  This is what struck me as I moved the chair from the counter back to the kitchen table for the hundredth time today.

I took a long, hard look at how the cupboards were arranged in our home–and they were found wanting.

When I was working and we were getting home late in the evenings, I was against snacks. In fact, put a hairnet on me and a plastic ladle in my hand and picture me saying “NO SNACKS FOR YOU!” I think you get the picture. Don’t get concerned. I know that the kids eat lunch at the 10:30 a.m. (why do they even call it lunch?). They had adequate snacks at aftercare and daycare. Regardless, by the time we got home at 6:30pm they would be foraging for and sneaking snacks while I hurriedly cooked dinner. Once dinner was ready and on the table…they had no appetite. So I did what any self respecting mom would do. I told them “No Snacks!” and I put them high up. Anytime they needed a snack or drink, I would have to reach into the high cupboard and get the snacks and their plates/bowls/cups for them.

Now that I pick them up from school when the bell rings, snacks aren’t such a big deal. I’m okay with the afternoon snacks, especially the healthy ones. In fact if I wasn’t moving the chair that was left at the counter when one needed to get a plastic cup from the dish rack, then I was reaching up to get a bowl–or a granola bar. They were calling my name a hundred times a day to get them stuff! My youngest just turned five. I think they are old enough to get themselves water from the cooler. As a matter of fact, they are old enough to follow the “don’t grab a snack without permission unless it is snack time” rule. So with a little decluttering and rearranging of the cupboards, I was able to shift some dry goods from a little pantry I bought at Target for about $35.00 to the cupboards above the counter.

I moved the kids’ dishes and snacks to the kid’s pantry, along with the items I normally pack with my son’s lunches. (I get a great deal on my son’s Horizon Organic 1 % Low Fat Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons (Pack of 18) in bulk through Amazon.  Yes–that is an affiliate link.  If you click it and order, I will receive a small percentage, though it will not cost you any more than going to Amazon directly from the browser.  (Seriously, $19.90 for 18 of the organic milk cartons is a big savings.)

Frankly, the little pantry is low and was a pain for me to bend over and rummage through.  However, it is the perfect size for them!  They love it.  My daughter helped me set it up and even put straws in each little cup because “it’s easier if the straw is already in it.”  (A Lil Miss Efficient in training is she!)

My kids love designated “kid zones.”  Their art supply ottoman is working out well for us so I am sure their little cabinet will too!  Do you have any kids organization/storage areas set up “just for kids?”

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