Organizing a Kid Friendly Kitchen

One of the ways our kids help out around the house is by emptying the dishwasher. To make it possible for the children to safely put dishes away, we store all non-breakable dishes where the children can reach. Not only can the kids help with putting clean dishes away, but they're also able to help themselves. They're able to get bowls out for breakfast, pick out plates and silverware for lunch, and even get themselves a drink!

To make our kitchen kid-friendly, we store plastic plates, bowls, cups, and place mats inside an under-counter cabinet. Everything is in stacks and easy to get to.

We also have a drawer for sippy cups and bowls with lids.

When it's time to empty out the dishwasher, I open the dishwasher up and start removing anything breakable as well as anything sharp. Sometimes my 5 year old will help with the breakable items by stacking them onto the counter for me to put away. My 2 and 3 year olds help out by taking the plastic plates, bowls, cups, baby items and putting them into stacks inside the cabinet. They also help with the silverware and measuring cups.

If you're interested in re-organizing your kitchen so that your children can help more, you might also consider storing all your breakable dishes in kid-reachable places. This makes it easy for children to help with everything in the dishwasher as well as being able to help set the table. However, I don't recommend trying that if you have a child under 2 years old as you may end up with dishes pulled out onto the floor and breaking.

What ways have you organized your kitchen to make it more kid-friendly?

Ways Young Children Can Help Around the House

Trying to keep a clean house with 4 young children can be discouraging. For example, I go around and pick up everything in the entire house only to find toys EVERYWHERE less than 5 minutes later! Dog prints cover the wood floor within hours of me scrubbing the floor by hand, little pieces of paper from scissor fun confetti the carpet, and hand/paw prints are smeared all over the glass door I just washed.

Recently I decided it was time to get the kids involved with responsibilities around the house. They also have the opportunity to earn money for their work. The kids enjoy saving money up for things that they'd like to buy or do (such as buying a toy from a catalog or using money to spend at a fair). Not only are they learning to be responsible, they're also learning how to save and use money wisely. Plus, it's a big help to me when everyone does their part around the house.

Here are some of the chores my children help out with:

2 & 3 year olds:
*Taking their dishes to the counter after a meal
*Helping clear the table of condiments
*Emptying the non-breakable items out of the dishwasher
*Washing tables
*Cleaning up their toys
*Switching laundry (My 2 year old LOVES helping with this- I pull the clothes out of the washer and she throws them in the dryer)
*Putting their clean clothes away
*Sorting and stacking clean diapers

4-6 year olds:
*Washing the kitchen table
*Dusting
*Cleaning bathroom counters with vinegar (and mirrors with Daddy's help)
*Putting away their clean clothes
*Taking out extra trash (empty cereal boxes, egg cartons, empty milk jugs, ect.)
*Carrying their plates to the sink
*Rinsing off dirty dishes
*Feeding and watering the Puppy
*Making their beds (simply pulling up their quilts over their beds)
*Vacuuming (my 6 year old is just starting to learn this one, so he just helps a little with it)
*House Sweep- Before bedtime going through the house and picking up any left out toys

My 2 year old loves to empty the dishwasher.

Her sister or I help with getting the silverware in the right spots.

A very happy smile after helping Mommy

The chores the kids do are just a small portion of what's involved in keeping a house organized. Even still, every little bit helps.

How about you? What ways do your young children enjoy helping out around the house?