Back to School Prep Station

A kids back to school prep station is a MUST for getting ready in the mornings! This is where lunches are packed, breakfast is made, and everything stays organized!

Also check out my other back to school posts here:

• Back to School Essentials
• Back to School Tips
• DIY Backpack Tags
• First Day of School Printable’s
• Back to School Checklist

This post is sponsored by Viva® Towels. All ideas and opinions are our own, always.

It’s finally time for our kids to go back to school which is always a bittersweet moment but this school prep station helps A TON. While I know we all thrive with more structure, I’ll miss those lazy summer days and laid-back attitude that summer brings.

When school starts, we like to go through and completely purge and organize our pantry. Our kids prep breakfast and pack lunches in this space, so I’ll show you our system that helps us to ensure they aren’t packing a million sugary snacks.

Plan & Prep

First, we purge and toss everything that is expired. Then, I wipe out cabinets and drawers to get rid of any crumbs or dust so we can begin the school year with a fresh space. We use Viva® Multi-Surface Cloth™ for the entire job. They clean like cloth and easily trap and lock mess on many surfaces. 

They are strong enough to tackle everything in here from wiping down the countertops, small appliances and any breakfast messes that inevitably happen in here.

Easy Tip

Use a vacuum with a hose attachment to clean crumbs and dust out of hard to reach areas of your pantry and cabinets. Follow up with a gentle cleaner and paper towels.

Lunch Packing Station

For packing lunches, we have a printed list of what they need to have in their lunchbox. I keep lunch boxes, lunch sacks, sandwich and snack bags, a marker, and Viva® Multi-Surface Cloth™ in this space so they truly have everything they need to pack a balanced meal without running all over the kitchen (and dragging the messes out!).

I try to have this step done the night before school but sometimes we do it in the mornings when kiddos decide they want a lunch from home instead of cafeteria food. 🙂

Breakfast Station

Mornings can be super hectic with little ones. Especially 5 little boys! For our kids’ breakfast station, we have a list of breakfast ideas to avoid the “there’s nothing to eat” conversation. We include a printed list (you can download that here) and everything they need for breakfast, including a microwave and toaster. We encourage them to make their own meals whenever possible and to clean up after themselves, so we have paper towels handy for them in the pantry while they make their meals.

Overflow storage

In our bottom cabinets, we keep the overflow items that go in bins and containers so restocking is a breeze. I prefer the look of the clear containers (as opposed to cereal boxes and snack packaging) and I love that I can see when items are low and need refilled. Having storage for overflow has been super helpful and allows me to stock up on things we use and go through most often.

Huge thanks to Viva Towels for sponsoring this post. We seriously LOVE them and as always, only recommend products we love and use often. These are our absolute favorite paper towels and we’ve converted both of our families to be Viva Towels fans for life! Right, Mom?

Head over to VivaTowels.com to check out their coupons! Our favorite place to get them is on Amazon! You can order your paper towels here.