Getting Your Home Summer Break Ready - Part 3: An Organized Pantry

"I'm hungry", said every kid home on a summer day, or the weekend, basically anytime they're home, they're hungry! With summer break approaching, your pantry is about to become one of the most visited spots in the house, so a well-organized pantry can be the unsung hero of your summer routine.

An intentional setup isn’t just about pretty baskets and clear containers (though we love those too!). It’s about creating a system that works for your family. When kids can clearly see and access mom-approved snacks and lunch items, they start building self-help skills and a sense of independence. When your shelves aren’t overloaded and disorganized, it’s easier to spot what you have—so you use up what’s already there, reduce food waste, and shop with intention. And when everything has a home, even little ones can help with restocking after a grocery run or simply put back the cereal they changed their mind about.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to zone your pantry based on your family’s habits (and the habits you want to encourage), share a simple process to get it organized, and recommend products that can help you create a sustainable, beautiful system that lasts well beyond summer.

THE PROCESS

Our tried and true process for creating effective, sustainable systems remains largely the same no matter what space of the home you're working in. Below we'll provide an overview of the steps along with some pantry and summer break specific tips. For more detail on the process and organizing products needed in a pantry, we've written Beautiful & Maintainable DIY Pantry Organization in 5 Steps and The 6 Organizing Products Needed for Every Type of Pantry

Step One: Sort + Edit

If you've been following along on the summer break ready series you know, you've got to start by taking it all out. This allows you to get a better idea of what and how much you've been storing in your pantry (which can be motivation in itself to no longer buy/store so much) and discover expired or stale items that need to go (check expiration dates as you go).

Group like items together and take note of what feels like too much, what foods and categories you want to encourage throughout the summer, and what doesn't necessarily need to live in the pantry anymore. For example, I removed all the baking items from my pantry and created a baking cabinet in my kitchen to free up space for a larger snack zone in my pantry. It was a win-win, because those baking items are actually more convenient to access now, near my island counter and oven!

Step Two: Plan

Think about where you want categories to live shelf by shelf, drawer by drawer. Should breakfast and snacks be low for kids to reach, and sweets up high so they need to ask permission? Do you have a combination of storage styles in your pantry like shelves and drawers? Categories like snacks typically make sense in drawers and items like meal prep, condiments and canned goods on shelves.

Before you start putting everything back into the pantry, wipe down and vacuum your space, then take measurements of your shelves and drawers. You'll want to measure them all, as we find that shelves on one side of the pantry may be 12" deep, while the other side has 16" deep shelves.

 Common zones when organizing your pantry include:

1. Breakfast

2. Snacks (single-serve and shareable)

3. Lunch Prep + Packing

4. Condiments

5. Meal Prep (boxed sides/dinners, rice, grains, pasta)

6. Canned Goods

7. Wellness

8. Baking

9. Sweets

10. Specialty (dietary focus, age specific, etc)

11. Appliances

12. Eat First (good for one-offs and opened bags you want to use up before opening something new)

13. Backstock (overflow, unopened items)

Step Three: Shop

With your zones mapped out and dimensions in hand, look at each category of items and determine if organizing products are needed to help contain and create a sustainable system for your family. There are generally only 6 types of organizing products used in a pantry: bins, canisters, turntables, risers, drawer dividers and labels. This makes it easy to look at a zone and ask yourself which organizing products are the best fit!

However, there are many different options and considerations (size, style, material, functionality, price, etc) for which bin or canister you select. For summer break and kid focused spaces you'll want to consider breakability (opting for plastic instead of glass in some areas), portability (is there a category where it makes sense to group and be able to bring out a whole bin) and sustainability (will your family stick with neatly decanting snack bars in an acylic bin, or would a woven bin be better).

Make a list, buy more than you'll need, and give yourself options if you're not sure how something will fit. It's easier to shop and return once, than multiple trips back and forth to the stores. Keep in mind you can also utilize storage products you already have at home. Just make sure they meet your accessibility, sustainability and aesthetic goals.

Step Four: Organize

With all your organizing products in hand, go section by section in your pantry to ensure both the products and your food will fit as planned. Make adjustments as needed by either swapping the placement of a zone in your pantry, or trying a different size product to contain it. It's a bit of trial and error work to get it right, so don't feel like you've completely messed up if things don't go according to plan, spoiler alert: even we make adjustments on the fly!

Once you're pleased with how the items have been contained and arranged, label as much as makes sense to ensure everyone in your home will be able to easily find and return items. Broad category labels tend to be favored in pantries because selections can change so frequently here. For example, one day you have hippeas, the next you have veggie straws, so a label "snacks" would cover them both. Sometimes, we don't even label decanted canisters of snacks and cereals because of the frequent rotations.

MAINTAINING YOUR SYSTEM

Even the most beautiful pantry won’t stay that way without a little upkeep—but the key is to build in habits that are easy to stick with and realistic for your household. A well-organized pantry should work with your family, not feel like one more thing to manage.

Here are a few simple strategies to keep your system running smoothly through summer (and beyond):

• Practice “First In, First Out.” Once you’ve decanted a snack into a canister or bin, encourage your family to finish it before opening a new version. This helps maintain freshness, reinforces a sense of self-control (especially with kids!), and prevents the system from breaking down into a cluttered free-for-all. If no one’s touching a certain snack, make a call: either mix it into a snack mix, serve it creatively, or toss it and move on.

• Use Your Backstock Wisely This is where you’ll “shop” before restocking canisters or buying more. It keeps your daily-use zones tidy and ensures you’re not wasting food—or money—by accidentally overbuying.

• Do Mini Resets Regularly A 10-15 minute tidy-up during your weekly grocery unload or weekend clean-up is usually all it takes. Group loose items back into their zones, wipe up any spills, toss expired goods, and restock your containers from backstock.

• Let Your Kids Pitch In Once your pantry is organized by zones and labeled, even young helpers can get involved—refilling the snack bin, putting items back where they belong, or helping you label and date new decanted items. It’s a subtle but powerful way to involve them in caring for their home.

• Adapt As You Go If your kids start gravitating toward different snacks, or a zone starts feeling tight, give yourself permission to shift things around. Organization isn’t one-and-done—it’s a system that should evolve with your family’s needs and routines.

  
  

By using what you have before opening new items, shopping from your backstock, and resetting regularly, you’ll keep your pantry functional and calm. And perhaps best of all? You’re modeling thoughtful habits and shared responsibility at home, which is a win for everyone.

ORGANIZING PRODUCTS

Below are some of our top recommended and frequently used pantry organizing products to help get you started.

Bringing It All Together

At Sort & Soul, we believe well-designed, intentionally arranged spaces empower you (and your family) to show up as your best self and thrive. If you're looking for more calm and order, empowered kids and less chaos when it comes to the hub of your home, we're here to help if you don't feel like taking the DIY route!

And in case you missed it, check out the rest of our Summer Break Ready Series Part 1: Arts & Crafts and Part 2: Playrooms.

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We service the following suburbs in Columbus, Ohio: Upper Arlington, Grandview, Powell, Delaware, Dublin, New Albany, Sunbury, Westerville, Galena, Bexley, Plain City, Worthington, Lewis Center.

Disclosure: I could earn commissions for purchases made through some links in this post.

Product photo credits: The Container Store, Target, Walmart, IKEA, Amazon, Neat Method