Put away dishes

#dishes#kitchen chore#clean up#tidying#kitchen

Putting dishes away is not a neutral task. Plates are heavy, glasses can break and every item has its shelf. The visual support below shows both the grip and the destination.

Holding a stack of plates, a man in a blue t-shirt reaches a bowl into an open wall cabinet while the dishwasher below stands full.

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Man putting a bowl into the kitchen cabinet

Holding a stack of plates, a man in a blue t-shirt reaches a bowl into an open wall cabinet while the dishwasher below stands full.

A man in a blue t-shirt lifts a stack of plates up into a wall cabinet while a bowl and a plate remain on the counter.

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Man lifting plates into a wall cabinet

A man in a blue t-shirt lifts a stack of plates up into a wall cabinet while a bowl and a plate remain on the counter.

A person is putting plates and bowls into a kitchen cabinet.

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Put away dishes

A person is putting plates and bowls into a kitchen cabinet.

A woman with curly hair slides blue plates onto a shelf in an open kitchen cupboard while the dishwasher below stands open.

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Woman putting plates into the cupboard

A woman with curly hair slides blue plates onto a shelf in an open kitchen cupboard while the dishwasher below stands open.

A woman in a blue t-shirt lifts a stack of white plates from the drying rack up into a wall cabinet.

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Woman putting plates away from the drying rack

A woman in a blue t-shirt lifts a stack of white plates from the drying rack up into a wall cabinet.

About this visual support

Plates straight out of the dishwasher are warm, glasses are slippery while a little water still clings to the rim, and cutlery clinks in a way that can quickly turn stressful. That is why this particular chore is where motor control and order collide for a child.

Visual support helps by preparing the hand before the plate leaves the counter. When the picture shows a glass, the child slows down. When it shows a plate, the weight is set into both hands before the lift. Between movements sits the picture of the shelf, so the destination is known before the item is even raised.

A tip that works specifically for dishes: always start with the cutlery. It is the easiest, it goes fast, and it gives the child the feeling of the pile shrinking before glasses and plates come into play. That is plain psychology, and it works. If the kitchen has several shelves that easily get mixed up, you can extend the routine with reminders in Routined.