Do you find getting your kids to complete homework assignments and projects challenging? Perhaps your dining room and kitchen have become overrun with backpacks, books, paperwork, and school supplies? Whatever the case is, maybe your kids need a designated space for learning in the home. Whether they’re homeschooled, distance learning, or attending traditional in-person classes, having a place to focus on their studies is essential to their educational advancement (and your sanity).
How do you create a safe and healthy space that inspires learning? Check out these tips listed below.
Choose The Right Room
The first factor is deciding where you want the study room to be. The dining room and kitchen are standard, but they aren’t as efficient as you might imagine. These rooms are often close to distractions like the television, food, and other household members. Depending on your child’s age, the kitchen can also be a danger zone, as there are plenty of sharp, small, and dangerous items and appliances they can hurt themselves with.
Try to choose a room or space in your home that’s free from distractions and safe for children of all ages to learn. A finished basement, spare room, or attic can be efficient locations to set up shop.
Clean And Declutter
Your kids need a clean and safe environment to learn. When they spend hours in a room that’s disorganized, dirty, or unkempt, it puts their health and safety at risk. You can reduce or even eliminate these dangers by cleaning and decluttering.
Remove damaged, heavy, or unnecessary items from the room that could cause injuries or tripping hazards. Scrub the walls and windows to get rid of the dirt and debris. Finally, clean hard surfaces and sanitize to reduce the presence of germs and bacteria.
If you plan on putting the study in the basement or attic, you may want to consider having it cleaned professionally. For example, a quality attic cleaning will involve an inspection, insulation removal, extermination, and decontamination process to eliminate hidden dangers like mold and pests.
Layout And Organization
Now you have a clean slate to create a study for your kids. Before you get into the fun and aesthetics, you must consider the layout and organization of the space. Think about furniture and technology placement, lighting, and storage for supplies. Ensure that there’s enough room for everything to fit comfortably.
If you have ample space, you might even consider creating sections for different functions like working on the computer, reading, doing art projects, and watching educational movies and television. For households with more than one student, dividing the study into personalized areas is ideal. That way, each child has their own place to learn. Room dividers can help make this task easier.
Classroom Decor
When you walk into a classroom, what do you see? Chances are you see lots of colors, pictures, and signage, that inspire learning. Ultimately, you want to create the same type of environment at home. Use natural lighting to your advantage by putting up sheer curtains or blinds to allow the sunlight in during the day.
When choosing paint colors, opt for something bold and vibrant. Many schools use primary colors like red, green, blue, and yellow. Hang motivational or educational posters and signs on the wall. You can get the kids involved and allow them to make their own artwork to display. Lastly, add comfortable furniture like desks, chairs, and tables.
Don’t Forget Security
You can’t always be with your kids while they’re completing their studies. Therefore, you want to invest in a few security measures to keep them safe. Installing a camera enables you to view your kids from virtually anywhere. Similarly, adding parental controls to the television and computing devices ensures they don’t access sites or media that are inappropriate.
Just as many business professionals need a designated space to work from home, kids need a place to learn. A kid-friendly home study provides children with a safe, distraction-free, and fun environment that enhances their learning experience. Rather than compromise your kitchen, dining room, or sanity, take the time to find some extra space and use the advice above to turn it into a learning oasis your kids will love.
