Make decorating functional and turn your child's study area into the perfect homework zone.
What? As if back to school shopping isn't enough! I know it gets more expensive every year but you want the little ones to do well. And you want them to like school. But think about it, school doesn't end when that final bell rings. There is homework to consider. So you want to make your child's home study environment as pleasing as possible.
The first step is their first step into the house. Do your kids throw backpacks on the floor or do they hide them in a closet? Are you children apt to touch them again after they've hit the floor or do you pick up the bag later and stash it away? To make your children more likely to return to that bag and to keep things neat and clean you'll want to find an organization system that works for your home. If you have a small home you may want to consider hanging hooks that are your child's height in a coat closet. A larger home with a mudroom could easily hold some cubbies for your child's books, shoes and coat. You could even store some of their after school athletic supplies in the same cubbies. This is my favorite option because it is familiar to children as it replicates their personal space or lockers at school. They're used to returning to this area to retrieve their books and supplies.
The next area you need to consider giving a good back to school make over is the place where your child does most of their studying. If they study in their room then create an area that is just for schoolwork. You can even use some moulding, trim, or how about yardsticks and rulers to separate that space from the rest of the room, then paint and decorate the area to support studies.
Some parents are even opening up closets and converting them into work areas and finding alternatives for clothing storage such as armoires and under-the-bed containers.
Whatever you do its important to make that area a study only zone. Take distractions out of view. Instead of boy bands or movie star posters use school charts and study aids in the homework zone. Keep toys off the desk and preferably more than an arms length away. And most importantly, make sure your child has appropriate lighting, whether they're working on the computer and need a low light to prevent glare or reading and need a brighter light.
If your child doesn't study in their bedroom then you'll need to focus on that part of the house. An extra bedroom, a playroom they've grown out of or a parent's office works really well for a child's study room.
Initially the parent's office sounds like a bad idea but your child may really enjoy having their own workspace in an adult room. It may encourage more studying and a more serious approach to school. No matter what area you choose for the child's workspace you really need to make it comforting and inviting yet it needs to be a serious place where work is done.
When we were kids we did a lot of studying in front of the television or on the kitchen table. Both are not ideal locations but are the reality in most homes. I'm not even going to touch on studying in front of the television. Lets just agree that's probably not a good idea and steer the children into another room.
If your children study in the kitchen on the table you've got one thing working in your favor, a large workspace that can be easily cleared off so your children can spread out. But its obviously lacking some personal elements and some school specific touches so you need to make that accessible too. Consider adding a bookshelf to the room so your child can store some reference materials and their computer supplies. You also want to have pens, pencils, rulers and all the traditional accessories at hand. A drawer keeps these items out of view but close at hand.
You can take the kitchen-as-study-area a step further by giving it a scholastic feel for your children. This could involve decorating but actually might involve a mental shift. Teach your children how cooking is related to math and measuring. Or show them that recipes are like science experiments.
No matter how you decorate or adapt your child's home study zone its important to make an area that they enjoy spending time in that's comfortable but is also free of distractions. Little ones that like their study area are more likely to spend time there so remember to let them make some of the decisions.
