A child’s room often needs to serve as both a play area and a study area. It is important to be able to organize so that the space is functional and clutter free. Here are some tips on how you can create a space in your child’s room that will give it a dual purpose without hassle.
The first thing to do is focus on what items your child likes to play with the most. If there are toys that take up the better part of the room, such as towering Lego constructions, talk to your child about taking them down and storing them. If there are items that are not used much but still take up space, discuss donating the toys to a less fortunate child. Talk about what activities your child will engage in the most, and work with that.
Consider reorganizing the closet. Your child’s closet is likely to be dual purpose in itself, holding toys and clothing. Hang clothes on the rod and consider small plastic bins or a draw unit for socks and other smaller foldable items. Bins are also good for keeping smaller loose toys and other odd and ends.
Leave a nice wide space for a television if your child enjoys video games. You can keep the games and controllers on shelves (which you can install easily if needed). This is optional, but it can open up space in the room itself, and if you have a boy, he probably doesn’t need as much space for clothing.
Your child’s study area will need approximately six feet of space. This is for the desk, books, a computer, printer, etc. To really save on floor space, purchase a loft bed. A loft bed will hold a twin mattress up above the floor high enough for a desk and shelves or drawers to go underneath. This will double the floor space in the room. The extra floor space can be used as a video game or play area.
Be sure to zone your child’s room. What I mean is, designate separate physical areas for different activities. For example, the study zone is where you child will study and keep all of his study related items (pencils, papers, books, etc.). A video game zone will be the area where your child plays video games and keeps the console, all of the controllers and discs together. Having zones will make it easy for your child to keep things where they belong, and will help them learn crucial organization skills.
Bonus option: If space allows in the rest of your home, you can create a small zone outside of your child’s room as a play area. That way their room can be set aside for sleep and study alone.
