There are plenty of reasons to make your house child friendly. You may have children of your own or you may have friends and relatives who visit your home with their children. Pete Jennings from YourNextMortgage.co.uk gives some great advice below about making the most of the space in your home.
If you are planning on selling a multi-bedroom home, you should take a good hard look at how it is set up or you will discourage families with children from buying your home.
No matter what your motivation is, it is important to create a space that children can thrive in as well as the adults who live with them and love them. It’s important that children have a space within the home that they can call their own and play in for many hours. A child-friendly space frees up other portions of the house for the grownups who have work and hobbies that they need to attend to. If a distinction between spaces is not made, families with children run the risk of having a home that is overrun with the chaos of childhood.
What are the secrets to creating a happy home where children can be kids and adults can find peace and quiet at the end of a long day?
Create Secret Storage Spaces
When the colorful toys and crafts of childhood are spread out all over the floor, it creates a visually busy atmosphere that leads to high stress levels. Storage solutions for children need to be readily accessible so that the little ones can take out and put their toys away throughout the day. Find a solution for the stuffed animals and vibrant blocks of childhood.
Find toy boxes that have more than a single function to reduce clutter. Boxes can be used as foot stools or seats within a room. If there are secret compartments within the storage container, children will love exploring them and organizing them. If you choose to store some toys in furniture in a shared room such as a living room, select a toy box that will fit into your decor and never store more than the box can hold without completely closing.
A simple solution is to build shelves for toys and cover it with an attractive wall hanging to conceal the clutter that is behind. During activities, simply lift the cloth and allow your children to have at it. Once play is done, pick up the toys, hide them behind the cloth, and return a feeling a serenity to your home.
Use Temporary Decorations
Children are constantly changing and growing. Keep the walls, curtains, carpet, and furniture simple. You’ll be able to easily change out the theme of their bedroom by swapping out posters or other wall hangings as their interests change. Encourage visitors who live to bring gifts to your children to find decorations that reflect your child’s current interests.
Find Ways To Channel Their Creativity
Children have an innate desire to create and unless you provide a space for them to be creative, they will spread themselves all over your home and leave an intense mess behind. They should have a space to color. Provide a channel for them to shape their environment and give them opportunities to express themselves.
Here are some ideas. Paint a wall with blackboard paint and keep chalk nearby. If it is in a self-contained space, it will be easy to keep clean. During home redecoration projects, get them involved by teaching them how to paint and tape. If they have a hand in the project, they will be more interested in keeping it in good shape down the line.
Strike A Balance
Carve out spaces within your home for the children as well as for yourselves. Some space can be devoted to activity while other space should be for quiet time. Find the compromises that will help to keep your home in order.
Amy Rice enjoys writing about families, homes and mortgages, when not writing she ejoys gardening and spending time with her family.
