Back To School
School can provide some interesting challenges for children. They need study as they grow, and yet they must also play, explore, and rest. Their rooms should reflect these important activities and cultivate each in a holistic way – not always an easy task when so many homes have small rooms for children. How to balance all of these tasks in their home environment?
A child’s ‘job’ is learning (as opposed to ‘studying’ – there is difference), so creating a space of adventure and discovery is important – not “what leftovers are we going to find on the floor today?” but rather a space that encourages reading, experimenting, and inquiry. Their desk needs to be organized and supportive, with a chair that will promote good posture. If they must sit with a window behind them, drawing some curtains while they study can help them feel more settled; if the desk must be up against the wall, have decorative displays that monitor their achievements and goals, as well as the objects of their curiosity (which should surround the desk regardless). Posters of interesting things are great, though perhaps dinosaurs and other creatures that go ‘bump’ in the night would be best in a playroom where they will not come to life as your young’uns approach the land of dreams.
Being able to put ‘study time’ to sleep is essential if they are to avoid feeling pressured to achieve beyond what is truly healthy for them. A desk on wheels that can swing away from the wall and then be put into ‘sleep mode’ once studying is done can help to create a healthy ‘now you work, now you don’t’ attitude. (Of course, the wheels should lock so their studies don’t run away from them…) Putting books and papers back into the school bag when homework is done is a great way to prevent chaos in the morning, additionally providing a clear setting in which to enjoy leisure time. It is not suggested that they study lying on their bed because it creates a fuzzy boundary between school and private time – although reading for pleasure there about topics that truly interest them is wonderful!
Books can provide a challenge because they contain so much information that they can inhibit rest. If possible, place them further away from the bed: this will keep them from feeling some looming pressure or sensing ‘information overload’ while trying to quieten their minds. One book by the bed is fine, but a stack can leave them feeling like they have too much going on.
Play areas are best delineated by an area rug, and toys should be put away after use. Cultivating the habit of returning items no longer being used is best started at a young age and will help children maintain a respectful home space as they age. Similarly, ‘active’ posters of cars, sports players, and various superheroes and villains are best kept closer to the play area and further from the bed (I had an autographed Darth Vader picture as a child – clearly I embraced both Yin and Yang at a young age!).
May your children have their inner balance and innate brilliance reflected back to them in their space.
And… a few reminders from a 2011 feature in the Toronto edition of the 24 Hours paper about how to set up a child’s room for scholastic success: