Tips to create child-friendly rooms

Creating child-friendly spaces within the home offers many benefits to the whole household. These spaces should encourage child development by giving them an appropriate environment to play, learn, experiment and create without fear of damaging family heirlooms; a calm place for quiet time; and elements that encourage good habits, responsibility and structure.

Keep it colourful

That specialist textured paint in neutral colours might be setting off your interior design to perfection, but your child needs bolder colours for mental stimulation and emotional wellbeing.

If you have a dedicated playroom, you can make the most of bright colours to assist your child's development. However, deciding on a colour palette for a child's bedroom can be tricky as you want to provide enough colour for stimulation during the day without leaving your child overstimulated at bedtime.

Child development experts have established that colour choices can have a significant impact on children, their moods and development. Reds, for instance, are over-stimulating and should be used sparingly in a child's bedroom. Yellows are bright and cheerful and can help easily distracted children to focus on what they are doing, but should also be used sparingly if your child battles to settle down at night. Blues and pinks, on the other hand, are soothing and can assist in calming hyperactive children and those who battle to fall asleep.

Storage is a must

Any parent who has stepped on a piece of Lego barefoot will tell you that one of the never-ending frustrations of parenting is getting your child to tidy up their toys and activities properly. Proper storage options are essential for giving toys and supplies a home, teaching your child responsibility and providing relief for unprotected feet.

Ideally, your storage options should allow for separate packing of various items rather than one large box that carries everything. Items like arts and craft supplies, puzzles and building blocks are best kept in separate containers to prevent spills and loss.

Placing storage options for your children in the lounge, bathroom, kitchen and dining room will make it easier to teach your children how to put things away properly and will mean you won't be faced with having to deal with another clean-up operation at bedtime.

Reward reading

Encouraging your children to have a good relationship with books as early as possible gives them advantages for years to come. Storytime is also a great opportunity for bonding and helps children to calm down in preparation for sleep.

Invest in bookcases that are easily accessible and make sure to keep adding to your child's library.

Easy cleaning

Whichever options you choose, bear in mind that spills, messy experiments and accidents are unavoidable parts of childhood. Choose high-quality paint that is washable, cover-up expensive carpets with rugs that are easy to clean and select furnishings that are stain-resistant. And if your budding artist simply can't resist drawing on the walls, you might find that chalkboard paint can give you and your child a safe place to enjoy their creativity.

Create together

Creating a captivating space for your child to explore and grow is a project that can bring the whole family together. Including your child in the planning and decisions will bring you closer together and make the space even more special to them.

That said, be careful not to offer too many options as this can be confusing to young children and you might find yourself having to explain why it really isn't possible to paint a room in every one of their favourite colours.