Although it’s hard to believe, it’s almost that time: back to school! Parents, try to hold back those tears, we can make it through those few hours of peace in the house. Use your time to get stuff done around the house, or just do something for yourselves! With every year back to school for you and your child comes new challenges. One of the best ways we can help as parents is to ensure a positive environment at home for school work. Here are a few ways that you can create a calming and successful study corner, nook, room (hey, if you have the space!) in your home.
1: Desk Location:
- Children kindergarten through 3rdgrade need to be in a more social part of the house while doing homework so they can ask questions when needed. They tend to not do well in a room by themselves so put them at the kitchen counter or a quiet place with no TV nearby.
- Children beyond this age thrive in a quiet room at a desk positioned near a wall. When desks are looking at a window or out a door, they tend to get distracted. Put a calendar and a dry erase board up near the desk so they can stay organized and focused.This one from Hayneedle is a beachy, yet calming color and has built in boxes for organization!
- Magnetic blackboard paint: if you are brave enough to paint a section of wall, this stuff is awesome for study spaces!
2: Lighting:
- Whether you use a table light or pendant light at the kitchen counter, lighting in addition to natural light coming through the window is key to keeping your child alert.
3: NO PHONES in the study space! It’s too much of a distraction.
4: Stock Supplies:
- Make sure to have plenty of supplies ready at the location to mitigate getting up several times for pencils, paper etc. which can disrupt the study flow. Let your child pick out some supplies they like (fun colors, characters, sparkles etc.) that are special just for at the house and keep it organized with folders. For middle school aged kids a “turn it in” folder is helpful for kids to have one place to put things that are due the next day.
- Think stimulating, but not distracting.
5: Reading Nook:
- Pick a comfy place for your child to love to read in: pillow pile in the floor, bean bag etc. with few distractions and lighting!
6: A place for clutter:
- Kindergarten aged kids love displaying their artwork, so find a place (bulletin board) for showcasing their handy-work without letting it clutter up the study/work space.
