Home School Learning Environment
Set An Intention
Setting intentions for the day is helpful for kids and adults alike. Having a space to write down a plan for the day and clearing your mind (and desk) for a successful learning environment is a great way to start the morning. Bonus points if you’re surrounded by fun and inspiring art….. I love you, I love you, I love you ….
Adequate Lighting
Kids are like complicated house plants too! We all need lighting and access to the outside. The ideal learning workspace has both. A view to nature has been shown to add a calm and soothing energy to a space. Natural lighting is wonderful, but making sure your learning space is lit with other layers of lighting is helpful too. Ceiling fixtures and recessed cans provide overall light for a space. Task lighting, like an adjacent reading lamp or desk lamp are important too.
Organization is Everything
For kids and teens, organization and space to see their ‘stuff’ is key. Having a place for toys to safely be stowed while it’s ‘learning time’ means less distractions and more focus. Likewise, it’s important to be able to store their work in an organized way for easy access. We recommend using cubbies and baskets for both types of storage. Toys can be organized by color and size. School work can be organized by subject matter and project type.
Different Set Ups for Different Ages
In this room for a teen boy, we kept his desk space minimal and accessible. A desk that costars as a nightstand is often a good solution for smaller bedrooms, or tight spaces. Giving your kids different settings for homework, school and studying at different ages is important too. An independent learner or teen may be more productive in a quiet space in their own bedroom, while younger children (and their parents) may have a more interactive learning style that requires more space and supervision.
Add Shelves Above
If your kids are anything like mine, they collect a lot of ‘stuff’. It doesn’t matter how many times we purge their room and try to teach them the magical art of tidying up, there’s a security to having some of your favorite things around that most adults are also drawn to as well. When we designed Shanella’s room for Savvy Giving By Design - Tampa, we found that having shelving above her desk was a great solution. She can show off her favorite keepsakes, while keeping her desk free of clutter!
Clean up at the end of the day
Having a designated space for school work and activities to be placed at the end of the day is good for parents sanity and helps kids to plan their next days work. Starting fresh in the morning is just as good for their emotional health as it is for ours! If your kids are missing the structure and routine of school, during this unprecedented ‘break’, creating a sense of structure and routine in their learning at home is going to be extra important.
