The Anatomy of an Effective Kids Workspace

The kids are back to school. Sort of. Mine are in distance learning mode, and I bet some of yours are too. So really, they are becoming our co-workers, as we all learn to exist in this new normal. It’s time to make space for them. Have you started?

Last March I happened to complete a family office space in my own home, with no clue what was on the horizon. Here we are five months later, and this space has been critical for all of us!

As we embark on this new school year with plenty of remote learning ahead, I want to talk about kids workspaces, and what our kids need to thrive. Can we say thrive? How about survive. We can do this. We can help them through this.

A DESK OF THEIR OWN

I have learned that when you give a child a space to do their work, be it play or school, they tend to use it! When we get excited about it and let them take some ownership in how it looks, and where things go, it feels like theirs. It’s one step toward that independence our kids are constantly seeking.

SANITY TIP: Try to keep the desk as clear as possible. Every night, put things where they belong, so the morning starts fresh.

TOOLS FOR STORAGE + ORGANIZATION

Whether it is a desk with drawers, wall mounted folders, a supply caddy, or a few glass ball jars for their pens and pencils, give kids a place for all of their school supplies to live. Let them pick how they organize their own stuff, so it feels like their own big ideas, and helps keep the back-to-school excitement around new supplies high!

SANITY TIP: Create a home for the devices to live & charge overnight. Physically put it away after school, to physically signify the end of the day.

A COMFY CHAIR

Nothing is as much fun as a a desk with a cool chair! We like having options, so we alternate between wobble stools and spinny chairs. “Don’t care, switch your chair” is our motto! Sit in what feels comfy, and change it when it stops being comfy.

JUST FOR FUN

Create a space near your child to display their work. Even if they aren’t getting real gold stars on their assignments, there is still reason to celebrate. Put that hard work where they can see it! It’ll feel like a space that is full of life in no time.

We’ve created lots of cool kids spaces over the years, in many creative, budget friendly ways. The last thing I want to do is stress over kids damaging their desk–so we design with this in mind. Here are a few spaces we’ve made for our little people!

Consider this your formal nudge to let go. Let go of what home should look like, and start paying attention to how hard it must work, so you can work, too.

Does it look like it belongs in a magazine? Who cares. Now is not the time for that.

Does it look like kids live here? Learn here? Love being here?

Let that be our goal in this season.

& remember, it’s just a season.

No clue how to put together a productive office space? We can help.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE OFFICE DESIGN CHECKLIST HERE

Styleberry Creative Interiors designs fresh, relaxed and meaningful spaces for busy professionals. Dedicated to understanding what makes you most comfortable at home, we create thoughtful, soul filling surroundings that help you finally… exhale.

Styleberry is based in San Antonio, Texas and specializes in Interior Design.