Written By: Claire Adams
All parents want their kids to do well in school. For that, you need to provide them with a bit of help, a lot of support and a practical area for schoolwork. Sure, sending your child to their room to do homework is the traditional way to handle the situation, but is that really the best? Well, just as you have a designated room for your “homework” (usually a home office), your kids will also benefit from a space like that. So, how can you design a family office to welcome your kids?
Safety first
If you’re planning to share your office with your first-grader, you must child-proof your shared space. Kids at that age are super curious, and even though they understand what they can and can’t touch, they are often unable to resist the temptation. Make sure to keep your staplers, letter openers and other potentially dangerous items in drawers and safely secure all heavy items on shelves. If there are many cords winding around your office, get cheap cord organizers that will prevent trips. You don’t want to see your kid getting hurt nor your laptop flying from your desk!
Make it fun
Adults might thrive in minimalist spaces, but kids will simply hate them! There’s no way your child will love his or her new study area if it’s decorated like a cubicle. So, make sure to fill their little corner with color and decorate it in a fun and inspiring way. Of course, that doesn’t mean you must go all-in! Pick a few complementary shades, put up some wall decoration and make it generally fun and pleasant. Organize a little DIY shop, so you can create decorations together and spruce up the space. Your kid will naturally gravitate towards the area, even when they don’t have homework!
Light it up
Homework is still mainly done on paper and involves plenty of physical books, so you need to light up your space! The best way to provide your kid with appropriate lighting is to get a good desk lamp for evening homework sessions. But, if you can provide your kid with natural lighting, go ahead and place their desk near the window to let the sunshine in. After all, natural lighting is still the best and healthiest way to illuminate a homework area.
Equip it for the win
It goes without saying that you’ll equip your kid’s homework area with an ergonomic desk and chair, but there’s more to successful homework-doing than that! Colorful highlighters, crayons, rulers and post-it notes are all essential for fun and fast schoolwork. If you have older kids, you need to provide them with more serious office material and tools. Check out the Winc stationery range and you’ll find everything your kid might ever need, from paper clips and scissors to calculators and batteries. Homework has never been this easy, fast and fun!
Boost health
Offices are known to get pretty stuffy from all the electronics, so air purification and proper ventilation are a must! Luckily, there are great air purifiers on the market today which keep your indoor air free of dust, pollen, mold, dander and even some nasty odors! Combine them with a few plants and you’ll have a clean and healthy office and homework area. Also, make sure to keep your office warm. Adults are much less sensitive to cold than kids, so don’t forget to provide your space with some heating. A portable heater is a great option, as long as it has a safety switch, cool surface temperatures and a safety grate around the fan.
Sharing a home office with your little scholar will not only give you an opportunity to monitor their work, but also allow you to provide them with help, support and motivation to keep up the good work!
