Your child’s imagination is a wonderful thing— it helps them develop critical thinking skills, explore new ideas, and gain confidence interacting with others. Unfortunately, however, those same imaginations make children easily distracted. Especially when it’s time to do homework.
Establishing a dedicated area in your home is an excellent way to eliminate distractions and keep your child focused on learning. Plus, it prevents other areas of your home from becoming cluttered with school supplies. That’s a win/win!
But in order to create a designated learning environment that will truly function well for kids, it has to be neat, tidy, and intentionally designed. Otherwise, they’ll be too mentally stimulated by clutter and struggle to study for extended periods of time.
Today, I’ll be helping you create an organized homework station that works for you and your children. Keep reading for all my top tips!
How to Create a Fun and Functional Homework Station for Kids
There are three things you’ll want to consider when planning to build a homework station for children. These three items are:
1. Location
Where you choose to set up your homework station will have a huge impact on how well it functions for your little ones. Ideally, you’ll want it to be in a place that’s away from TVs, video games, or play areas, as these can all make it difficult for children to focus on the task at hand. You may also want to select a location that’s within your view, so you can keep an eye on your children and ensure they’re studying. This will depend on the age of your children, though, as teenagers will likely prefer to study in their rooms.
2. Space
When deciding on a homework space for kids, make sure they’ll have enough room to sit comfortably, keep their backpack nearby, access their laptop or computer, etc. Space is a critical factor in terms of functionality. Feeling cramped or restricted will likely result in your child(ren) choosing to do their homework in another larger area of the home, such as on their bed or at the kitchen table, even if that space doesn’t quite meet their needs either.
3. Storage
Every functional homework station requires adequate storage. Kids have a ton of school supplies they need to access on any given day, and being able to quickly and conveniently reach for these items makes their lives so much easier. Be sure to choose a location in your home that either has ample storage already or provides enough space to add storage solutions as needed.
My Top Organizing Tips for Homework Stations
1. Use a Multipurpose Storage Cart For School Supplies
Storage carts are a great place to keep coloring pencils, crayons, highlighters, scissors, glue sticks, construction paper, and a wide variety of other school supplies. To ensure your space remains clutter free, try labelling each drawer— it’ll make it easier for your kiddies to tidy up when they are done doing their homework.
2. Invest in a Rotating Desk Organizer
This is easily one of our favorite homework station ideas. It’s ideal for items your child(ren) use frequently, such as pens, pencils, erasers, tissues, and rulers. You can keep the rotating organizer on top of a desk or countertop where it’s within reach, which is super convenient for kids, plus it puts an end to cluttered surfaces.
3. Hang a Magnetic Dry Erase Board
Magnetic dry erase boards serve many different purposes. They provide a space where kids can problem-solve and brainstorm ideas for assignments, they can be used to write motivational messages and words of encouragement, or they can function as a gallery where your children can display their artwork or achievements. Definitely fun and functional!
4. Keep Assignments Organized With Letter Trays
Some children are better at remembering school projects and tasks than others. If your little one tends to be forgetful, letter trays may be the perfect solution.
You can keep assignments organized by categorizing them. For example, you could label your letter trays with categories like:
- To Do
- In Progress
- Complete
Or…
- Due Tomorrow
- Due This Week
- Due This Month
Experiment with letter tray systems until you find one that works best for you.
5. Install Heavy Duty Wall Hooks For Backpacks
Tired of picking your child’s backpack up off the floor? Worried someone will trip on it if they keep placing it on the stairs? Heavy duty wall hooks make it easy to store backpacks in a safe and secure place, freeing up floor space and contributing to a more organized environment. Just be sure to hang them at a height that’s reachable for your little ones so they don’t have to rely on you to remove and replace the backpack from the hook.
Don’t Forget to Have a Little Fun
Yes, function is a top priority when setting up a homework space for kids, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. You do want it to be a space your kids actually enjoy spending time in.
I recommend adding a little flair to your homework station with the following tips:
- Paint the area in bright, bold colors like turquoise, bubblegum pink, or canary yellow.
- Add wall decals of your child’s favorite animals, superheroes, or movie characters
- Hang motivational and uplifting wall art like these colorful inspirational quotes
- Choose fun lighting fixtures like this dinosaur lamp or this pencil lamp
- Go with a balance ball chair (they’re ultra-ergonomic and your kids will love them)
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