With the Labor Day weekend upon us and school in full swing, perhaps you are looking for a diverting weekend project to keep everyone in the house engaged. The weather around here has given us a much needed break from the oppressive heat and humidity, so it is perfect opportunity to get active and some of us are looking for a new way to entertain ourselves and our families. We are real estate agents, after all, so it figures that we would suggest a home improvement project.
But don’t worry…this one shouldn’t involve knocking down walls, moving plumbing or even painting. At most, it will simply mean rearranging some furniture and perhaps investing in some new simple furniture, lighting, and organizational items.
Even in non-pandemic times, school and homework can be stressful for our children, but having a special spot for them to engage with their homework makes everything less daunting. Our children rely on us to create safe spaces of all sorts as they learn how to navigate this world, and right now that is more important than ever. School started a few weeks ago, so the homework assignments are starting to pick-up.
Why do I need a designated space for my children to do homework?
Maybe your children have their own bedroom with a proper desk, but maybe they don’t. Regardless of the bedroom situation in your home, all school-aged children can benefit from having a special place where they can work on their studies. For an older child, maybe doing homework in their room is a good option, but even teenagers like to escape their rooms once in a while. Younger children can really benefit from being out of their rooms closer to the public areas of the home where they can ask for more help easily on a daily basis if they need it.
Many of us probably grew up doing our homework at the kitchen table, and maybe your children seem perfectly happy with this same set up. But how many times have you scrambled to tidy up the homework in order to get ready for dinner? Or left out papers only to spill on them? Or thrown out papers by accident that your child still needed? By creating a designated homework spot in your home that is not the kitchen table, you don’t have to worry about the extra step of frantically tidying up before dinner or worrying about spilling food and drink on homework papers that have been left out.
Having a functional homework space also means you have many of the extra supplies handy and close by if your child needs them for finishing assignments. A lot of times at school, they have all of their supplies in an easy to access location, but is that the case at home?
Many times, children don’t want to engage in their homework assignments or their test preparation because it feels isolating and they worry that they are going to miss out on something more fun. By creating a good homework spot, perhaps they can work together with siblings. And you can easily check in on what they are doing and offer extra support without them having to ask. Sometimes children are too shy to ask for help, but they will readily accept it if you wander over and ask them “How’s it going?”
Sure, maybe some children could get distracted by a space in a more public area of the home, but chances are, they will have more of a chance of completing assignments than not. This also allows you to multi-task by keeping an eye and ear on their needs while perhaps taking care of some fun adult chores, such as prepping dinner or folding laundry.
What are the characteristics of a good study space?
All great study spaces have a number of elements in common:
- Well lit
- Spacious
- Organized and tidy
- Comfortable chair
- Work surface
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Free from too many distractions
- Stocked with necessary materials and supplies
Extra Tips:
- Involve your school aged children in planning and creating the space together
- Homework stations may need to change as your children’s needs change and as your family rhythms evolve. Stay open to altering the homework space as the years go by. The needs of a kindergartener are very different from a 4th grader.
- Homework areas can look different in every house and be fully functional no matter what. Choose a good location, but be creative about using the space you have to fulfill you and your child’s needs.
- In short, follow these steps:
- Choose the right location
- Make sure you have the essentials: lighting, work surface, charging station, bulletin board (or something similar)
- Find and organize supplies
- Be flexible. If it doesn’t work, try something else
- Help the children learn how to keep the space organized by tidying it up every evening after they have completed their assignments
Sometimes home improvements are just home improvements to improve your family’s quality of life. While creating a homework space will probably not generate any great ROI (return on investment) in terms of money, it WILL provide a huge return on children’s mental health and academic progress, and that is invaluable. Feel free to ask your F.C. Tucker Emge REALTOR® for their insights on homework spaces they have seen as they have toured homes. And remember, they can also point you to professionals who can assist you if your homework space project becomes bigger than anticipated.
