Back to school essentials
Creating an ideal home learning space in West London for your children...
Whether you’re ready for it or not, our children are now back at school. This year has been such a tough one for them; they have experienced a classroom which has also been a kitchen, a living room, or even a garden, with some of the lovely weather we have had. It has also been tough on us parents trying to balance everything, but now some kind of normality is resuming it’s time to get a long-term strategy for your home.
Our children may be back at school but we find ourselves living in a changeable situation, therefore at the moment there is an ongoing need for good work from home spaces. You’re not the only one who needs a space to work from home, your children will also seek an environment that is conducive to learning whilst they’re studying at home and getting ready to change the world. That’s why our team at Shaws Kensington have pulled together their expertise to give you some ideas for how to create a space for learning at home.
Learning environment
If you’ve had to work from home you will know more than anyone that a designated working space is a lifeline, a space that aids your productivity and can help you separate work time and family time. That same need to give your child a designated learning environment may seem like a luxury, but it’s actually a necessity. This is their own place where they can focus and, more importantly, learn in a area that they can make their own.
Be creative
We know that most homes don’t have the space to give them their own study room, and this may not suit your child anyway. But what you can do is create a dedicated workspace in their bedroom, or even the corner of the dining room. Mentally, having a designated workspace is so beneficial for their wellbeing – they know sitting at their desk means it’s time to learn. The rest of the room will provide them with opportunities to play and relax. It also means they can keep all their study books and equipment in one place rather than having to scramble things together, which can often hinder productivity.
Enriching environment
It doesn’t matter what their age, you want them to have a workspace that is designed to enrich their mind. A space that is fun, and somewhere they will want to spend time in rather than somewhere they see as a negative place. In business, mood boards are often used to help visualise ideas for a project, the interior of a home, or even the future direction of a business. Older children may enjoy creating their own mood board, so each time they sit to learn, they can see their aspirations for their future to spur them on.
For younger children, think about how classrooms are creative spaces with separate zones. Again, unless you have a play room this may not be possible, but you may be able to create a story corner, and maybe an arts and crafts table. Decoration is key; it should be fun and colourful and bring the space to life, so it’s an area your children want to spend time in.
Distraction-free
Distractions are everywhere, and those of us who have been working from home will have seen how easy it is to get distracted. Imagine the lure for your children – that mobile phone that keeps pinging with updates, their games console seemingly begging them to play, and even just the flurry of life within the home. How can you remove this temptation? You know your child better than anyone, and they themselves may have the best ideas for how to make their workspace a distraction-free zone.
Their zone
Being back at school with their friends will no doubt bring them joy, but there will be changes which we all know could be confusing, from staggered starts and finishes to being in classroom bubbles. But knowing children, it won’t take them long to get used to these changes. Yet when they are home, they will have a learning space that celebrates them, inspires, is fun, productive and, more importantly, is completely their own.
We hope that your children are having a stress-free time returning to work!