I fawn over white home decor. If you were to visit my Pinterest board, you’d notice light floors, cabinets, and even white walls. However, I should also mention that I’m a mother to toddlers, which means we own crayons, play-dough, and acquire random sticky things from birthday parties.
In your journey of parenting, it’s inevitable you’ll be searching for ways to remove permanent marker at some point, regardless of your décor scheme. I want my children to be creative, but I want a well-organized, clean home, too. I wasn’t sure I could have both, but I was determined to try. For me, however, the biggest question was: how do I create an environment that embraces creativity without following my children around with a white wall eraser?
The solution I discovered was to designate a space in my home where the kids could tackle projects, and I think it would work for any mom in the same situation. In this dedicated space, I created surfaces for the children to draw on, and I organized materials for enhanced accessibility. There’s a place for crayons and markers, paper, glue, scissors, and all sorts of creative doo-dads.
I decided to utilize a corner of the unfinished portion of our basement. I purchased a table/chair set, a set of drawers for materials and an art easel. We put out a rug to make the space cozy, and I repurposed decorations to make the corner fun and inviting. Now we’re able to enjoy “art time” without anxiously wondering about rogue wall drawings from a wandering 2 year old.
Here are a few things you should consider when creating a creative nook for your kids:
- Storage: Keep it simple. Pare down materials so that you’re not trying to cram a load of half broken crayons in drawer. Rolling carts from Amazon are a game changer and my kids find them very easy to access.
- Size: Don’t worry about how big of a space you need, especially if you’re already struggling for room. Yes, you probably don’t want to feel like you’re on the set of the movie Room, but you don’t need to utilize valuable square feet. Find a corner of a room or a wall in a space in an area you already need to paint. Take off the doors of an unused closet and throw in a table/chairs. Make sure your space is
- organized
- easy to clean
- accessible
- Fun: Utilize a clothing line or bulletin board to hang pictures. Repurpose old containers for art materials. Grab some wall decals or decorations from the dollar store. The more color and personalization, the better. If your kids feel welcome, they’ll want to spend more time in the space. Ultimately this is a space where it’s all about your children’s preferences.
When the children get older, you can utilize the space for a homework or wrapping station. Just remember: keep it simple, fun and cozy.
How do you encourage creativity in your home? Share your ideas in the comments!
Make sure you never miss out on a parenting or community-related blog post: sign up to receive CRMB posts in your inbox. While you’re at it, join our VIP List to ensure you’re one of the first to know about upcoming Cedar Rapids Moms Blog events and promotions!!
