Hands up who’s used the threat ‘go to your room!’ We use it as a punishment for naughty behaviour, but have you ever thought what it says about our kids’ bedrooms? Probably that they’re not the fun-filled and nurturing spaces they should be.
The results of our latest study certainly suggests this is the case, with 92 per cent of children agreeing they’d spend more time playing in their room and doing homework (yes, really) if they had a say in how it’s decorated. So what do the nation’s children want their rooms to look like? We asked them to use their imaginations and think about the one thing they most wanted in their room, and here are the results:
1. Treehouse
2. Slide
3. Narnia-style wardrobe
4. Swing
5. Trap door
6. Glass ceiling
7. A stage
8. Jungle
9. Space rocket
10. Pirate ship
Despite the overwhelming number of children who say they’d spend more time in their rooms if they could help decide how it looks, three quarters of parents don’t involve their children in the creative process of designing or decorating their rooms.
Expert Developmental Psychologist Dr. Sam Wass believes we could be denying our kids a valuable experience by not consulting them in their bedroom decor, saying; ‘It’s vital to children’s development to sometimes let them be in charge for a change.’
The survey of 2,000 families also shows that children found decorating with their parents a really positive experience, with 65 per cent saying they felt happy and 58 per cent excited at the prospect of helping mum and dad.
And if you needed further reason to let your little ones get involved in a bedroom transformation, parents commented that decorating together helped to increase their child’s sense of ownership and pride – some even reported tidier rooms, because their kids wanted to show their spaces off to friends and family. How’s that for a result?
Commenting on the research findings, expert Developmental Psychologist, Dr. Sam Wass, states: ‘Children typically create little things, but the bedroom is the first real, permanent thing that they can influence. Involving a child helps them to establish their own inner space and the image that they want to project to others. And for parents, having a chance to work together with their children can really help to establish a stable, respectful relationship.’
A tidy room, good relationship and homework done, what more could a parent wish for?
We’ve created a range of fun How-To videos to inspire parents and kids, showing imaginative but completely achievable techniques that families can do at home. From the deepest jungle to outer space, themes have been designed around kids’ passion points to nurture their interests. The only down side? You’ll have to think up another way to discipline them from now on, as sending them to their room will be something of a treat…
Try out our Kids’ Bedroom Tool to find out which theme your child will love and download the Dulux Kids’ Bedroom Workbook to get started.
Or click here for kids’ bedrooms inspiration!
