Family-Friendly Living Spaces
Children need the space and the freedom to make messes, create, exercise, and be kids. Does this mean you have to sacrifice the beautiful home you always wanted? No! And you don’t have to. A family-friendly home is perfect for children and parents. Here are a few simple yet powerful tricks you can use to achieve your dream family living space.
Freedom to Exercise and Create
Never underestimate the value of providing children with a space to romp, explore, create, and go a little crazy. It is vastly important for their quality of life and invaluable for your own freedom and sanity as a parent. If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor space, consider introducing a trampoline, a tire swing, a tree house, or a sandbox. You can also leave concrete surfaces to decorate with chalk or space to paint without the fear of mess. If you have enough space and are so inclined, a children’s garden is a great activity you can share.
If you don’t have a yard, you can bring the fun into the garage or home. Consider installing an indoor swing in your children’s bedroom, keeping gym mats for roughing and tumbling, putting an art easel on the porch, or including a bean bag in your living room.
Develop Habits
One of the best strategies for cultivating a living space that is perfect for children and adults is to help your children develop good cleanup habits. Set your expectations, whether they are to put away one set of toys before taking out another or cleaning up before going to bed or going outside. You can incorporate routines into children’s chore charts and include a small reward for a task done particularly well or without prompting.
Convenient Organization
Go the extra mile now to make keeping your home clean and organized easy for the entire family. If toys tend to migrate onto the living room floor and stay there, introduce a basket to easily put toys into at the end of playtime (under the condition that the basket’s contents need to be put all the way away when the basket gets full). If coats and shoes are accumulating where they shouldn’t, keep a coat and shoe rack at the doorway.
Strong, Stain-Resistant Materials
Consider boycotting the cheap furniture and linens. Kid-friendly furniture tends to be high-quality, strong, and made with easy-to-clean, heavy fabrics. Even if the kids use it as a trampoline, a well-made couch or sofa will hold up for years and years. Plus, it is attractive, comfortable, and straight out of your dream home plans.
Shared Areas and Privacy
The ideal family-friendly home will have wonderful shared space where the family can come together, and space for adults and children to get some much-deserved time to themselves. The dining area should be inviting and the living room should be comfortable. As for achieving privacy, if individual children’s rooms aren’t an option, try including a secluded reading nook or a “secret” outdoor den.
If you would like to talk about ideas for remodeling or renovating your home in Fairfax, Mclean, Springfield, Woodbridge, Alexandria, Arlington, and Falls Church VA, reach out to us at Foster Remodeling. Call now for a free consultation!
