As a parent who wants to make the most of their home, you may find it a bit difficult with kids running about. However, having kids and needing to do some DIY should actually be seen as a way you can interact with the kids and help them develop many useful skills. Home improvements do not just affect you, they affect them too, so why not let them have some input on ways you upgrade your home. This way, they will feel more included and important in the family home. But, remember, DIY with the kids is something that will need to be well thought out, especially if they are very young. You’ll need to thoroughly assess the health and safety aspects of everything you do. Don’t let little ones drink the paint, for example. You will need to develop your patience skills too. But if you get it right, it could be a great learning and bonding experience that everyone can gain from. Here are some things to think about and try when involving the kids in home improvements:
Get Painting
Paint is a great way to involve the children. This can start from getting them to help you decide on some colours. Perhaps you can allow them to have some input on the colour of every room or maybe total control over the colours of their own room. This will give them a headstart on interior design. You can carefully look at other designs to give them an idea of what looks good before letting them go full steam ahead. When it actually comes to the painting process, this can be a team effort. Ensure that everything is completely covered with sheets before you begin, as mishaps are bound to happen. It is probably a good idea to watch young children closely while they roll the paint on the wall. You can get the paint on the rollers for them and ensure they are nowhere near the paint pot or roller tray. Older children can clearly have a little more freedom in this act, but you will need to teach them how to roll the walls effectively. Another great thing to include would be adding a few wall decals, which are essentially like large stickers. This could really jazz up their bedrooms, for example. You could maybe decide on a few stencils and paint patterns onto the walls. This can be a fun and artistic way to cover a wall. When it comes to painting, don’t just stick to the interior either. Why not go out to the garden and paint the wooden fences or the garden shed. In fact, it may be an idea to get them started on painting outdoors before heading inside.
Move the Furniture About
Everyone will have some idea on how better to arrange a room. The great thing about moving things about is that you may actually find that the room has more space and more space is good for everyone. Why not get the tape measure out and get the kid the start measuring the room and the furniture. You could teach them how to create a quick diagram of the room, where doors are, etc. Learning how to measure things is an essential life skill too. Then they could all come up with different ways of placing the furniture and maybe you could vote on the best one. Ensure the children do not move things that are way too big and heavy, though.
Build a Play House
Kids love playhouses, and this is a great way to teach them some carpentry skills and hone your own while you’re at it. Perhaps they can have an input into the overall design. Maybe creating some blueprints is a great way to get them thinking. Let them have a go at some of the tasks too. Hammering a few nails in with your explicit supervision. Measuring planks to be cut, but you should do the sewing. However, maybe you can leave them to paint the lot, under your keen eye. Whatever you do, this can be a great way to build a better understanding of your child and create some beautiful memories. Having a little fun with the home improvements is a must.
Choosing Images for a Gallery Wall
A gallery wall can improve the look of any room, and there is no reason at all why the kids can’t be involved in its creation. You could create a shortlist of images, patterns, photos, motivational quotes, etc., that you like and allow the kids to choose the final ones to be printed on canvas. Why not all get-together and work out how they are going to go onto the gallery wall. Decide between you what looks best where. If any of your children have any artistic skills, perhaps their paintings or drawing could be printed out too. A family home should try and incorporate a little bit from everyone.
Choose Some Rugs
Every room looks better with a statement rug, so why not let their kids accompany you to the shop and help them choose a rug for their rooms. You can get them to think about colours, patterns, and texture of the material and see if the style sits with their room already. All these little pointers will help your child develop an understanding of aesthetics and what looks good with what. For the most part, they will be thinking about things they have never considered before, and this is a great way to open theory minds. Anything that they can help out within the house is like a pre-run before they get their own house one day. These skills will be things that stay with them and will give them a headstart. It may even make them artistic or become an interior designer. You never know.
Decluttering
Pretty much every room can do with a little decluttering, so it may be a good idea to get the kids to do their own rooms. Explain to them the reasons why decluttering is important, such as making space. For children making more space makes sense as having more space to play in or too out new toys. Get them to learn the difference between rubbish and what is needed. Broken toys are a prime example of rubbish. Make c competition of it. Given them each a cardboard box, and whoever has the most clutter after 30 minus gets a treat. However, you have to ensure they are not throwing away anything of value, so be careful of this is your strategy to get rid of that clutter.
Shelving and Fixtures
Maybe you could involve the kid in the decision making around the household fixtures, think door handles, taps, light switches, floating shelves. All of these come in many styles, and if your children do have a bit of artistic flair, their input could prove quite helpful. Again you could come up with a shortlist of acceptable styles and designs for each thing you want to change, and they could help narrow down the list. If you like the Chunky wood shelves the best, and so do they, well, you are on to a winner. Children will appreciate being involved instead of frozen out of decisions such as these, and it can make your bond stronger as a result.
Lighting
Why not take the kids to a lighting showroom and let them see for themselves all the different types of lights there are. It may surprise them on the sheer abundance of things. If they have a purpose for being there too, such as choosing a new light for their bedroom, then they are less likely to become bored. Let them help you choose lamps too. Being privy to such a thing at a young age will expose them to the basics of interior design and aesthetics in general and can’t be a bad thing, can it?
Gardening
The garden is a great place to get the kids helping out in home improvements. Perhaps you are a budding gardener yourself and need some help choosing flowers, deciding where to put them and planing the bulbs. This could be in a flower bed or in various pots, as long as no one minds getting a little bit muddy. If your garden is big enough, you could erect a trellis and grow creeping plants around it. This looks great, giving the garden that secret space feel. It may even encourage your children to spend more time outside, which is always a huge bonus, especially in this day and age. You could show them how to water the plants in the summer using a watering can or the hose pipe, and maybe how to rake leaves up in the autumn. If you are mowing the lawn, maybe they could have a little go with your supervision. Even if you don’t have much outside space, why not get the kids to help you choose things like hanging baskets. Think about turning chores into fun activities. Young children will definitely appreciate this.
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