Creating a room for siblings to share
Sharing a room with your sibling might sound like a lot of fun, but there will always be those vicious ‘territorial disputes’ that come into play, serving to diminish the experience, if only momentarily. The benefits of giving serious thought to how you’re going to be designing a room your children will share, are indeed profound.
Some kids will share a bedroom with their siblings even if they don’t have to. It’s imperative that the room be designed in a way conducive to room-sharing.
There’s always room for another, when you have the perfect room.
Is it the right time for siblings to share a room?
Before we look at the best shared room ideas for siblings, it’s important to consider when the right time for sharing that room is. In case you have an older child that’s hankering for your love and time when they find their baby sibling getting more of the same, it might not be the right time for that ‘room sharing’, after all.
That being said, if you’re having a third child, make sure you get your first two children to bunk together, to prevent any undue resentment that might arrive on account of the new addition to the family.
Tips for creating a room for siblings to share
Looking for the best shared sibling bedroom ideas? You’ve knocked on the right door!
Use bunk beds
Bunk beds are really great because not only do they save space, but they also visually separate the children while they are sleeping. This makes them less likely to fight with each other. Certainly, one of the top shared sibling bedroom ideas.
Note: You want to ensure that the child sleeping on the top bunk is at least six years of age and the bed being used meets the current safety standards.
Create a fun place to escape
Looking for shared sibling bedroom ideas? Try this one! Even though they are staying with a sibling, kids need a space they can call their own. Be it a fort made from blankets, or even a playhouse, kids need a space they can go to from time to time, and just be alone. Like their own private little world where they can let their imaginations run wild.
Divide the space equally
Shared sibling bedroom ideas work best when each child gets the same attention as the other. That’s why it’s important that the space in the room they share be divided equally. If you’re looking to have storage underneath their beds, ensure those drawers open in such a way that they don’t encroach on the space of the other sibling.
Opt for a bedroom theme both siblings will love
It’s not only those beds for your siblings you need to focus on, when creating the perfect room for your children to share. The best thing would be going for a theme of a movie or even book that both kids enjoy, and playing with it to come up with something that both siblings enjoy.
Note: You want to create this theme against a neutral background, so that each sibling has their own ‘space’ to decorate in the way they wish.
Separate the older children’s toys from the younger’s
Toys are often the focal point of all fights between siblings. One of the best shared sibling bedroom ideas encompasses dividing their toys, so there are never any disputes. What you can do is have your older child keep their toys in shelves that are high enough to be out of the smaller one’s grasp. To this effect, you can even keep them in storage buckets that are in reach of only your older one. One of those shared sibling room ideas you cannot give a miss, this one!
Wherever possible, have built-in storage
The thing with kids is this: they tend to accumulate a lot of stuff, and fast. Things like toys, clothes and books. What you need to do is jump at every opportunity there is to create those built-in storage spaces. The idea: to make every centimeter count. Ensure that the drawers and cupboard spaces are equally divided and clearly demarcated, so each knows exactly where their stuff is.
Opt for a calming color scheme
Sure, children like ‘colour’ in things like the photographs they hang or even the toys dear to them. The important thing to remember here is that color affects their mood, and thus it’s vital to ensure there isn’t an overload of garish colors in their rooms. Let them by all means be stimulated by their toys; just, let that happen against a backdrop of serene pastels. Sibling room ideas like these might sound silly at first, but they clearly work wonders in the long run.
Include them in the design of the room from the start
Of course, this one’s applicable only in the case of older children, who will greatly appreciate your allowing them to play an active role in designing their room themselves. Of course, that doesn’t mean they can do just about anything, but it serves to instill in them a sense of responsibility and also makes them all the more receptive to the idea of sharing a room with their sibling.
Provide them with a stimulating shared space to do homework
When you provide children with a cool place to do their homework, with some quirky wallpaper serving as the background, you will in fact be encouraging them to do their homework well in time, always.
Tip: If you can, create an alcove beneath some built-in storage, that serves as the perfect place to have a double desk for your siblings.
No matter how perfect a room you design, your children are bound to squabble. However, with the right space, they will find themselves bonding better and learning to compromise quicker than they would in an environment not conducive for shared living. Use the tips in this article, to create both a fun, as well as calming, environment for your kids. Visit EuroKids to learn more.