A family-friendly home helps children feel like they belong. In an adults-only home, you may not need things like step stools to help them reach a shelf, but kids would appreciate the extra help. By ensuring your home is accessible and fun for kids, you show them that their presence matters and is valued. Here are some easy ways to make your house more family-friendly.
1. Include Accessibility Options
Kids won't be able to access everything in your home because houses are designed for the adults who live there. Having easy accessibility options that don't take up much space is a great way to help kids feel welcome while also not permanently changing your home. Including step stools in different rooms of the house can help kids easily access what they need.
If you want to change a bit more of your home to be welcoming to kids, consider adding lower shelves so they can responsibly reach items. You might also start buying kid-friendly snacks that are similar to the options adults eat. For example, an adult might eat a whole apple, while a child might prefer apple slices. You can get a special tool to slice apples or buy the premade pieces so they can enjoy a snack with you.
2. Choose Functionality Over Aesthetics
If you have kids who are prone to making messes, you may have to choose functionality over aesthetics in your home, at least until they get a bit older.
While a light-colored couch might look nice in your living room, it might be harder to keep clean than another color. You may also want to invest in sofas that don't have removable cushions so they stay put when your child plays with them. You may not need to compromise your aesthetics all the time, but if you have difficulty keeping your current furniture clean, it might be worth considering.
Prepare yourself to accept that something may get stained. When fighting stains, time is of the essence. Make sure to fully cover it with a powerful laundry stain remover, then wipe it up after it has been taken care of. You may need to put a bit of muscle behind stubborn stains, but as long as you tackle them early enough, you should see the stain lifted.
3. Invest in the Right Cleaning Tools
You'll quickly learn which cleaning tools are worth the price once you have to clean up a mess. Having an all-purpose cleaner is great, but you should also invest in stain fighters and carpet cleaners.
You can also find child-friendly substitutes for arts and crafts. Think about using watercolor paints instead of getting them to fingerpaint with pigments that might end up on your walls. Consider installing a chalkboard or whiteboard on one wall of a bedroom or playroom so they can draw on the wall all they want.
4. Bring in the Games
Almost nothing makes a child happier than playing games. A designated game room can delight the entire family and bring them together on evenings and weekends. There may not be a better way to bond with your children than challenging them to a game, but you'll find several other benefits to having a space for board and video games.
A game room can help children foster their critical thinking and decision-making skills, and having a room dedicated to playing games as a family or individually is a huge bonus. Spending time in the game room may feel like a treat, and children will love the opportunity to have every game in the house at their fingertips.
5. Opt for Carpets
Some people may not consider carpets kid-friendly. With how easy they are to stain, keeping them as freshly clean as the day they were installed might be challenging. However, they're softer than hardwood floors. If your child falls, they're more likely to get up without any injury.
If you don't want to fully carpet your house, consider a removable option: Carpet tiles. These tiles can be put down and cleaned up easily, which works great if you have kids visiting your home but no kids of your own.
6. Celebrate the Holidays
Children often develop meaningful memories during the holiday seasons. It’s during the holidays that the family comes together to celebrate, and these memories will usually be a source of happiness that could last a lifetime. As a rule, you should make it a family tradition to decorate your home for the holidays.
For example, if your family celebrates Christmas, make sure to decorate your home for the season. Make it a family event, and get the kids involved. Hang mistletoes, set up the Christmas tree, and fill the stockings with great toys. Take advantage of holiday deals for affordable decorations. Make your home festive, and create wonderful memories for the entire family.
7. Use Color
Most homes lean toward neutral color palettes, but your kids might be better off with brighter colors. Since children prefer to eat plates full of food with color, consider making it the same way for their rooms and the rest of the house. Kids like color, but too much might disrupt their concentration.
Neutral-colored nurseries aren't the greatest for babies, as children prefer colors with lots of contrast so they can see them better through their still-developing eyes. At the very least, ensure your child has plenty of colorful toys to pick from. Their space can be colorful, even if it doesn't match the rest of your home. Use only a few bright colors on the walls, or it might be overstimulating.
8. Pick Rounded Furniture
Rounded furniture gives off a different aesthetic than angular furniture, but it could also be friendlier toward kids. Smaller children might be running or crawling around, and having round furniture ensures that if they hit their heads, it won't hurt as badly.
A less-permanent DIY solution would be to outfit sharp corners with something soft, like a cut-up pool noodle. That way, there's a bit of a bumper, so the edge of the furniture won't hurt any kids visiting your home.
Don’t Compromise on Kid-Friendly Spaces
Whether preparing for a new baby or just hosting family members at your house, ensuring that you have kid-friendly spaces ready to go is a necessity. You want the kids to feel included and like they're part of the household, so finding ways to tailor things to them might make your job easier than running behind them tidying messes. Embrace the chaos of living with children and you'll have more fun.
