We talk about dream rooms, in the context of having the perfect room we’ve always dreamed of having. However, there is another twist on the “dream room.”
Creating such a room begins with our children’s hopes and dreams for the future. Some children don’t yet have serious goals and may change their minds often, which is okay too. There is no need to pressure children to decide what their lives will be like in the future and kids should enjoy being kids.
There are also children who just seem to know from early on what they want to be and they are determined from a young age to meet that goal.
Creating a room that exhibits your child’s dreams is a great way to encourage him or her to continue embracing -and perhaps eventually realizing- such goals. Of course, if the child decides it isn’t for him or her later on the room can be changed and this point should be made very clear to a child. Decorating the room in such a way doesn’t mean he or she has to stick with that idea if that really isn’t what the child wants to do.
Yet, showing your child that you believe in his or her hopes and dreams can be a wonderful form of encouragement. A child that wants to be a teacher may want to decorate a room using items from a teacher’s supply store. On topic books are great too.
One of my kids wants to be a doctor and has since she was little. She has always wanted to help people and feels for anyone who is sick or in pain. Another plans to be a meteorologist. She is fascinated by the weather and anything to do with weather is welcome in her room. Another child is considering architecture or interior design. She thinks of other things she’d like to do to, so she isn’t really set on either idea, but she does like to decorate with her drawings. The youngest thinks being a veterinarian is a good idea because she loves animals. She hosts lots of animal pictures and stuffed animals (although she changes her mind sometimes and at this point thinks she’ll have several other careers along with being a veterinarian).
I like to encourage them and remind them that they can do anything they want to do. Being surrounded by things related to their interests seems to nurture those dreams.
What would your child’s dream room look like?
Crafts to Personalize/Organize Kid’s Spaces
Some Cool Ideas for Kid’s Curtain Rods