There are many reasons that you might want your children to stay put and one of the best and safest places is obviously their bedroom. More than just a room to sleep, a modern bedroom is usually a mixture of a resting space, a playroom, a study, and an entertainment room. Some reasons for keeping the kids in their room might be for keeping them out of the way while you do chores with dangerous equipment or chemicals, to stop them wandering around the house at night, or simply to give yourself a little space at some point in the day.
However, if you are a parent then you already know that having a child, especially a younger one, stay in the same space for an extended period can be challenging as their natural curiosity and energy direct them towards sounds, a loving relative, or activities in other rooms.
Because of this it becomes necessary to have what they want and/or need in one area and some ways of keeping them there could include:
- Extra Entertainment
- Upgrade their Space
- Rewards System
Kids love to be entertained in many ways from toys and games to TV shows and movies while simply redecorating a room to a style that they will love makes their room personal and more attractive and a rewards system can be put in place if you need the children to stay in their room for a particular reason or a given length of time.
Add Extra Entertainment
A lot of children these days love to be entertained by their favorite movies and TV shows from channels such as Nickelodeon, Disney, and even streaming platforms like Netflix. However, in most households, the main TV in the living room is the only place they can access these but the price of such systems as Sky TV (see this guide for haggling tips for SKY), Virgin Media, and TiVo has reduced for their basic packages and extensions, and alternatives like Amazon Fire TV, Roku and TiVo Roamio offer subscription-free packages.
You must be aware though that many of these systems can be used easily by the kids and they know how to get extra content. Fortunately, they all come with parental control settings that can prevent them from watching stuff that they shouldn’t such as adult material or purchasing extra channels and services on your credit card. Many devices also come with time limits and settings so they won’t be up all night binge-watching their favorite shows – as we do!
Upgrade their Space
Children love anything that is personalized and for most of them, it doesn’t get more personal than their bedroom. A kid’s room can easily be made to reflect their personality and what they love such as unicorns and rainbows for little girls or tech-focused ornaments and strip lighting for gaming teen boys. While it’s great to upgrade their space for each child’s entertainment though, remember that they will need space to study.
This is easier for the little ones since they might just have a little desk or play area in the corner, but teenagers will undoubtedly use their desk for other things such as gaming PCs and consoles, so it might be a good idea to check out some of the options before buying just any desk and find one that might be more suitable for gamers and non-gamers alike.
A Rewards System
Positive reinforcement is a tried and tested method of getting the kids to do what you need them to do and while some find it abhorrent, it is a genuine and harmless learning method if it isn’t abused. Having the kids stay in their room for any significant period of time might be necessary when you are doing a dangerous chore, speaking to someone about a private matter, or even for a small respite after a long day. Unless they have something to keep them there as mentioned above it can be difficult. Introducing a rewards system can not only teach a child some restraint but the time can be used to have them do something productive, such as homework, that will show them that a reward can follow hard work. This can be used as a great method for teaching children responsible actions and can also be applied to other things such as doing chores, completing an important activity, or bonding with family.
