One thing I’m big on in my home is education.
I want my kids to enjoy learning and I feel that for them to do that they have to have a variety of fun activities and a great learning environment at home.
Therefore, about a year or so ago I decided to make a dedicated area in our home for a learning center to encourage learning and creativity outside of school.
Today, I’m sharing with you how I created a learning center at home for my boys in case you’re looking for tips for getting a learning center in your home for your kids as well.
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#1 Find the perfect spot in your home
In my case, I selected a room that is near the back of the home with a window. That way after school they can use the natural lighting from outside and it also is far enough away from the living room that I don’t have to worry about them getting distracted by wanting to watch television or play the game.
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#2 See what you already have before going shopping
Once you find the perfect spot for the learning center, it’s time to bring out all the learning materials and organizers to see what you already have so you don’t accidentally purchase something that you didn’t need.
In my case, we already had a ton of books and educational activities so to get things rolling I didn’t feel that I needed to purchase more right away. The only thing I initially ended up purchasing was the easel.
See Also: Must Have’s to Keep Kids Brains Working When Out of School
#3 Figure out the color scheme and go shopping
I may be a little OCD, but I absolutely hate clutter.
When it comes to their things, especially, everything must have its own place, or any room can easily become chaotic.
I ended up purchasing three storage cubes that also function as a bookshelf and some cute bins for the craft and coloring supplies.
The color scheme came together naturally, which is teal and gray.
#4 Add in some furniture
Another thing to add to your learning center is tables and chairs so the kids can have a dedicated place to do their homework each day or play educational games together.
I opted to go with the Delta Children’s Kids Table and Chair Set.
Also, since I recently gave the kids one of my old laptops I let them have the standing desk that I was no longer using.
Don’t forget to add somewhere for adults to sit too.
For adults, I have the Ergo Ergo, which encourages active sitting.
I mostly use it when doing storytimes before school and love it because it keeps your core muscles engaged, and your spine in its natural curve while also gently moving the pelvis and stretching the legs.
While sitting on it I’m able to rock gently in any direction to build strength and flexibility.
#5 Make the learning center comfortable for the kids
The main thing is to make sure the learning center is comfortable for the kids.
You want them to enjoy spending time in this space after school, before school, and during breaks from school.
To make it as comfortable and kid orientated as possible I have wall decals up, wall art, a clock, and even a section for them to keep their backpacks hung neatly.
Other things I plan to incorporate into our learning center are a reading nook and bean bags.
Conclusion: It’s easy to create a learning center at home for the kids
Creating a learning center at home for the kids is easy.
While you may not have all of the things on hand that I did when I created mine making an investment into some education items will benefit your kids far into the future.
Have you ever thought about creating a learning center for your kids?
[…] have a station set up in their learning center, the living room, and the kitchen downstairs so it’s always in plain sight and regardless of […]
What a great way to have kids learn. I’m going to pass this on to my moms with littles. They will love it!
I think it’s awesome that we build an area where the kids can study and focus on learning. Each element adds to how a child is motivated to learn and these are all essential when building a study! Love your tips!
I created a nook for my son in his bedroom where he can study. And I made sure that it has all the things he needed and it is comfortable for him. Great tips!
The kids typically do their homework at the kitchen table – I wish we had more room in the house for them to go to do their school work. That way they wouldn’t be easily distracted by everything going on around them.
Do you recommend that the learning center inside the home would be separate from the bedroom? We have only two rooms at home and both are bedrooms. One is the masters bedroom where we stay and the other is our kid’s room.
Roch,
I would, but it also depends on your kids. My kids associate their rooms with bedtime and playing with toys. Unless I was on top of them the entire time they wouldn’t utilize a learning center in their room.
However, it doesn’t have to be in an actual room. If you have a section in the living room you could make a small one there that could be easily managed without taking up too much space.
I wish that I had room in my house for a reading/learning center. We downsized when we moved at the end of June and I’m still figuring out what to do with some of our stuff. I have to deal with the clutter that I haven’t found a home for yet. Mostly important papers that I can’t just throw away. I do have a book stand with some books for my son to read. And I am using a bookshelf with the fabric bins to store his toys. So far it is working out, but if I can get him to read for 15 to 20 min a day, im a happy mom.
What a great idea! I should organize something like this at home!
This is a fantastic idea. Learning and having fun at the comfort of your home is awesome. You make it seems very easy
That is a super cool idea, education is also very important in our home, so I might need to copy your space idea
I really like the idea of creating a learning center in the home. It seems like kids would thrive more in a space dedicated solely for study. And keeping them out of sight of the television is smart.
What a great idea! I’ll have to do something like this for my kids. They need a good place to do homework.
What a great idea! And like you noted above, check around the house for supplies as you may not need to go out and spend a lot of money. A separate space would sure make learning more fun than the kitchen table.
Nancy,
That is so true. I try to keep the kitchen table for eating so they associate it with nothing else but family dinners.
I love this idea! I have 3 kids and we are always looking for and taking advantage of “teaching moments” in our everyday life. I’m going to discuss a learning center with my husband and see if he thinks we can squeeze one in somewhere. When you live in an apartment, there isn’t a lot of room. lol
Trust me, I understand. We didn’t make one until we moved into a house because our small condo didn’t have enough space for one either.
All kids need a learning center like this at home. I love that it’s away from the busy areas of the house so they are able to concentrate with no distractions.
I think being organized is also part of learning to be honest. So it’s not just about the books and crafts it’s also having the perfect place to do those things. I love the idea of a learning center for the home. I think it’s great encouragement for the kiddos!
Those are really great tips and I hope I can this kind of beautiful learning center someday, thanks for sharing this ideas with us.
I love the idea of creating a learning center. And I am sure my son will be happy to spend there his time and will enjoy reading new books. I love this idea so much that I think it would be nice to spend there more of our time!
Our son had something like this when he was little – a little spot in his room where I put all his books, art materials, etc. that were neatly organized..
In all honesty, this is an idea I would like to incorporate. With that being said, I love kids learning at home as well.
I love this idea! I did something similar with their play room. Learning centers are so much fun for them.
I love having an area for the kids to go and learn. I have a ton of books for them.
This is a really great idea to have in the home. Keeping them sharp mentally is never a bad thing!
This is such a great idea! If my kids were younger, I would have totally done this for them. Thanks for sharing.
These are really great tips. I would love to do this. Your set up looks really nice.
This is indeed a clever way of having an alternative learning center. I think parents musy try this. Because apart from learning from school, home is the 1st school where kids are learning from.
This is a great idea. I didn’t have a dedicated space when my daughter was little, but I did keep some books on the shelf in the den once we got a computer.
We don’t have a learning center in our home but we make sure that they can study and learn in their room. Those are really great tips and I think I need to make this for my kids.
I totally love it. We have what we call the little man cave, which is really just a spare room, but it has all the crafting and school supplies in with a large table for them to work at. I want to make it more inviting for them though and paint it or add bean bag chairs for reading in. Learn ing spaces like this are amazing! Great job!
I used to. I had a little space in the corner of our apartment with all of their Waldorf dolls and books and such. They are now older and are in public school now though….
Looks great. Mostly I like that you are encouraging them to self direct learning by having access to this space all the time. That’s a great way to passively encourage and nurture a love of learning all year long. We have many spaces here in our home now for kids – but they are teens so they opt almost always to do their work in their bedrooms. Whatever. As long as they do it and do it well I am happy.
One day my husband and I are going to have to create something like this! He wants our kid(s) EXTRA smart, so I have a feeling they are going to be reading a lot LOL!