4 Tips for Creating a Productive Study Space for Kids

If you’re a parent of a school-age child, or school-age children, your home probably will need to accommodate some distance learning when the new school year starts. For some households, spring became a frantic last-minute scramble to adjust to sheltering and schooling at home. For fall, you might want to spend time thoughtfully planning and setting up a more effective remote-learning environment that works for your entire family. Here, interior designers and a professional organizer share four must-have items and practical tips for creating a study space at home.

1. Functional Desk

“It is important to remember that no matter how big or small the space you designate for schoolwork, you need to establish a routine and a specific place to go every day,” interior designer Karri Bowen-Poole of Smart D2 Playrooms says. Having a specific desk, work surface or table in your home for schoolwork will help add structure to the day and week for your child and entire family.

“Children under 10 tend to prefer to be on the same floor or near a parent, and older children may gravitate toward working in their bedroom,” says interior designer Denise Davies, also of Smart D2 Playrooms.

Sometimes it’s helpful for kids to move around to different areas of the home to work throughout the day, but an assigned homework hub for each child will help establish a reliable routine and minimize background distractions when family members log on to a virtual class or videoconference call.

Pro tips for choosing a desk:

• If you anticipate a lot of paperwork — worksheets, artwork, drawing-related projects — look for a desk that features concealed storage or file storage, interior designer Erin Coren of Curated Nest Interiors says.
• If your child is mostly on a laptop, tablet or other device, consider a smaller, simpler writing desk. You can place one almost anywhere, even to the side of a child’s bed to double as a nightstand.
• If your child is active and likes to move around during the day, consider an adjustable-height standing desk.
• If you have limited space, professional organizer Tara Button of All Buttoned Up suggests using a wall-mounted desk, especially one that features a surface that folds up to be tucked away.

  Families who live in smaller spaces should also keep multipurpose furnishings in mind. “Any surface like a kitchen counter, dining table, coffee table or large windowsill can be used as a workspace,” Coren says. “Desks can even be shared in shifts. It may take some adjusting, but it’s all about getting organized in advance.”

Coren and her design partner Lina Galvao redesigned the compact bedroom in Brooklyn, New York, seen here, for a second grader who will be participating in distance learning in the new school year. The design team prioritized a desk versus a dresser, and chose a desk with a storage hutch and a built-in pinboard to keep papers handy.

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