Proper Positioning Of The Desk
Some people assume that facing the sky is good for a child trying to remember times tables. However, some children often do better if the desk is facing away from any entrance such as a door or window. Make sure that desk is placed in a place with good lighting away from the front door and not overlooking the backyard to avoid distractions. If you place the desk against a wall, your child can glance at any papers stuck to the notice board, the calendar or a dry erase board hanging nearby without any distractions from outside.
Proper Lighting
You need task lighting such as pendant lights or a table lamp as an accessory to the reading desk, regardless of the age of your child. The light, together with natural illumination from the windows should provide enough lighting for your child to stay focused and alert when reading. This article has some good tips.
Remove Phones
Smart phones are more distracting than windows or doors. You don't need to have a mobile phone in the study room, so you should always charge it in another room. These technology habits will be ingrained in your child even when he/she grows up. For instance, when your child gets to middle school, he/she might need a computer and will become used to not having his/her phone close by looking into social media. You can help your child pace his/her work using an old-fashioned timer or clock.
Stock Studying
Supplies
Make sure reading supplies such as pens, pencils, scissors, markers and rulers are stocked in a desk drawer very neat and tidy. You can also leave a space for papers and folders. For children in middle school, you can add a cabinet or drawer, providing a filing system. That way, your child can store the completed homework and assignments neatly. You can also add a turn it in folder where your child will place anything that needs to be forwarded to the teacher the next day.
Create A Reading Nook
You need to create a cozy spot where your child can enjoy some independent reading without any devices to avoid distractions. It's easy to create a reading nook using a bean bag, window seat, soft chair and much more but make sure it's readily available to the child. Here, they can relax and dive into a good book at any time. You should also provide a shelf, rack, bins or baskets where your child can stash books.
Create An Information Center
You can hang up a bulletin, oversized calendar, magnetic board or dry erase board where you can display important papers. These include your child's class schedule as well as test and quiz dates but make sure they are in order. That way, you can easily remind your child of any upcoming deadlines. Keep your child from creating piles of notices and papers. Remember, these big stacks will take up a lot of space and can be toppled very easily making organization a huge mess according to UK tutor James Goldsmith.
Avoid Clutter
It is quite calming to remove visual clutter. However, many kids in elementary school always love displaying their collectibles as a way of personalizing their personal space. That's where you need to compromise. You can allow your child to organize his/her own workspace and let him/her gain the skill of organization, a good life skill. Teach your kids how to put away things because it is a good habit which teaches responsibility. You can do this by reserving a shelf, windowsill or a cubby for your child's toys. That way, you can keep the clutter away from the study area.
Your child's study area should look amazing with these useful tips.