5 Tips to Preschoolers Bedrooms, on a Budget
by Kathleen Wilson
Decorating on a budget can always be a challenge, but nowhere do our hearts yearn to provide a beautiful room as much as when it comes to our little ones. Luckily, there are some great ideas you can do today to punch up your preschooler's room and keep the costs as little as they are.
- Paint the room a wonderful, dreamy color. Soothing pool blues, apple greens, and soft yellows are great for a young one's restful spot. If you make the colors too bright, you will affect their ability to rest well as the colors will be too stimulating. Make them too pale pastel, and young ones have a hard time even registering them as colors! You can pick up a gallon of quality paint from your discount store for less than $10, which should cover the average bedroom, and make a quick and dramatic change in just a couple of hours. I recommend Dutch Boy paints for kids' rooms, as they are almost odorless.
- Get craft foam from the craft store in varying colors and cut out shapes according to your room's theme. The foam comes in sheets kind of like thick paper, cuts quite easily with scissors, and is brightly colored like a box of crayons. For instance, if your child loves trains and planes, cut out trains and planes. Learning to read? The alphabet. Trace from simple coloring books if you like. Now glue these shapes on the walls in a border or all over pattern. It's quick, dramatic, and cheap. They will love it! (Can't glue? Use double sided tape.)
- Pick up some cheap frames from the dollar shop, remove the glass for safety, and place pictures of your family, beloved pet, or even their own drawings right in their special place! It provides them with comfort when they are alone and teaches them to value those close to them.
- Keep an eye out for a low coffee table at yard sales.(Or maybe you have one in the garage?) Pick one up and paint it to match the room. This makes a great art table for kids. You would be surprised at how much time kids will spend being creative if only they had the materials available to them when the creative urge strikes! Cover empty wipe containers with contact paper, and keep full of washable crayons and chalk. Layout paper for them each morning, and be ready for the masterpieces!
- Finally, make a little book corner for your little one. Even if they aren't reading yet, every small child should have the opportunity to spend time with books, reliving the stories you read to them over and over! Place plastic crates on their side as bookshelves they can easily reach, and give them a soft spot to cuddle up, either with pillows on their bed or a little beanbag chair in the corner. Yard sales are great places to pick up colorful books for just a few pennies. And above all, find time to read to them each day in their special spot!
Just a few quick projects can enliven your kid's imagination for years to come!
Kathy Wilson is an author, columnist, and editor of The Budget Decorator. For hundreds of free budget decorating ideas, and to sign up for her free online newsletter and free ebook, visit her at TheBudgetDecorator.com.
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