First a nanny, then a doll.This is how our ancestors expressed their desire to have two children of different sexes. Of course, desire is desire, but life has its own way. And yet, almost all normal parents probably dream of having a girl and a boy. A girl for mom, a boy for dad - this is how they think when planning a family. When dreams come true, happy parents consider their mission accomplished, but life puts more and more new challenges before them. It turns out that raising children of different sexes is often much more problematic than raising two brothers or sisters. And organizing the living space of the heirs is also not an easy task. Most families are able to allocate only one room for a nursery, where two or even three children will live. If the age difference between the heirs is small, then at first there is no problem as such. There are also no problems when organizing a nursery for children of different sexes, when one child is much older than the other. But as soon as children of similar ages enter the teenage years, conflicts are inevitable. And parents are faced with the delicate problem of the "correct" design of a children's room. Let's find out what experts advise regarding the interior design of a children's room for children of different sexes.
Psychological nuances
Psychologists recommend decorating the interiorchildren's room for children of different sexes, delimiting individual zones as much as possible. This means that each child in the room should have personal space, but at the same time - enough space for joint games. The problem of leadership is inevitable if the children are close in age. In this case, parents should be able to design the interior without violating the hierarchy determined by the children themselves, but also without emphasizing the obvious preferential position of one of them. It is a common room for two children of different sexes that is the problem of organizing the interior taking into account the maximum protection of personal space. People are genetically programmed to be cautious towards representatives of the opposite sex, to want to violate the intimate space of a "neighbor" and to protect their personal territory from such an invasion. These nuances should be the starting point for planning the interior of a common room for children of different sexes.
Zoning rules
It is advisable to allocate two for a brother and sisterclearly delimited parts of the room. Usually, each child's individual territory should include a sleeping place and a cabinet (cabinet) for storing personal belongings. If possible, the part of the nursery where the window is located should become a common area. Here you can organize a place for studying, put a TV and other interior items that imply joint use. If the window is located so that only one child will get it, then there are two options for distributing individual zones. In the case of obvious and even aggressive leadership of children close in age, the part of the room with the window will most likely have to be given to the leader in this pair. With a sufficient age difference, it is advisable to place the younger child in this part: he falls asleep earlier. And another option is to place children depending on their temperament. A calmer and quieter child will feel better in the far (not walk-through) part of the room, and he will not bother his active neighbor with constant walking back and forth and stormy pastime. It is advisable to visually delimit such zones: each zone should be emphatically decorated in a “boyish” or “girlish” style. In addition to visual delimitation, it is advisable to also designate children's zones with a tangible border: a screen, a cabinet, a shelving unit. Therefore, in a room for children of different sexes, it is best to draw such a border perpendicular to the long side wall. Of course, parallel zoning is also possible, when beds are placed along opposite walls, and a desk near the window located between them. However, such a distribution of living space will make personal zones as open and unprotected as possible, and children will not feel very comfortable. A common bunk bed, oddly enough, does not violate the rule of individual zoning. Each child's sleeping place will be personal and hidden from the prying eyes of a neighbor. And the issue of a dedicated individual zone can be solved by organizing, for example, two isolated places for studying and storing clothes, books and toys.
Furniture selection rules
When decorating any children's room, you need to be guided not only by your tastes, but also by the rules for choosing furniture for children of different ages. Consider these rules.
- A child under the age of four mustto provide the opportunity to freely realize the thirst for knowledge. Furniture should be light, soft, safe and should not restrict free space. Of colors, bright shades are best, but without sharp changes in color.
- Since the age of four, the criteria for choosing children's furniture slightlyare changing. It's time to organize your own workplace. Pay special attention to the convenience and safety of furniture: it must be solid, not have corners and be made of environmentally friendly materials.
- At ten to eleven years, flavors are formeda person must choose furniture with the participation of a child. Not bad, if the furniture in the nursery is not heavy - in this case, the teenager can change the situation in the room according to the mood.
Layout options
Planning a children's room for children of different sexesshould be carried out taking into account the age of its inhabitants, their hobbies and temperament. Let's consider the most common options for solving such a problem.
- A spacious room for children close by age
This is the simplest case.The interior can be planned taking into account the wishes of children and the capabilities of parents. The best solution is to color code private areas and organize a common area for games, communication and activities. Such a solution to the problem will be convenient not only for parents, but also for children. Make sure that the work areas are sufficiently illuminated and located as conveniently and equally as possible. In fact, this remark is also relevant for planning each child's sleeping area.
- A room for children with a big age difference
Individual zoning is also appropriate here.Moreover, the younger child can be given a more convenient part of the room, and the older one can compensate for such "injustice" with a larger area of his zone. In this version of the layout, the interior must be divided only into personal zones for each child. Children of different ages do not need a common zone and will fully satisfy the need for communication in a neutral territory - in the living room, in the dining room, in the kitchen.
- Small room for children of different sexes
Here parents will have to take into account firstin total, with a small area of the common children's room, and the task of saving space will come to the fore. It will be appropriate to opt for a bunk bed, and in the case of a small age difference between the children - for a children's corner with two sleeping places. A workplace, wardrobes and a bookcase can be made common. And still, do not deprive children of the opportunity to have a private area: think about how you can plan the interior taking this wish into account. Let at least each child have their own nightstand or book shelf.
- A very small children's room
To place children of different sexes in such a room isis not an easy task. However, there are optimal solutions here too. The main thing is not to try to cram all the children's things into the room. For example, clothes can be stored in a common family wardrobe, books and textbooks - in a large bookcase in the living room. The interior of even a very small room must be planned, delimiting private areas for each child. The best option for solving this problem is a furniture constructor (transformer). As a rule, it combines a sleeping area and a work area or a bed and a wardrobe. Do not forget about the possibility of zoning the interior, using different designs for each child's "living space". And remember that even absolutely identical organization of individual zones in a room for children of different sexes will not protect them from conflicts. It is wiser not to strive for maximum satisfaction of children's needs (which, as we know, have no boundaries), but to teach children to compromise, show generosity and respect for each other. By the way, this skill will definitely be useful to them in adulthood. We recommend reading: