Fun accessories
When children reach the age of ten, they evolve into tweens. Tweens are no longer children but they are not old enough to be considered teenagers. Suddenly, your child wants a room that reflects her emerging personality, so it's time to clean out the dolls, stuffed animals and toy cars. Your tween needs his own space where he can do homework, socialize with friends and just relax.
Messages on the Wall
Tweens love to fill their rooms with pictures of themselves, friends and pets. A magnetic or cork message board allows your tween to display photos and keep schedules visible. Take cork squares or a roll of cork available at craft stores and apply it around the wall at chair rail level for a decorative display area, or hang a large, framed chalkboard on the wall.
Free Space
Open floor space in a tween room is important. Provide a spot big enough for an air mattress for sleepovers. A loft bed frees up space for a futon or desk to go underneath. Give your tween a place for reading, listening to music, or talking on the phone by suspending a chair from the ceiling (but don't install the chair yourself unless you know do it as an improperly installed chair is unsafe). A platform bed gives a room a contemporary look with added storage space on the bottom. Mount a television on a wall for clear viewing.
Homework Time
Supply your tween with a desk where she can do her homework in privacy away from the family buzz. Find sturdy, stylish, affordable desks. Choose a tabletop type of desk or one with drawers for more storage. Keep stuff organized with bookshelves or wall shelving. Look for canvas bins or metal baskets to contain the clutter. Create a unique shelf by attaching a skateboard to the wall of a tween boy's bedroom.
Color for the Tween Girl and Boy
Talk to your tween about what color he would like his room painted. Sometimes a tween will need help picking a color. Magazines and your local home improvement center offer great ideas on current color trends. For the tween girl who's into deep, bold colors, try painting the walls burgundy, plum, gold or teal. Polka dots liven up a tween girl's room in a fun, quirky way so think about using aqua, bright pink or a fresh green on the walls, or a sherbet pink, cool blue or muted green for the sophisticated, mature tween girl. Let the funky side of your tween girl show by painting the walls purple, yellow or lime green. For tween boys, stick with a neutral wall like tan or taupe for the boy who doesn't like a lot of color. Cover walls in an outdoor blue or green for the extreme tween who enjoys skateboarding or surfing. Paint vertical or horizontal stripes in the colors of your tween's favorite sports team.
Ready to Accessorize
Tweens can express themselves with accessories. The hip, chic tween girl can replace her traditional closet doors with colorful beaded curtains. Inject some quirkiness into a tween boy's room with a neon sign or lava lamp. A flower clock, retro ball clock or surfboard bedside clock will keep your tween on time. Tween girls love gazing into mirrors, so give them one in a star shape or one with a beaded and sequined frame. Spice up a tween girl's room with a shag rug and pillows. Top a tween boy's bed with graphic-designed pillows that depict a guitar, turntable, skateboard or BMX bike. Dress up a tween girl's room with a painted chandelier, elegant picture frames and framed movie posters. Make walls exciting with dot or flower shaped decals. You can get the same wall effect with stencils. Try stenciled squares in a shade complimentary to the wall color.
Tags: tween girl, your tween, girl room, room with, , girl room with, painting walls