Once your child hits the teenage years, school becomes noticeably more intense. They are given more work, which makes homework quite common, and in some cases is a daily occurrence. Part of making sure your teen is successful in their schooling is creating an efficient and productive home study space. Simply setting up on the couch in front of the television after school isn’t going to cut it.
Here are some tips you can use to set up the ultimate home study space for your teen.
Create a Designated Study Zone
While it may be tempting to let your teen work at the kitchen table, that’s not exactly an ideal spot. The kitchen tends to have a lot of foot traffic and noise which will be extremely distracting for them as they work. Not only that, there is nothing ergonomic about a dining table and chair. The same goes for other common areas in the home that lack privacy and comfortable seating.
This is why the first step will be to create a designated study zone. Some families may have a spare room they can use, or you can pick a quiet, less used area in the home. You can even create a sense of a separate space by using furniture, a folding screen, or bookcases. The goal should be to eliminate distractions.
A Laptop Takes Up Less Space and Is Flexible
In terms of a computer for their study space, a laptop may be a better option than a traditional desktop. Laptops are smaller and more streamlined and they can be used anywhere in the house or even taken to school. Laptops for school have become mainstream and almost essential for students, especially teens.
In terms of features, size will be one of the top considerations. Typical laptops range from 14″ to 16″, all of which will work great for your teen. Other things to consider include the memory, storage, operating system, processor, graphics card, and battery.
Plenty of Compact Yet Comfortable Desks to Choose From
Next is a desk and chair for your teen. There is no need to purchase something large and expensive, especially if you don’t have a lot of extra space. Instead, think in terms of function, and look for pieces that would be comfortable to sit at and house their laptop or desktop computer.
The desk also needs to be large enough that they can spread out their textbooks and notepad so they can work seamlessly.
What About Lighting in the Study Space?
Finally, there is the lighting in the study space to consider. To prevent eyestrain, you may need a combination of overhead and task lighting in the space. This gives them more control. Let’s not forget there can be long nights of studying and working in your teen’s future, so they won’t always have natural light.
By creating a fully-functional and comfortable home study space, you’ll be encouraging your teen’s success in school, while helping to eliminate some of their stress in terms of their homework.