The summer holidays usually mean organisation goes out the window (and so it should!) but with the school year just around the corner, creating a serene study space at home for the kids is the perfect way to get them excited about heading back for a new year of learning.

Starting the school year off with a dedicated, calm study area for kids means (hopefully!) that they’ll attack the new year with gusto, ready to learn new things, conquer new challenges and stay on top of their work. And who better to help us organise the perfect study space than the stationery experts at Paper Mate!

We’ve put together a handy guide on creating the perfect study space for kids, including everything you’ll need, as well as some bonus study tips to help them get the best out of their new study zone.

How To Create A Calm Study Space For Back To School Success

Location, Location, Location!

Don’t stress too much if the space you want to use isn’t the prettiest corner of the house. A study space isn’t so much about aesthetics and more about practicality.

Here are the two most important things to consider:

• Lighting: Remember that your child will probably doing most of their study after school, so choose somewhere that gets some natural light in the afternoon, or has good overhead or lamp lighting in the evenings.
• Distractions: Think about whether you want your child’s study space to be in their bedroom or elsewhere. Their bedroom, while away from the noise of the house, probably holds a fair few distractions! So you may want to consider a quiet corner of the house.

Set Up And Organisation

Now that you’ve found the perfect spot for the kids’ study space, it’s time to make it into a creative and calm area for learning.

Desk: Obviously there needs to be a desk, but this may not always be a traditional desk. If the only space you have available is the dining table, that’s fine! Get a storage box with everything that’s needed to set up a ‘transportable’ study space: stationery, a lamp, chargers, books, calculator and keep it handy for study sessions.

If you do have space for a desk, ask your child whether they’re prefer a standing desk or a traditional desk.

Seating: Whether your child’s study space is at a dedicated desk or the dining table, it’s worth investing in an ergonomic desk chair, or even an inflatable balance ball to make sure they’re comfy while doing their school work. A balance ball is particularly useful if you find your child isn’t keen on sitting still for long periods of time.

Stationery: Most kids don’t lug their pencil case to and from school each night, so create a stationery station at home with everything they’ll need to be creative and productive:

• Paper Mate Profile Retractable Pens: The perfect ballpoint pens that write beautifully and make smooth crisp lines. They’re a workhorse with a comfort grip so there’s less chance of writing fatigue.
• Liquid Paper Dryline Grip, Recycled: Because everyone makes mistakes! Made from 60% recycled material, the uniquely-shaped dispenser makes it comfortable for kids to smoothly lay down the tape over their errors. And it dries instantly, so they can keep on working!
• Paper Mate Flair Medium Tip Pens: Add colour to creative tasks. These felt tip pens are smear and fade-resistant writing, with water-based ink that won’t bleed through pages. And we LOVE that these have a point guard to stop the ends from fraying!
• Paper Mater Woodcase HB Pencils: Essential tool for any task and great for little ones who don’t yet have their pen license! And the strong lead resists breakage for those who like a little more pressure in their writing!
• A ruler
• A calculator
• Looseleaf paper
• Notebooks
• Art paper
• Glue
• Scissors

Environment: We want a study space to be somewhere kids are inspired to be creative in their thinking. So a sterile, boring area just won’t do. There are some really simple ways to soften the area and make it far more inviting.

• Use plants to bring in a sense of nature and calm, and they’ll help improve the air quality.
• Add some personalisation. Get the kids to create motivational posters. They can even put up photos of their friends from school or their own artwork.
• Organise cables and leads. If your child needs tech for their homework, make sure chargers and leads are organised so they aren’t a tripping hazard.

Study Tips For A Stellar School Year

Now that your child’s study corner has been created, take a look at our handy study tips to make sure they’re putting their best foot forward this year!

The Power Of Colour: Colour-coding study notes and schoolwork is such a simple, but effective way to help retain information, as well as present it with a bit of flair.

Keep It Clean: Messy notes are difficult to read, and messy work is impossible for a teacher to grade. So encourage the kids to use Paper Mate Liquid Paper DryLine Grip Correction Tape to go over their mistakes and keep their work clean.

Use The Right Tools: For school starters just embarking on their handwriting journey, writing in pencil (which they have to do at school) can be a little boring. So at home in their own study space, get them to practice using Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens, which have a thicker 0.7mm tip. It makes tracing lettering a breeze, and the bright colours keep it fun.

Scented Study: Using scented pens isn’t just fun, it actually adds an olfactory element to study. By using different scents for different subjects, it can actually help trigger memory recall! Amazing!

Study By Theme: When your child is studying a particular theme, historical time or concept at school, you can incorporate elements in their study space – like photos, quotes and even snacks!

Music Memory: Creating a catchy jingle or song about a difficult-to-retain subject can help your child recall the information when it’s needed.

So farewell the summer holidays with the perfect project – setting up a serene study space for a big year of learning and growing!

Mouths of Mums is proudly working with Paper Mate to bring you this article. Paper Mate is bringing back the joy to writing through its revolutionary pens, pencils and accessories.