Summer holidays are here and many of us across the country will be using the time to fix up the home. Here, Dulux’s Creative Director, Marianne Shillingford, explains why using the time to decorate your kids’ bedrooms with them could have more impact on their development than you think.
“With the school holidays already here, many of us may be planning to make the most of the time out to complete decorating projects or give our homes a fresh new look for the summer months.
At the same time, parents across the country will be looking for fun and creative activities to keep their children occupied during the break.
However, that keeping the kids occupied while you take on the summer decorating may be a lot easier than you think as new research has even shows kid’s place huge value on decorating their own bedrooms and see it as a really important milestone in their lives.
In Dulux’s new study carried out in partnership with Developmental Psychologist Dr Sam Wass to launch their Kid’s Bedrooms campaign, we revealed that children rated decorating their bedroom as a hugely important childhood milestone. Being given the opportunity to get creative with their own space beat off many other traditional summer activities, such as riding a bike, visiting their first football match and visiting the cinema.
However, as many as three quarters of parents still choose not to consult their kids or get them involved in the process. Most attributed this to time pressures, saying it would be quicker to make decisions themselves, while two thirds admitted they preferred to match the bedroom to the style of the rest of the house and according to their own personal space.
Yet, giving children the opportunity to decorate their own bedrooms comes with its own unexpected benefits for parents too! In fact, the research also revealed that it gave way to improved behaviour and tidiness. 92 per cent of kids said that they would spend more time playing in their room and doing their homework if they have a say in how it’s decorated. And parents who had let their kids’ run wild with their imaginations saw their children take pride in their new space, with many saying that they kept their rooms tidier so that could show them off to their friends and family.
Commenting on the research, Dr Sam Wass has explained that “Children typically create little things, but the bedroom is the first real, permanent thing that they can influence. Involving a child helps them to establish their own inner space and the image that they want to project to others. And for parents, having a chance to work together with their children can really help to establish a stable, respectful relationship.
“This new study by Dulux confirms this. Children, when given a chance to be in charge of their bedrooms, respond positively: they feel a sense of pride, they spend more time in their bedroom, and they become more inclined to keep it tidy to show it off to their friends. For these reasons, and more, I think it would be wonderful if more parents involved their children when decorating their bedroom”.
Most of us remember being sent to our room as a child because we did something naughty. But when you’re an adult your bedroom becomes a sanctuary, a place for relaxation and creative expression. That’s why, here at Dulux, we wanted to make being sent to your room a rewarding and positive experience for children.
As part of the Kids’ Bedrooms campaign we carefully selected six easy to achieve bedroom looks to spark the imaginations of kids and their parents. These include an exciting superhero look, adventurous jungle-scape, astonishing Milky Way and romantic storybook bedroom as well as a fun circus tent-style and inspiring race track looks. And to make those looks last for longer, Dulux’s Endurance+ range of paints are 20 times stronger than standard matt emulsion, meaning that the inevitable ketchup, coloured pencil and mud stains can be easily wiped away without damaging the paint beneath.
“To help parents and decorators achieve each of these looks, the Dulux website is full of simple how-to videos and easy-to-follow print outs. This summer they have also released a brand new Kids’ Bedroom Workbook to help kids get creative and develop their ideas for their dream room.
“From finding inspiration to compiling shopping lists and schedules, the Kids’ Bedroom Workbook is designed to encourage parents and kids to work together every step of the way. Packed full of fun activities and inspiration, the Dulux Kids’ Bedroom workbook will keep kids’ on track for a brilliant new bedroom just in time for the start of the new school year. Parents simply need to visit the Dulux website to download a copy of the book, print out, and work through each page together with their child.”
