If you have a child, or two or three, you know that their rooms are not necessarily the best kept place in the house. Some children are messy and expect mom or dad to pick up after them, well into their later years.

When you begin with a comfortable, calm and cozy room, most children are more apt to take care of the room. Even the youngest children can be taught how to keep their room clean and organized.

Giving your child a cozy place to relax and read, like with a beanbag chair, will also give them pride in the way they keep their room. Beanbag chairs are making a resurgence and you can find answers to questions about Fombag, as well as make color choices before ordering.

Below is a list of 9 calm and cozy items you’ll want to put in your child’s room.

1. Start with The Bed

Depending on the age and sex of your child, you should get them a bed they will love falling asleep in at night. This may mean a race car bed for the boys and a fairy princess tulle covered bed for a little girl.

Draping a lightweight material over the bed, or placing a pre-made tent on the bed, can be comforting to those little ones that seem to have a more active imagination as soon as the lights go out. Sleeping under a canopy is fun for all ages and makes a safe place for a good night’s sleep.

2. A Place to Play

Be sure to have a place in the child’s room that they can just be a kid. If they like to play house or pretend with kitchen food, build them a house structure. Then stock it with plastic foods and small chairs.

3. A Place to Read

When creating your child’s room, be sure to put in a place for a small library. This could be a short bookcase and a table and chairs, or a comfortable pile of blankets and pillows on the floor. You want them to enjoy their time spent with books.

Do add a good reading light, but don’t allow a computer or television in this area. It is strictly for quiet reading, although you could suggest they read to a sibling or a favorite stuffed animal.

4. An Imagination Station

To give your child a way to escape from the everyday sameness or any stress they may have, create an imagination station in their room. This could include anything from costumes and swords to Legos and building blocks.

Another idea is to build a small theater box and supply them with a bag of different puppets to put on their own shows. Allow your child to create their own magic without limits and without correction.

5. An Arts and Crafts Studio

Most children like to draw, color and create things with clay, beads, string and other such crafty items. You can incorporate this into a small space in their room with a fold-up or hide-a-desk.

Creating such a space will become something special because it is not out all the time. It can become a place to experiment with various craft supplies before they find the one they like the most.

6. A Stuffed Animal and/or Doll Corral

Give your child a place to be soft, calm and kind. A large basket filled with their favorite stuffed animals, dolls and other soft things is a perfect sanctuary to decompress and be quiet. Guide your child in caring for the stuffed animals and dolls and they will cultivate their empathy towards others.

Sometimes a child just needs to hug something and think about things. It is okay to leave them alone with their thoughts and a nice soft, safe space. But let them know you are right around the corner if they need anything.

7. Organizing Throughout

If you can introduce a love of organization and cleanliness in your children at a young age, chances are they will remain neat and tidy for the rest of their lives. Be sure to have containers and places for everything in their room.

Help them when they are young to create an organized environment and then allow them to do the straightening up on their own when they grow a bit. If they find a better space for something, don’t get upset, allow them to do things their way as much as possible in their own room.

8. Change When They Change

If your child likes trains when he or she is three years old, but not when they are five, allow them to pick out another theme. Just as your interests and tastes change with time, so too will theirs.

There is nothing calming about a place you don’t like. By allowing them to choose the décor and the theme, they will feel as if they own the space and will be much more comfortable as well as taking better care of the room.

9. Pets

Besides the family dog or cat, consider getting your child a fish and fish tank or a guinea pig. This would be something they can take care of mostly on their own, as well as someone to love and talk to when they need a sympathetic and quiet friend.

Be sure to include them in the decision making process and set out the rules for cleaning and caring for their new friend. You may need to give gentle reminders at the beginning, and make sure they understand what will happen if they do not care for their pet.

Remember that children have problems and issues just as you and other adults do. Their issues aren’t any less serious to them just because they aren’t a major issue for you.

 By creating a comfortable and calm space for them to relax, decompress and sort through their feelings, you will be surprised at how much better behaved they are over a short period of time.