Please attribute to Toni Snyder, Color Specialist at Benjamin Moore

Dubai, UAE, August 29, 2016:  While getting your children excited about starting a new school year is easy, keeping them energized and inspired throughout the term can be another challenge. Toni Snyder, Color Specialist at Benjamin Moore shares some creative tips for getting their rooms & spaces ready for a productive year.

De-clutter: 
De-cluttering your child’s room is crucial before the start of the new school year. Most kids accumulate tons of tiny toys that I like to call bribes, i.e. kids-meal toys and the toys you buy on impulse or to get your child to do things. Get rid of anything and everything that isn't of good learning value or inspiring, and whatever they have grown out of. There are many great charities that will collect them with a swift phone call and you will be benefiting someone else. Think of de-cluttering as 'making room for growth and new knowledge', so the more you clear, the more space your children have for a productive school year!

Creating Spaces: 
Allocating spaces for separate activities will help make a great difference in your child’s routine. Create a corner or niche for homework and learning and be sure to position it far from the bed. Start defining a ‘study spot’ by using the colors your child likes, and painting just the study area. Try large triangles that start at the floor, or create mountain peaks, maybe even a huge pink polka-dot right behind the desk on bright white walls. Find inspiration online, perhaps on Pinterest to get some inspired ideas on color to accent this area. Tint-able chalkboard paint is really fun too around the study area, and can be applied in various colors, shapes and sizes to create an area for jotting down notes or drawing. Add a soft rug to the floor to give them a place to spread out a project, gather with friends, or just read. Be sure your rug follows the color scheme and again, it’s fun to let them choose it.

Color goes a long way:
Color is always the most budget friendly way to change a space or create a lasting impact. However it can be very personal and children tend to grow and change in and out of color really quick, so talk to them and get their input. A blue room may not be very inspiring to a boy who loves green. Do, though, decide on a color palette and stick to it throughout the room. You may decide to go with monochromes, which are different tones of the same color, to keep a clean and de-cluttered feel in the space. For example, if you have a girl who loves red, you may try a monochrome red-to-pink palette that incorporates the pinks she loved last year. 

To agree on what you want to see in their room, and what they want, I suggest choosing a handful of colors yourself and let them choose from your picks. Most younger kids will be drawn to red or vibrant tones you may not want on their walls, so get prepared before you take color chips home. You may, as an alternative, let them choose a color to paint the room’s ceiling while leaving the walls a clean white. An alternative is to paint 2 walls in their bold color and use a less intense tone for the remaining walls. Try Coral gables 2010-40 -- beautiful, energizing, and super trendy when paired with white and gold accents -- and Vanilla Milkshake 2141-70 -- a clean pure white with very slight drops of grey -- together. 

There are endless ideas for reviving a child's space for a productive new year, and it would be best to get them all involved in the work, as their ideas may surprise you. Let them hand-paint a great quote near their desk. Something inspirational like, 'You can move mountains' or 'A smile is the prettiest thing you can wear'. Let them choose their color and allow them to help paint. Ask them where they want their bed this year. Take them shopping for a new desk or room accessories for their '2016 room'. Whatever changes you make, let them be inspired and be involved in their new space for a new school year and have fun doing it!