Invisible systems are at work in your play space, affecting your child’s development, behaviours and feelings. These systems, rooted in design psychology, influence how your child interacts with their play space and the toys in it. If you can understand how they work, you can harness their powers to work for you, not against you.
Have you ever wondered
- why it's easier to know whether to push or pull some doors than others?
- why logos for most fast-food chains are red and yellow?
- why milk and bread are always in the back corner of the grocery store?
In each of these scenarios, intentional design nudges us to act or feel a certain way. For example, we are nudged to push or pull, feel hungry for a burger, or walk up and down every aisle of the supermarket before getting to the essentials. In the same vein, how you structure, fill and decorate your child's play space affects not only how it looks and feels but also how your child behaves and learns.
By understanding and harnessing the power of design psychology, you can make conscious decisions to create a play space that brings out the best in you and your child.
So what are these invisible systems at work in your play space?
1. Flow
Is your play space more for toy storage than it is for playing in? Perhaps your child follows you around the house all day, constantly asking you to play with them. Or maybe you're tired of finding toys in areas far from where they're meant to be. These are all indications that your play space isn’t reflecting your child's movements throughout the day.
By taking time to observe your child's movements around the house, you can begin to identify consistent patterns in their preferred play areas. Once you've gained an understanding of your child's daily movements, you can set up the location and layout of your play space to match their preferences. This will not only create less mess but also encourage more independent play.
Quick win: Create multiple small play spaces around your home to match your child’s movements. This may seem counterintuitive but doing so has a surprising effect on mess.
Alternatively, use a breakfast tray as a portable work table for your child to take around the house. Storing activities in trays and baskets makes it easy for your child to choose and transport activities to different areas, and tidy up when done.
2. Order
Would you describe your play space as chaotic or calm? Are you able to tidy up a playroom in 10 minutes or a smaller play space in 5 minutes or less? Is there a place for everything, and is everything usually in its place? If the thought of tidying up toys overwhelms you, it's an indication that your play space lacks a sense of order.
To bring a sense of calm to your play space, it's important to establish a clear and simple system for organising toys. This will make it easier for everyone, including your toddler, to maintain a tidy space.
Quick win: Display a limited number of toys on low shelves, in baskets and trays to establish order. Store the rest of the toys away in a toy rotation system.
3. Senses
Does your play space feel like a rich environment that’s warm and welcoming? Or perhaps it feels overstimulating…or maybe a little sterile.
How we engage the five senses (sight, touch, sound, taste and smell) in a play space significantly affects how your child feels, behaves and absorbs information. Being intentional about colours, textures, lighting and background noises can prevent your house from feeling like a chaotic play centre. Instead, dial up or down sensory information to create a rich environment that promotes focus, creativity and discovery.
Quick win: Pause for a moment and evaluate how each of your five senses is experiencing your play space. Can you make any adjustments to bring more calm and joy? For instance, by adding a warm light, herbal scents or natural products. Even small changes can have a big impact on how your child enjoys their play space.
4. Appeal
Is your play space a graveyard for toys? Do you spend your precious time and effort preparing educational activities only for them to be left untouched? If your child is always complaining of boredom and wanting to watch tv instead of playing with their room full of toys, it’s a sign your child doesn’t find their toys appealing.
Being intentional with what toys are made available and how they are displayed can make all the difference to whether and how deeply your child plays. Start by setting aside 10 minutes at a time to observe your child at play so you can better understand their needs, interests and goals. Then make available a limited number of toys based on your observations.
Quick win: Find a toy you thought your child would love based on their current interests but is instead neglected. Change the display of that toy by, for example, isolating it from other toys or placing it undone into a tray or basket. Make sure your child can easily access it and wait to witness the magic of toy display in its simplest form.
5. Moments
Do you currently spend family time the way you’ve always envisioned? Does your home help you bond as a family and create memories? Does your family spend more time on the couch and in front of screens than you’d like?
Intentionally laying foundations for the moments you want to create as a family makes it more likely to happen. You can influence how your family spends time in a space through the layout, choice of furniture and by directing attention to certain areas within a space.
What’s the first thing you notice as you enter your living room? If it’s the couch, is that how your family spends most of their free time? What would happen if the most noticeable thing was a large, soft mat instead? Would there be more sprawling, playful wrestling and crazy dancing in your home?
Consider how you can modify your spaces at home to facilitate more family bonding time. The goal is to make it effortless for moments of connection and ‘spontaneity’ to unfold amidst your busy schedules.
Quick win: Think of something you always envisioned doing together as a family but currently don’t do. Change the layout of your home or minimise distrations to make it easier for these moments to unfold. Try moving toys and the TV away from the dinner table to promote family conversations; store boardgames under the coffee table; or place a basket of books next to the couch.
1 comment
kx55yn