Feng Shui for Kids Rooms

 

(ARA) - For years, people have been rearranging their furniture, re-painting their walls and removing clutter in the hopes of changing their life through Feng Shui.

 

Feng Shui (pronounced "fung shway") enthusiasts believe the way your home is arranged can affect how you feel, as well as the energy that you attract in your life. In other words, home design can actually help to create good luck or bad luck.

But What About the Kids?

According to Certified Feng Shui Practitioner Dr. Katherine Grace Morris, Feng Shui can also be practiced in kids' rooms to encourage balance, relaxation, success and even encouragement.

"To balance a child's life, I'd first look at what is in his or her room and what is going on in the child's life," Dr. Morris says. "The room and the child are part of a system, so they need to be examined together. Does he have trouble focusing? I would then make the bedroom especially soothing, with soft fabrics, sounds of nature and task-specific lighting."

Dr. Morris explains that Feng Shui for a child's room focuses on improving balance and security in their life. "I would create a room which provides a sense of safety and coziness for the child," she says. "Have the head of the bed against a wall to create a feeling of security. Make sure the child can turn on a light before entering the room and turn on a light with ease during the night." Keep clutter to a minimum. Storage bins for toys, electronics and books are best for keeping everything neatly tucked away. An armoire is useful for hiding distractions, especially electronics like a TV or stereo. "A child needs rest, just as adults do, so I would moderate the stimulation level of the room so that it is sleep-conducive when bed-time rolls around," Morris says. "Very bright colors should be avoided for this reason. Having storage places or bins to put away toys and crafts when play time is over helps signal the brain it's time for sleep.

"Architecturally, I would also be mindful of the angles of the walls and ceilings. If the eaves are sloping, do not put posters or put the head of the bed under this section, as it will accentuate the feeling of downward pressure."

Advice for Parents: Three Recommendations
Morris gives three suggestions for parents when using Feng Shui in their child's room:

1. Sleep in the room

"I suggest parents fall asleep in their child's room to get a sense of their child's experience of the room. Notice what you see in the shadows, what you hear in the dark, what you smell and feel. What do you see first thing in the morning? What do you see just before turning out the light at night? If your child is having difficulty sleeping, it may be because light from the street is disturbing him, or the morning light awakens her too early. This problem is easily overcome with room darkening shades, or heavily-lined curtains."

2. Put it into words

Morris recommends: "Ask yourself how you feel being in the room. It should be a one-word answer and not a description of how you like or dislike the curtains or the carpet."

3. Teamwork

Depending on your child's age, Morris recommends letting them help with the decorating.

"If the child is old enough, I would involve him or her in the process. Hang pictures at the child's eye-level so he or she is not forced to look up at everything. Be aware of the messages you are sending with the content of the pictures," Morris says. "If the child is too young, become hyper-attuned to what the child sees, hears, smells, and feels in the room and make adjustments where needed."

Decorating for a Boy or Girl
The rules for Feng Shui are the same for boys or girls. Since each child is different, Morris suggests paying close attention to the individual child's goals and dreams, and less on generic stereotypes of what a boy's room or a girl's room should look like.

"A girl's room will differ from a boy's room, based on the cultural preferences connected to gender -- for example, pink for girls' rooms and blue for boys' rooms. Feng Shui starts with the individual and his or her interests and challenges, regardless of gender," Morris says.

"If a girl wants to be a competitive athlete, I would focus on the same area of the Bagua [a map used in Feng Shui that maps nine zones within a room and their coordinating nine areas of life such as prosperity, health, creativity and knowledge] to map her future dreams and goals area, as I would for a boy. If the child has any awards from competing, I would place them in this section of the room. Feng Shui is not governed by style, but rather by creating a supportive environment for the individual."