A conducive learning environment is important as your children’s study space can affect their memory retention, concentration, creativity, and other cognitive functions. Parents can help their children empower positive learning by providing them with a proper study room. But, what can you do apart from buying study tables and chairs? Here are some tips.
Learn More: How You Can Set Up A Conducive Reading Space For Your Home
1) Ensure proper ergonomics when buying furniture
A comfortable arrangement is one key way to keep your child productive, and paying attention to ergonomics will prevent stress, body aches, and strain. Ensure that the chair and study desk you purchase are tailored to your child, enabling them to sit upright, maintain a healthy posture, and remain alert during their study sessions.
To find the correct study table, have your child sit in front of it with their arms placed at a 90-degree angle. They should be able to rest their arms comfortably on the table with their shoulders kept in a neutral position. The chair should provide support for their arms and lumbar, and allow both of your child’s feet to be planted on the ground. The back of your child’s knees should maintain an approximate 5 cm distance from the edge of the seat and the top of their thighs must not be touching the bottom of the tabletop.
2) Ensure that they get adequate lighting
Studies have shown that light has a psychological effect and can even affect students’ learning. Having adequate lighting, especially natural light, keeps people focused, motivated, improves performance, maintains a positive emotion, and prevents eye strain.
Although daylight is most ideal, it is also advisable to have artificial lighting such as table lamps as an alternative for when it gets dark; cool white lights in the range of 4000K and 6500K are optimal for studying. Desk lamps should be placed on the opposite side of the dominant hand on the study table to prevent shadows.
3) Ensure that the space is well organized
Your child’s study corner can easily become cluttered as papers, books, and stationeries accumulate. Hence, it is important to have an organization system in place to keep the area neat and tidy.
Research shows that clutter and disorganisation creates visual distraction, which drains our cognitive resources, affects our ability to focus, increases cognitive overload and reduces our working memory. In order to prevent messy surroundings from hindering your child’s learning, simply install a bookshelf to systematically arrange all of their study materials and keep them visible. Items should be stored close enough for them to reach without getting up, yet far enough without intruding their space.
Apart from providing storage units, parents should enforce a routine to ensure that their child maintains their study desk and keeps it clean and organized at all times.
4) Introduce Greenery
Incorporating nature into the indoor environment has been proven to improve students’ wellbeing and learning abilities. Cognitive functions such as attention and memory all benefit from simply adding a few houseplants to your child’s study area. It even helps reduce stress, improve mood, and keep the surrounding air clean and healthy. By decorating with plants, you help your child focus and retain information much better.
Planning to set up a study area for your child? Shop a range of study desks, chairs, and bookshelves at F31, an online furniture shop in Singapore.