Going Green In Your Preschooler's Bedroom

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 📐 Spatial Reasoning — Deciding where things go, how they fit together, and how to use available space develops spatial reasoning — the mental visualization and spatial planning that geometry, architecture, and physical design require.
• 🎯 Planning & Visualization — Imagining how a decorated space will look before starting and executing that vision develops planning and visualization skills — the mental projection that design thinking, project management, and creative problem solving require.
• 🌿 Environmental Stewardship — Using natural or recycled materials in decorating builds awareness that beautiful things don't require purchases — and that the natural world offers abundant creative materials that connecting to it reveals.
• 💬 Vocabulary & Self-Expression — Explaining decorating choices — why this color, why this placement, what the arrangement is meant to convey — develops descriptive language, aesthetic vocabulary, and the confidence to articulate personal preferences.

Purchasing environmentally friendly products are a great way to help save the environment. They are also kid friendly, with no toxins or chemicals. However, green products can be two to three times more expensive than those not eco-friendly. By choosing one or two products for your preschooler’s bedroom, you can go green and not break your decorating budget.

 

Paint
If you are considering painting your preschooler’s bedroom, think twice before your next trip to the paint store. Traditional paint gives off VOC’s (volatile organic chemicals) which can contribute to indoor air pollution. Many new brands of paint have come on the market recently that contain no VOC’s. These new safe paint lines come in a huge variety of colors. Companies like Cloverdale Paint, MAB Paints, and Benjamin Moore all offer eco-friendly paint.

 

When you are shopping for new paint, look for the Greenseal or SCS (Scientific Certification Seal) which indicates that brand of paint is certified eco-friendly.

 

Flooring

Wood is the most obvious organic choice for flooring, when finished with an organic stain. (Be sure to look for the SCS on the label.) However, there some other interesting options to consider when putting down a new floor. Cork has become a common floor covering in recent years. Cork is softer to little feet than hardwood floors. Click-together cork tiles are easy to install and can be placed over existing flooring, such as linoleum, carpet, or cement.  Cork comes in a variety of colors. You can combine two colors for a fun checkerboard effect. Cork is also a highly sustainable material, with forests that regenerate every six years or so.

 

Carpet tiles are also a popular alternative to wall-to-wall carpeting, which can contain a plethora of toxins and chemicals. Several companies, including Kaleidoscape Carpet Tiles, offer eco-friendly carpet tiles, which are easy to install. Carpet tiles are great for preschooler’s bedrooms, because if the carpet becomes stained or damaged, you only have to replace one tile, not entire carpet!

 

Organic Bedding

Organic bedding has many hidden benefits, which make it worth the cost. The cotton industry uses one quarter of all pesticides, worldwide. Buying organic cotton, made without harmful pesticides can help support organic farmers. Companies like Greensleep and Kushtush Organics offer a variety of organic and eco-friendly bedding. Items you may want to consider for your preschooler’s bedroom include mattress filled with natural latex rubber, cotton, or wool (all sustainable resources) and wool filled comforters.

 

For more information on going green in your preschooler’s bedroom, as well as around the rest of your home, check out the official Greenseal Site:

http://www.greenseal.org

Nature-Inspired Design and Child Development

Research from environmental psychology supports what parents intuitively sense: children are calmer, more creative, and more focused in spaces that incorporate natural elements — wood textures, plant shapes, earthy colors, and organic patterns. Nature-themed rooms don't require expensive wallpaper or elaborate murals; organic cotton bedding in green tones, a potted plant on the windowsill, and wooden rather than plastic furniture go a long way.

Consider adding a small discovery shelf to a nature-themed room — a low shelf where your preschooler can display seasonal finds: a pinecone, a smooth rock, a dried flower. Rotating this collection across seasons teaches children to observe and value the natural world right inside their own room.

Involving Your Preschooler in the Process

One of the most valuable things about decorating a preschooler's room — and one of the most overlooked — is the opportunity to involve your child in the decisions. Even a two-year-old can point to a color swatch they prefer, choose between two fabric options, or decide where their stuffed animals will live. This participation builds ownership, autonomy, and genuine pride in their space.

Children who have contributed to their environment are more likely to respect and care for it. "We chose this together" is a powerful message about a child's value and voice in the family. It also makes the room genuinely theirs in a way that an adult-designed space, however beautiful, never quite can be.

Practical Tips for Preschool Room Design

• Paint smart. Semi-gloss or satin finishes are far more washable than flat paint — an important consideration in a preschooler's room. Test colors in the actual room at different times of day before committing.
• Think in layers. The most flexible rooms use a neutral base (walls, large furniture) with personality added through easily swapped textiles, art, and accessories — elements you can update as your child grows and interests change without repainting.
• Prioritize the floor. Preschoolers live on the floor. A soft, washable area rug defines the play space and adds warmth and color without the commitment of wall color.
• Light at child height. A small lamp at floor or low table level, in addition to overhead lighting, creates cozy pools of light perfect for reading and quiet play.
• Display their art. A simple clipline or magnetic board where your preschooler's artwork is regularly displayed communicates that their creativity has real value.