When you have more than one child, sometimes you have no choice but for them to share a room. If you have four kids and only three bedrooms, someone is going to have to share.

Sharing a room can be fun, but it can also be difficult and lead to conflict at times. Fortunately, there are steps you can take when organizing the room to keep conflict to a minimum.

Recognize your kids’ need for space and choose rooms accordingly. Don’t give the largest bedroom to your oldest and the smallest to your youngest three and expect there not to be issues.

While you might feel your oldest child is entitled to the largest space, logistically, it might not make sense. The more kids sharing the room, the bigger it should be, if at all possible. Give the attic space to your youngest three, and the smaller second-floor bedroom to your oldest. It will be far easier to maximize the small space for one than it will be for three.

Determine the layout of the room together. Don’t just throw your kids into the room and leave them to figure out the space on their own. Sit down with them and discuss how the room should function.

Sure, they all need a place to sleep and store their stuff, but beyond that, what do they plan to do in the room? Hang out with friends? Watch TV? Study? Consider setting up zones throughout the room to serve the various functions needed. Perhaps you could set up a desk for studying in the far end of the room and a TV and some beanbags at the other end for hanging out with friends and talking on the phone.

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Not only does the room need to function, but it needs to be stylish. Discuss the style of the room with your kids and come up with a design that suits all. Perhaps one kid likes all things red, another is into the sea and another likes flowers.

Find a way to work their favorites throughout the space, whether on the walls, ceiling, trim, furniture or linens. And don’t worry if things don’t quite match. Your kids are all different, and their room should reflect that. If you have the space, you might even want to split up the room into three smaller personalized spaces with neutral spaces throughout.

Maximize storage space. Kids in general have a lot of stuff. Reduce the risk of conflict by making sure your kids have places to store all of their wonderful collections. If you don’t, the room will most certainly end up a mess and tempers will flare when things turn up lost.

There are hundreds of products available for making use of every inch of space, from rolling under-the-bed bins to floating wall shelves to drawer dividers.

Respect your kids’ need for privacy. Everyone needs a bit of space to themselves now and then. Make sure your kids have it, even if it is just some curtains they can pull around their bed.

Give your kids their own dresser drawers, cubbyholes, bins, shelves, etc., label them and make them off-limits to everyone but the person they belong to. Have some folding privacy screens your kids can move around the room and set up a cozy nook for them to read or talk on the phone.

Designing a room for more than one kid can be challenging, but it is not impossible. Get your kids involved, make decisions together and do what you can to keep conflict at bay. Creating an organized space for your kids to share won’t guarantee they won’t fight, but it can’t hurt to try, now can it?


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