Reclaiming Our Peace!

Why Your Home Needs Designated Spaces This Summer

Summer is here. For a lot of us, that means the school bell’s ring is replaced by the constant soundtrack of “I’m bored,” sibling squabbles, and the faint hum of a screen you swore you’d limit. If you’re one of the millions of us who can’t afford or access summer camp or extra childcare, the prospect of entertaining multiple children all summer long can feel… daunting.

Sis, let’s be real. We love our babies more than anything. But we also need a break from them, and frankly, they need a break from us and each other.

Have you ever wondered why our kids often function better at school? A big part of it is structure. In a classroom, there are specific expectations and norms for specific spaces. The reading corner is for quiet reading. The art easel is for creating. The rug is for circle time. At home, especially during the unstructured days of summer, those lines can get blurry, and suddenly the entire house feels like a chaotic free-for-all.

I’m certainly guilty of this. During the height of COVID, I had a five-year-old and twin infants in a two-bedroom apartment. To cope, I designed my home to be completely kid-centered. Every area, except for my bedroom, became a kid space. I remember being called a cold mother because I put the twins in their own room almost immediately (I think they were three months old). But I understood even then that every single corner of our home could not be devoted to them, or I would literally go yellow wallpaper crazy. That one boundary, keeping my room as my sanctuary, was about survival.I’ve gotten better at this over the years, and I want to share the most game-changing strategy I’ve found: designated spaces.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. It started for me when I bought three simple pop-up tents, one for each of my kids. In our small two-bedroom apartment, these tents became their havens. They were their own little forts of solitude. Inside their tent, they could dictate the activities and the norms. They didn’t have to invite a sibling in unless they wanted to. This helped tremendously, giving each child a feeling that they had something that was truly theirs.

This is your sign to do yourself and everyone else in your home a favor and designate some spaces.

How to Create Your Own Havens

You don’t need a bigger house or a ton of money. You just need a little creativity. Think about the unused or under-utilized nooks and crannies in your home. Your goal is to identify spots that are safe, dry, and size-appropriate.

• A Designated Chair: It can be as simple as an armchair in the corner of a room. “This is Jordan’s quiet chair. When he’s sitting here with his headphones on, it’s his time.”
• The Fort Method: Like my tents, a simple pop-up tent, a blanket draped over a couple of chairs, or a large cardboard box can become a private clubhouse.
• Under the Table: Is the dining room table just for eating? Slide a cozy blanket and some pillows underneath, and it’s suddenly a secret cave perfect for reading or quiet play.
• Closet Nooks: If you have a walk-in closet with some floor space, or even a smaller closet you can clear out, it can become a perfect, calming hideaway. Add a battery-powered puck light and a cushion, and you have a reading nook.

From Designated Space to a Daily Rhythm

Here’s the magic part. Once you establish these spaces, you’ll find that a schedule organically develops around them. You’ll naturally start to determine the times those spaces will be used.

“Okay, after lunch, everyone has 45 minutes of ‘Tent Time’.”

And just like that—viola! At no cost, you have a plan. You have somewhere specific to send the children when they get on each other’s nerves, or more importantly, on your nerves. You have a tool to help them learn to self-soothe, to enjoy their own company, and to respect the boundaries of others.

This summer, let’s reclaim our homes and our sanity. By creating designated spaces, we give our children the structure they need to thrive and give ourselves the peace we need to survive.

Happy Summer, Mama. You’ve got this.