It's December and that can mean only one thing - Christmas is here once again! Here at Children's Bed Shop, we know what an exciting time this can be for children. As parents, we want to give our children a magical festive season and this can leave us feeling under pressure to try and cram in a host of different activities and experiences. But it is often the simplest gestures that mean the most to our kids at this time of year and helping your child to create a little Christmas ambience in their bedroom is an easy and sure-fire way to add a touch of festive magic.

1.      Give them ownership

How many of us have been guilty of asking the children to help us decorate the Christmas tree and then hastily rearranging their contributions once they're in bed? We want our kids to be a part of the festive preparations but we also don't want our entire bauble collection on one bough! For children, their bedroom is their castle and giving them an element of control over their personal space allows them to express their individuality and feel truly at home.

Allowing them to decorate their bedroom for Christmas gives them a sense of autonomy and the chance to choose how things look. Perhaps provide them with their own little tree and let them decorate it as mismatched and unevenly as they like! The sense of ownership that they will gain from their own festive room is worth far more than a perfectly symmetrical tree. 

2.      Get crafty

There is no need to spend heaps of money on decorations for your child's bedroom and in fact, simple homemade decorations are both fun to make and often more meaningful for your child. Crafts such as paper chains are cheap, fun, and effective and can be hung up from the ceiling or draped over furniture and curtain poles.

If your child has their own little tree, you may want to avoid fragile and expensive bought tree ornaments and may prefer to make a batch of salt dough decorations. These will keep for many years and look fabulous left as they are and hung with pretty ribbon or you and your child may choose to paint them to while away a cold winter's afternoon. There are endless ideas available through a quick internet search and the process is often as much fun as the final product. 

3.      Create ambience

Christmas is exciting but a kid's bedroom still needs to be a calm space that is conducive to a peaceful night's sleep. Create a cosy, festive atmosphere that will lull your little one to sleep by introducing soft lighting. Warm coloured fairy-lights set to static or a gentle twinkle will add a welcoming glow and will help keep the dark at bay on those long dark evenings. Your child may enjoy having some music in their bedroom and a playlist of relaxing carols and acoustic Christmas songs will add ambience and have a calming effect. 

4.      A cosy, comfortable bed

The most important element of any kids bedroom is the bed and no matter what the time of year, it is essential that your child's bed is one that enhances their space and gives them a good night's sleep. Here at Children's Bed Shop we have a wide range of different style beds to ensure the perfect match for your child and their bedroom. Add a festive touch by furnishing the bed with Christmas-themed bedding and adding extra soft blankets and throws to turn your child's bed into a welcoming winter's nest. Finish with some warm PJs and maybe a hot water bottle to make your child's bedroom a sublime retreat from the dark, cold days of winter!

5.      A festive bedtime routine

Finally, add a few festive touches to your child's usual nighttime routine to ensure that they are ready for sleep. A story will signal to your child that it is sleepy time and you may like to add a basket of Christmas-themed books to their bedroom to make story-time that little more special whilst older children may enjoy listening to audio-books with a Christmas twist. Snuggle up together under blankets and throws and don't forget to lower the main lights and switch on the fairy lights for a cosy atmosphere. However you choose to enhance your child's bedroom for the Christmas season, know that you are creating magical memories that your child will treasure.