Calming Your House Down with a Quiet Corner

A fire breathing baby dragon runs through the kitchen, “roar!” followed by another dragon, this one screeching more like an eagle. To a 4-year-old mind what’s the difference? As my two girls tumble over each other, they erupt in giggles. More screaming. More laughing. More giggling that quickly turns to real screaming and crying and eventually full out tantrums. Sound familiar? Sometimes the house is just in utter chaos when you have young ones. Happy chaos or angry/sad chaos – doesn’t matter. It’s still chaos.

I was complaining about this one morning to my older girl’s teacher and she said why didn’t I just send them to the quiet library?

Me: there’s a library that I can ‘send’ my kids t?. One that takes crazy kids and makes them into not crazy kids?

Her: yes.

Me: Where oh where?!? Why don’t more people know about this? Why has it taken me this long to hear about it? Spill it!

OK, just take your expectations down a notch – the quiet library DOES exist, but you as the parent have to create it. No, it’s not some magical book land that takes in abandoned children (if only temporarily and by well meaning parents who just need a little peace).

But have no fear. It’s easy to make and does, magically, work. With a little rule-setting and boundary keeping – but it works!

We call ours the ‘quiet corner’ because, well, I needed a place where my kids could sit and read or draw or have tea. The best thing about it is the simpler the better.

This is all it takes: pillows, books, a shelf. You can add a few toys, but the point of the space is more zen then playroom. And it works best in the room that you, as mom or dad, spend the most time in.

Ours is in the living room / dining room, which is actually one room off the kitchen. Our current apartment is quite small with one large room that has the kitchen at one end. The dining table is next followed by the couch and then the end table. Between the end table and the windows there is about 2 feet of space. Literally.

Perfect for little bodies.

So what I did was put down a pink striped rug from IKEA with 2 European square shams as back rests. The end table happened to have a lower level shelf, so this I use as a book shelf. I’ve placed a few toys like stacking blocks that require concentration here. A few coloring books. And books. That’s it.

Here’s how it looks:

Let me just say, up front, that my girls are 2 and 4. They don’t read. But they don’t know this. I leave them to their illusions. We’re all happier that way.

When it’s time for the girls to quiet themselves, to turn their attention in, I say, “quiet corner time” and they waddle after me like the ducklings they are. I help them pull out a book that they like, get them situated, and then happily go about my business while they read. Quietly.

It’s amazing how giving them a tiny space to call their own, albeit with set rules, inspires them to chill.

I know what you’re thinking, though…why give them a quiet corner when they have a room, and possibly a play room, not to mention taking over every other part of the house?

Because kids like tiny spaces. They like structure and order, even if all evidence proves otherwise. They do. Especially their own place. Like a tree house, but inside. But their own place near you. If I put my girls in their shared room, there is no way they’d just up and read a book. No. They’d play and eventually get into trouble.

Not so in the quiet corner. It’s quiet. That’s the rule.

If you don’t believe me, try this out. Throw 2 couch cushions on the floor near a wall so that you make a little seating area for little bodies. Now put just one book – a good/favored book – on each pillow. Don’t tell your kids what to do. Just go yourself and start reading. Not out loud. Set the example. See what they do. You might be amazed.

photo credit: Modern Home Modern Baby