Any parent knows having children can get expensive. For only the essentials like clothing, food, toiletries, basic medical care, and schooling, you can expect to pay around R90 000 per child every year. 

Updating your child’s bedroom probably isn’t a priority if money is tight. But these upgrades don’t need to be expensive! Here are a few DIY projects you can do with your child to refresh their room.

Creative DIY Projects for a Child’s Bedroom

Decor is one of the easiest ways to elevate a room, without needing to make any structural (or expensive) changes. A few pops of colour can change the aesthetic of a room, taking it from drab to fab.

To ensure your kiddo loves their room, it’s important to get them involved.

Upcycle Old Furniture

Do you have an old desk or table stored in your home that you don’t know what to do with? Repurpose it into a craft table!

Add a fresh coat of paint so you can breathe new life into your old furniture. Get creative with the paint to make it match your child’s interests. 

If they’re interested in space, you can add some cute stars and planets to a navy tabletop. Or paint cute animals and plants on the table for a nature-themed room.

Don’t hesitate to get your child involved! If your child is very young, have them help you paint the base coat, this way you can easily smooth out any scribbles they make. The paintings don’t have to be perfect, you just need to have fun doing it together. 

Paper Crafts

One of the most cost-effective ways to create some decor for your child’s bedroom is to get the whole family involved in paper crafts. There are millions of different paper decor projects you can tackle, ranging from paper pompoms to complex papercut art.

If you have older children, you can even try doing some origami! Paper cranes strung together with fishing lines can add a whimsical touch to any room. Otherwise, adding paper stars in a jar is a great way to reuse old mason jars.

Space-Saving DIY Projects

Having kids means it’s nearly impossible to keep everything contained and in its place. One of the best ways to get your kids to clean up after themselves is to get them involved in the process. 

For example, they’re more likely to put their toys away if they help make the storage container for those toys. 

These two space-saving projects will help keep your home organised. They’ll also give you a fun project to do with your kids.

Use the Space Under Their Bed

By turning the space under their bed into more storage space, you’ll not only have a place to put all the clutter, but you also remove the chance of monsters under the bed. 

Measure the space under their bed to figure out how much space you have to work with. Buy some plastic storage containers (bonus if they’re on wheels) and slide them under the bed.

If you don’t want to buy any new storage containers, you can use an old drawer for the same purpose. You can even paint the drawer to match the style of your child’s bedroom.

If you have some room in your budget you can always consider hiring a carpenter to create custom-fitted drawers to place under their bed.

Hang Any Art Supplies

Pencils, crayons, and paints can take up a lot of display space if you want to keep them easily accessible. Make sure all the counter space in your child’s bedroom isn’t taken up by stray art supplies by hanging small buckets to keep them in.

By doing this you’ll get the supplies off of the floors and counters, and you can keep all the different types of supplies together. You can hang them on a wall or the side of the desk using hooks. Remember to get your kiddos involved in decorating them. 

Keep Them Busy with DIY Projects

Keeping your little one busy during the day can be quite challenging if you’re busy and don’t want to plop them in front of a screen all day. Children need enrichment throughout the day to keep their minds active. 

That’s why it’s important to expose them to new activities, sports, games, skills, and hobbies. 

Here are a few easy DIY projects you and your little one can tackle together to give them hours of enrichment in the future.

Blackboard Paint

Paint is always a great way to give your child’s bedroom a new look, without spending a fortune. Elevating this a step further, you can use blackboard paint to create a feature wall for your children to draw on!

This adds a fun and whimsical feel to the space, while still being practical. You can include a section for homework and chores to give them a visual reminder of what they still need to do. 

When creating your feature wall, you need to decide how you want it to look. Do you simply want to paint the entire wall in blackboard paint, or do you want to create some fun shapes?

The first step of creating a chalkboard wall is ensuring there aren’t any holes or larger imperfections. Check out this article to learn how to fill a wall crack. 

Before you start painting, clean the wall thoroughly. Grab some soap and a bucket of water. A kid-friendly task would be to scrub the walls. Once it’s cleaned properly, let it dry fully.

Depending on how old your children are, you might need to do some prep work on your own first. The edges are crucial when it comes to creating a chalkboard wall. Tape off the area or shape you want to paint and cut the paint in. 

After that, you and your child can start filling the shape in with the paint. You might need to do two coats.

Now comes the hard part. You need to keep your kids away from the wall for a few days to let it dry completely. If they start drawing on the wall before it’s cured, you won’t be able to erase the chalk afterward.

If you want to speed up the process you can always hire a painter to get the job done for you. 

Felt Plush Toys 

The best DIY project to do with your child will leave you with some unique decor and their new favourite toy. Children have incredible imaginations, so why not have your little one dream up their next plush toy! Start by having them draw you a picture.

From there, all you’ll need is:

• Coloured felt
• Stuffing
• A sewing needle 
• Some thread
• Fabric glue
• Scissors
• Chalk

Pick out some felt in colours that match your child’s drawing and mark out the shape using some chalk. Either cut the shape out yourself, or if your child is older, have them cut it out for you. Repeat this for all the necessary shapes and colours.

Now you can either sew the pieces together or use fabric glue. If you opt for glue, have your child glue the pieces together. Just be sure to leave a small hole for the stuffing!

Stuff the plush toy with stuffing or old clothes, and close up the hole with some glue. In the end, you’ll have a unique plush toy that your child will love.

Transformation Your Child’s Bedroom with DIY Projects

Redecorating your child’s bedroom doesn’t have to cost a fortune! And you don’t need to get it done in a day. You can do most of these DIY projects over time, giving you plenty of opportunities to enjoy quality time with your family.

If you want a blank canvas to work with, hire a professional painter to paint out the room before you get started decorating.