An adult's bedroom doesn't need many different colours or patterns. You can easily choose monochromatic wallpapers and get a great finish. However, a kid's room is a multiple-use space and should meet the kid's needs. This means that the room is used for sleeping, playing, learning, studying and relaxing. It is a place for their refuge, inviting friends over, and relaxing, away from the adult world.

What does this mean when choosing wallpaper designs for kids? One wall should have a flower print or a wallpaper print with the kid's favourite cartoon characters. Make sure to choose a versatile pattern, so it's not overwhelming or boring. You can choose patterned wallpapers at the head of the bed, while pastels or dark or warm colours can be a nice backdrop for the study or play area.

Things to Consider

source: room-to-bloom.com

Choosing wallpapers shouldn't be done lightly. Besides the material and maintenance, you should consider many other things, in this case the designs and prints. It's much easier to choose them yourself, but if your kid is at a certain age, you will have to let them be free to choose what they want. The thing to stick to is that no matter how amazing they might look, if they are overwhelming (bright colours or intensive prints) could affect the kid's mood and sleep cycle.

Avoid Overwhelming Designs

If you're decorating a nursery or a room for a toddler, it's best to choose wallpaper designs for kids in pleasant and calming tones. Your toddler or kindergarten-aged kid will express interest in the things on the walls, so make sure the colours are lovely and vibrant but not too stimulating, and the prints should be both fun and educational.

For instance, choose wallpapers with flowers or animal prints. This way your toddler will be able to learn the colours and the animals' names. If the room is overwhelmed by colours or patterns, they would feel irritable and their sleep might be affected. Go for light colours and delicate patterns if the room is small; this will open it up. Choose colourful wallpapers, but avoid garishness. It's best to give warm colour preferences.

If you don't (or can't) add wall art such as posters or paintings, choose a print with the kid's favourite animals, fruits, or cartoon characters. You can also get wallpaper for kids that will help them express their creativity - in other words, they can draw their things on these wallpapers and create the exact pattern they want.

Developmental Stages of Kids

source: homewallmurals.co.uk

Infants or Babies

Decorating a nursery is a lovely activity for the expecting parents. When choosing the wallpaper, most parents go for pastels and classic prints of animals or shapes like clouds or hearts. However, the baby won't be able to see any of this, as newborns tend to see only close objects that are 20-30cm away (their parents' faces). The child will be able to see light-dark contrast, so for the first months of their lives, the wallpapers won't be in focus at all.

At about one to two months, they start focusing on objects and movements. Colours such as red, yellow and blue will surely catch their attention. As their vision improves with every month, the child will be able to see an object from distance and stretch their arms to touch it. Their eyes will easily adapt to the environment, and their room will become an area of visual exploration. By the time a kid reaches their first birthday, their sight will be developed to approximately 50%.

Go for happy and light colours to create a warm atmosphere of well-being, but feel free to choose anything else than pink and blue. You can choose wallpaper to accentuate a wall; go for animals or figure prints, just anything that will contrast.

Toddlers

Toddlers are children aged one to three. During this time they learn how to walk and talk, their motoric skills become better and their vision improves swiftly. Not only they will tell you what they see, but they also learn by looking at things. Choose a patterned wallpaper with cute drawings, with plenty of colours (especially great for playrooms) or go for a few calmer tones if the wallpapers are meant for their bedroom.

At this age, be prepared to be at peace that these wallpapers will most likely get a few artistic touch-ups from crayons. Wallpapers with cartoon characters, fairytale creatures, animals or shapes are a good choice. Chose one wall where these prints will steal the spotlight (where the child plays the most). Go for simpler wallpaper design and prints near the kid's bed.

Aged 3 to 6

source: home-designing.com

At this age, kids spend a lot of time in kindergarten or preschool. Now their knowledge expands and they improve their social skills. The child's room now becomes important - a place of their own, a place where they can play pretend, draw, sing, and have play dates. At this age, the kids will tell you exactly what they want from their wallpapers - motifs, prints and colours. Usually, girls will love princesses and cute animals, while boys will show interest in sports. However, this isn't a rule set in stone, so don't force anything. If your boy wants wallpapers with fairies and butterflies, let them be.

After all, kids at this age, know quite well what their room should look like. Maybe they would want a little kingdom of animals, a circus, a playground, a castle and so on. The room should still be calm enough for resting and inviting enough for plays.

5-6 Years (School Age)

At this time the kid's room has many purposes. It's a place for sleep, retreats, studying and place for inviting friends over. The kid will have precise requirements when it comes to how the room should look and what kind of wallpapers they want. Even though they have started school, it doesn't mean they are now grownups. Don't be surprised that your kid wants wallpapers that stand out; after all, now the room becomes a place for 'showing off'.

They might want motifs and colours that may sound silly to you (especially if you don't plan to change them in the next couple of years). Compromise and allow the kid to grow. They will surely outgrow the patterns and prints, but till then let them have a room of their own heart.