Even though the last decade saw a movement towards bigger and bigger homes, many families are choosing to have their children share a room.

There are a lot of benefits to this type of setup. Learning about sharing comes about naturally with immediate cause and effect lessons. Children also learn to be more adaptable and some studies suggest that adaptability may be the trait most linked to your children’s future happiness.

There is also one less bedroom that is needed if children share a room. Some families simply have more people that need rooms than they have rooms available and so sharing makes perfect sense. Some parents see their kids sharing a bunk bed as an opportunity to have an extra room for an office or guest room. Many families use the freed up bedroom as a playroom for their kids.

Kids need space to play. Ideally they’d get a lot of free play in a wide open sunny field with fresh air and a pond nearby where the fish are jumping and the birds are singing. That isn’t always available though, is it? But even if your kids are relegated to the house they could use more open square footage to really stretch out those limbs and have more space for creativity as well.

Creating a proper play space gives kids a chance to fully use open-ended toys and gives them a chance to more expressively use their imagination. Rather than building smaller structures with their Legos they can use a toy like Fort Boards to create big structures they can interact with and explore. Or children can use the wider spaces to play games like Twister that encourage physical play.

The open room can also be set up as a quiet study area for one or both children to do their homework. A well organized desk can go a long way toward making an environment conducive to learning.

Creating an accessible library with well stocked bookcases helps to encourage your children to read as well.

The open room could even utilize a loft bed or two to create a space that the kids can use for studying but also extra beds for guests or if the kids need to sleep in separate rooms for any reason.

Many families all over the country are choosing to put their kids together in a shared bedroom and are finding that it works for their home. There are many benefits, for sure, as we discussed. Take a look at the space that you have in your home. Think about the personalities of your children. Think about any needs you may have for your home. Think about their age ranges and how soon they may be needing their own space. Think about it and then maybe putting the kids together would work for you.