School is out, summer has kicked in and on those days where it’s either raining or too hot I’ll bet many of you are wondering what to do with the kiddos. If you ask me, the answer is simple, let them design! I love incorporating items with a personal touch into my design and there are some very cool, interactive accessories out there that not only look great, but keep the little ones occupied. Design with function, what’s not to love? Here are a few fun ideas for projects you can undertake with the kids to use throughout your home. The best part is that you’ll get to make memories and a statement with your design style all at the same time.

Art on Every Wall!
Remember when it was taboo to write on the walls? Indulge your future graffiti artist with chalkboard walls in either classic green or black! The thing I love about this paint is that the walls are not just a frame for your design, they become a living and changing part of it and the kids will have a blast customizing it with their handiwork.

You’ve Been Framed!
Remember shadowboxes? A perfect rainy-day project for you and the kids to capture a piece of their childhood that you can proudly display on the walls. All you need is a glue gun, found items like bits of toys and games to make a colorful and whimsical statement in any room of the house. These would be so cute as a grouping!

Choo-Choose to Frame Some Photos!
Fun and harmless for the walls- if you have a train aficionado, these wall decals are for you. Spend a few hours choosing the photos you want to display and then get them on the walls with these bright and simple train graphics!

Scrub-a-Dub
There are so many things to love about this shower curtain it’s hard to know where to start. They are made of plastic so they won’t off-gas, plus they come with your choice of color in permanent markers so that you can customize and create your own bathroom masterpiece. Get the kids involved and let them do their own shower curtain for their bath- with plenty of room to draw, this could be a fantastic family project!

Fun on the Floor
These require little effort other than finding the space in a room (perfect for a playroom!) and the great thing is that you can set the kids up with some toy cars, people and animals and let them have a ball playing in this “town” There are several rug options out there anymore, from train tracks to cities, and even baseball diamonds or soccer fields. More fun that you could ever imagine!

No Room on the Fridge?
No sweat- these fun and practical picture hangers will do the trick by giving you another way to decorate your walls with your kid’s artwork. Just make sure you have plenty of paper and crayons on hand!

A Bright Idea
A bit of quick fun here with flat packaged lighting (left) that you bend to form your own idea of a chandelier. Have the kids do the bending and let them make this artistic light fixture their own!

So now that you have a few ideas, go grab the kids and have a little bit of design fun when you’re not in the sun. As always if you need any help with your decor or a bit of interior design inspiration and ideas, feel free to stop by or give me a call. Design Connection, Inc. offers free in-studio interior design consultations and we love to help our clients find ways to involve the whole family in the design process. Do you have more ideas that you’d like to share? Feel free to comment on my blog or check us out in our interior design page on Facebook or send us a tweet on Twitter!

Click on the photos to visit the websites of these fine folks: Rust-Oleum, PotteryBarn Kids, Uncommon Goods, Grain Design, JustKidsRugs.com, The Land of Nod and Re-Modern.