Your child’s room should be safe, bright, welcoming, and comfortable, taking into account his or her particular age. Your choice of paint – its type, finish, and color – is an important decision. Fun patterns and imaginative designs take the spotlight in kids’ rooms. Consider these following tips as you prepare to splash your kid’s room in paint.

Select a suitable sheen. To protect the walls in a kid’s bedroom from sticky fingerprints and crayon scrawls, look for a paint that is durable and easy to clean. Semi-gloss sheens are ideal because they can be wiped clean, while they do not draw attention to imperfections on the wall.

Consider other paint techniques. Instead of painting a solid block of color on the walls, experiment with other techniques of painting. Color washing, sponging, and rag rolling are some decorative techniques that add an interesting textural appearance and enhance the mood you wish to create. For instance, color washing an infant’s room pastel blue enhances its soft and dreamy feel.

Involve your child in the process. As your child grows, he or she will want more say in the design and color of his or her bedroom. Even toddlers may be able to contribute to the choice of paint color. Older children can lend a hand in the work of painting and most kids enjoy the hands-on transformation of their room.

Consider the effect of different colors. Younger kids tend to like bright colors such as reds and oranges, which stimulate the mood. Cooler blues and greens have a calming effect, and are popular bedroom color choices in general. Neutral colors like beige and brown offer a grounding and comforting feel, and may be helpful for kids who tend to be hyperactive or anxious.

Have fun with murals. Be bold in decorating a child’s room and paint pictures or patterns that you would consider too loud for you own adult room. Create puffy white clouds on a light blue ceiling or paint a scene from their favorite storybook on one of the walls. Paint by number wall murals are easy to follow and come in a variety of kids themes.

Two words: blackboard paint. If you have a kid who loves to draw or play teacher, blackboard paint is great for a section of the wall. The black paint allows you to write or draw in chalk and erase the markings. Another fun kind of paint is magnetic paint, which, when applied to a wall, allows magnets to be attached.

Go green and protect your child’s health. Regular paint releases low level toxic emissions (volatile organic compounds or VOCs) into the air, which can lead to negative health effects. More companies nowadays are producing low- or zero-VOC paint. Pick this safer alternative for your child’s bedroom.

Be creative with a shared bedroom. To accommodate two different color choices if kids are sharing a bedroom, try one of these ideas: assign two walls to each color; paint half the walls in their color choice and paint the other half a unifying color; or paint the room in stripes or other combination’s of the colors.