Look, I’ve been writing for kids and about kids for… well, longer than I care to admit. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that what we put on their walls matters. Like, really matters.
So when the folks at Playful Platypus asked me to share some thoughts about original art in kids’ rooms, I couldn’t say no. Especially since Trevor Campbell’s pieces are exactly the kind of art I’m talking about.
## **It’s Not Just Decoration**
Here’s the thing — and parents, you already know this — kids see EVERYTHING. They notice stuff we stopped seeing years ago. That crack in the ceiling? It’s a river. That shadow on the wall? Obviously a dragon.
Original art feeds this. Mass-produced posters? They’re fine, I guess. But an original piece… that’s different. It’s got texture, personality, quirks. Things a child’s brain can grab onto and run with.
## **Every Brushstroke Tells a Story**
I was in a kid’s room once (friend’s daughter, lovely girl, obsessed with birds). She had this original watercolor of a kookaburra. Not Trevor’s work, but similar style. Real paint, real brushstrokes.
She spent twenty minutes telling me about how the bird got there. Why its feathers were ruffled just so. What it was thinking about. You don’t get that with a printed poster from the department store.
That’s what original art does. It becomes part of their world-building.
## **Why It Actually Matters (The Science-y Bit)**
Okay, I’m not a scientist. But I’ve talked to enough of them for my books. Here’s what they tell me:
– **Unique visuals** = more neural connections
– **Textured surfaces** = sensory development (kids WILL touch the art)
– **One-of-a-kind pieces** = understanding value and uniqueness
– **Local artists** = connection to community
Basically, original art makes their brains work harder. In a good way.
## **The Investment Thing**
Look, I get it. Original art costs more than a $10 poster. But here’s what I tell parents…
You’re not buying decoration. You’re buying:
– Conversation starters
– Imagination fuel
– Something that grows with them
– An actual heirloom (my daughter still has the first original piece we bought for her room. She’s 32.)
## **Making It Work in Real Life**
Some practical stuff, because I’m nothing if not practical:
**Start small.** One piece. See how your kid responds. Trevor’s got some lovely smaller works that won’t break the bank.
**Let them help choose.** Seriously. Even a 3-year-old knows what speaks to them.
**Hang it at their height.** Not yours. Theirs. They need to see it, study it, make up stories about it.
**Don’t overthink the “matching.”** Kids don’t care if the art matches the curtains. They care if it makes them feel something.
## **The Playful Platypus Difference**
What I like about this place — and why I agreed to write this — is they get it. Trevor’s art isn’t trying to be “kiddie art.” It’s real art that happens to work beautifully in kids’ spaces.
Pair that with Gary’s books (which, let me tell you, that man knows how to spin a yarn), and you’ve got a room that’s basically a creativity laboratory.
## **My Final Two Cents**
Your kid’s room is their universe. It’s where they dream, play, think, grow. The art on their walls becomes part of their mental landscape.
Make it count.
Original art — real, textured, one-of-a-kind art — tells them that their space is special. That THEY are special. That beauty and uniqueness matter.
And honestly? In this world of screens and sameness… that’s a lesson worth hanging on the wall.
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*Browse Trevor Campbell’s original pieces at Playful Platypus. Each one’s different. Each one’s got a story. And who knows? One might just become part of your child’s story too.*
