Aibu to put 4 children in one bedroom to make way for a playroom?

[wtfjusthappenedhere]

Currently our house is set up like this.
We have 6 children, ages 12,10,8,6,5 and 1.

Downstairs - living room, kitchen , dining room, school room (we home ed and we need this room)

Upstairs - main bedroom , bedroom for 12 year old on her own, bedroom which the 10 and 6 year old share, bedroom which 5 and 8 year olds share and the 1 year old has the box room on her own.

It doesn't work. The 12 year old and the 1 year old are fine. The 12 year old just keeps to herself and he one year old has no choice.

The middle children are constantly ending up in one bedroom or another so they all end up sleeping In one or two beds piled up
Like puppies .

The clothes are really disorganised and we end up with toys all over the schoolroom which is distracting.

So my idea and I can't decide if I'm crazy - is to put two sets of bunk beds in one of the bedrooms (they are well big enough for this) plus clothes storage.

The other bedroom becomes a playroom.

We have 5 girls one boy. The ten year old is the boy, I realise that in a year or two he won't want to share with his sisters but by the the one year old would be old enough to switch and so he would get the box room and the baby would love in with the girls.

Obviously I'm not saying it ha to stay like this forever, when they are too old for all the toys we could easily move it back but am I insane in thinking a "bunk room" and playroom might work?

I could never do this to a 12 year old to be honest. Started, or on the brink of puberty, and then removing their private space. Why are their toys in they way now anyway? Whilst homeschooling does remove that great childhood thing of impromptu guests coming to see friends after school, where does the 12 year old get any social space on her own?

Can you not turn the school room into the parents bedroom with one of those beds that fold up to the wall?

As the youngest of four sisters who all grew up sharing the same fairly small bedroom (in two bunkbeds), I say.... HELL, YES.

Eh, scottish? Isn't the 12 yo staying in her own bedroom?

where does the 12 year old get any social space on her own?

Her bedroom.

scottishdiem the 12 year old gets their own bedroom.

Oops. Sorry. Totally misread.

Why do they need a better bedtime routine Saucy? The OP hasn't said anything about any problems.

Bunks with black out curtains for privacy, their own lights inside and some storage space at the head or foot end for books, water, whatever would work really well.

Bedroom for sleeping. Play room for playing.

YANBU I have 3 girls in one room. The young one goes to bed 2 hours before the other 2 and it is fine. Our arrangement works because, like you, we have plenty of public space all over the house and so can keep the bedroom for sleeping.

My eldest 3 shared a room until they were 8, 6 and 3. We had the main room and our box room was an office. It worked fine for us.

We moved house, eldest got his own room and the girls shared until they were 10 and 7.

Moved house again and they all got their own rooms. The girls frequently had sleepovers with each other though until they were quite old.

All are grown up now and get on pretty well, socialise, go to festivals and holidays together.

In our house they dont/didnt spend long in bedrooms playing on their own so it seemed like bigger bedrooms were wasted floor space (but mine are 9 yrs and younger so maybe will change as older). If one is in bed sleeping we can read with another in the "playroom" before they go to bed.
Keeps all the clothes in the one space.

Sounds like an excellent idea , it I'd run it past the dc before buying anything . saucy , have you read a different thread to everybody else , where does it sound stressful , it just sounds like happy kids being allowed some freedom of expression . Lots of people work quite happily without having bedtime routines .

I think it sounds fine and like they would enjoy it. You might need to wiggle it all again in a couple of years as they all age and get more teenagery but it'll work nicely for a while.

As someone who grew up in a big family, I'd hate what you're proposing. Having the option to sneak into your siblings' room at night is different from having to sleep with them.
I'd have a chat with your DCs and see how they actually feel about losing their own space.
Plus there's no reason that the clothes would be any more or less disorganised by changing the sleeping arrangements.

It doesn't sound bad at all. Built in bunks, if you can, are a great idea.

Do you HE all of the children, OP?

but why does the 10 year old boy have to share with younger (female) siblings when he is about to go through pubity? you do know pubity can start at 10 right?

Its worse as they are different genders the room should be a girl room and the other room should be for the boy?

is the 12 year old (female) need for pricvy that her sisters will go through trump the boy who will go through a different proscess then his sisters?

After seeing this thread it's put ideas in my head!

I'd say yes but the 10yo boy needs the box room now, and the little one in a cot in the playroom or in with the others. Otherwise you're moving them all and decorating twice, and very very soon puberty is going to start for him. I think he needs his space before it happens really. In our old house we had almost a dormitory style room for the kids to sleep, and a lovely fun playroom. Worked really well!

saucyjack I agree with you. Letting them go to bed and get up whenever is not going to teach them time management. You're not doing them any favours as they're going to find it a shock getting up in time to go to college or a job.

Also growing up as a teenager my bedroom was my sanctuary. It was a place to unwind and de-stress especially during the GCSE and ALevel years. I wouldn't have coped sharing a room at all.

I love that picture zzzz

If you think it won't disturb them then yes, why not? Decorate with gender neutral paint so that swapping around won't be a problem at any point..
Gender neutral curtains for each bunk and a shelf would be great.

Letting them go to bed and get up whenever is not going to teach them time management. You're not doing them any favours as they're going to find it a shock getting up in time to go to college or a job.

They're learning to listen to their own bodies and sleep when they are tired. I guarantee you these children aren't sleeping in til midday. I also guarantee you that when they have somewhere to go the next day OP manages to get them all up and organised for it. As for getting up for college or a job. They'll be tired for a day or two to start with and then their bodies will adjust and because these children are so tuned into their own body's tired signals they'll have no problem getting themselves to bed early enough.