~~~~What Age to Buy a Desk for a Child?~~~~

If they'll use it, then buy it.....just not as a birthday or Christmas gift (happened to my husband at age 8 and he's *still* a little sore about it!)

My daughter loves her's and has had one since she's three. Its actually my former desk. We used to call it her art table but she's learned to write and now its her creation station. Its really HER space and she goes there each morning before I'm even awake. Now she has one set up at my parent's second home and it makes her feel right at home. But, like her mother, my daughter is a bit of a... um... nerd: )

We bought my daughter a desk at 9. It was a coming of age thing for her. She didn't want her toy box in her room anymore and wanted to make it more "tween" than little kid. Her desk in her room provides her with a quiet space to concentrate. At times the kitchen table is just too loud and busy. When she was younger, I preferred her to be in the kitchen with her homework so that I was available to help and could monitor her attentiveness.

I do have a homework station in our kitchen. It is a rolling cart with drawer (Target) that holds their school papers and supplies. I was finding myself drowning in school papers. I needed a system to keep track of this stuff. (Crayons, pencils, glue, pencil sharpeners, scissors, flashcards, longer term school assignments, etc.) This works for us and it's their first place to go if they need something to do homework. It does need periodic decluttering or, like anything, it can get out of hand.

Find a system that works for your home.

We bought our eldest a little used school desk (wood top, cubby underneath...) and I painted it up fancy for her when she was about two. She used to love to sit at it, color at it, do her homeschooling at it, etc...but now that we are actually doing intensive school (1st grade accelerated program) she really needs more space. She uses the kitchen table exclusively.

If you were to buy a standard "adult" size desk, that may work, but I suggest you get something nice and sturdy with drawers instead of something cheap that's just a table top. I still have my desk I've had my whole life...solid oak with drawers...and I'm sitting at it right now. I don't think I will ever get rid of this thing. Bonus, my mom had a glass piece custom cut to fit the top so I have photos under it, which makes for a very fun desktop. I get to look at my babies! :)

I didn't find it necessary to have my twins get their own desks at 5 yrs. old because at that age, I liked having them near me in case they needed help. (They really didn't need much help, but it was nice just to see them working at the kitchen table while I washed dishes or prepared dinner.)

Now that they are in 4th grade, I've noticed them using my desk in the family room and my husband's desk in our extra bedroom. My daughter has recently started asking me for her own desk. So... now I am thinking about purchasing them each one for their bedrooms. They have more work and it's getting more involved now and it takes longer. So it will be nice for them to just leave their work for awhile on their own desks and not have to worry about clearing their homework for dinner time. I may buy them new ones but I do like fixing things up (new hobby) so I will look into Goodwill and other stores like that. (My kids are almost 9 yrs. old.) I am thinking about getting or creating desks that have two purposes..... one for writing/doing homework and the other purpose to hold books. So I want to have sides that run down (the 2 front legs) where you can store books rather than a bookcase in front of the desk. (I want to leave that area open to put a calendar, marker board, memo board, etc... on the wall in front of their desks.) I hope this helps:-)

We always use the kitchen table. I never saw the need to buy my kids a desk and my older two are in or through college. The younger two seem quite happy at the table like their big brother and sister.

I don't see why not - they don't just have to use the desk for homework from school, it can be for drawing, art projects, etc. And it can be another form of storage if it has cubbies inside, drawers, etc. They might feel more like "big kids" with their desk!

My parents still had the desk that I had used growing up so last year when my daughter was in K we brought it home and set it up in our office. She likes to color at it, but she still does most of her homework at the kitchen table. But I do like having the drawers for all of the kids coloring books, drawings, and art supplies.

I put a desk in my sons' room as soon as they started to enjoy drawing and such. They have used, organized, done homework, and drawn on that thing non-stop since they got it, I think my oldest was 3 when I got it and now they are 5 and 11. I think as soon they start using a pencil and paper they need a place of their own to work on.

In other words GO FOR IT! They need a desk.

I don't think it is too young. We bought both of our kids a small sleek desk for their bedrooms. When they were younger they would sometimes take crayons and coloring books and just sit at their desk and color. It was 'alone time' for them.