Decorative Headboards for Kids

Picket Fence

• Attach a section of picket fencing to the wall at the head of the bed. You can reclaim and clean a segment of used fencing, or you can buy a length of plastic fencing from a hardware store. You can paint the fence to match the room's décor, or make it white and paint the wall grass-green below and sky-blue above. Leave the fence plain or decorate it with inexpensive artificial flowers and vines.

Storage

• Put a bookcase between the head of the bed and the wall. Anchor the bookcase to the wall so that it won't fall on the child's head if it's bumped in the night. Paint to complement the room colors. You can choose any size or type of bookshelf, from a narrow three-foot-tall one that will extend one shelf over the top of the bed to a full-wall shelving system that hangs directly on the wall.

Garden Arch

• Use a garden arch (available at a gardening center or hardware store) or a wedding arch (available at a crafts store). Stand it so that it straddles the head of the child's bed; for extra stability, attach it to the wall by screwing four screw eyes (two for each side of the arch) into the wall and wrapping wire around the arch posts and through the screw eyes. Cover the arch with fabric panels (sheer curtains work nicely) to coordinate with the bedding, strings of lights, artificial flowers and vines, strings of crystals or beads, or whatever your child likes.

Sleep with the Fishes

• Put an aquarium on a stand at the head of the child's bed. The light will provide a comforting glow at night and the bubbling noise will be soothing. Coordinate with beach or fish-themed bedding and wall treatment.

Screen

• Stand a folding screen behind the bed or hang it from the wall. You can recycle an old screen by recovering it with fabric to match the child's room, or make one by attaching thin panels of plywood (cut to the height and width you want) at the edges with hinges to make accordion-folds. Decorate with paint, wallpaper, contact paper, fabric or decals.