Children’s Ikea

Isobel Villalon Lauzon – 500626316

Lisa Pena-Sabanal
CYC 302 – Therapeutic Recreational Programming
October 16th, 2015
 Furniture shopping can be exciting as an adult; however the idea of matching
cupboards might not bring the same appeal to children and youth that it does for adults.
While there are several furniture retailers throughout Canada, this paper focuses on and
identifies Ikea as a therapeutic milieu for children and youth, specifically those aged from
0 to 12. Ikea has a free Children’s Supervised Play Area, as well as several
(unsupervised) electronic kiosks throughout each department for children to play with
while parents browse nearby. There is a certain height and potty-trained requirement for
the Play Area, therefore excluding infants and taller children. This paper will discuss the
physical, emotional, social, cultural, and ideological elements of Children’s Ikea. Ikea is
one of the few furniture retailers that not only sells and displays children’s furniture, but
also has a designated department that creates a fun and interactive experience that is safe,
inclusive, and affirming. Children’s Ikea is located on the second level directly connected
to the main display room and Ikea’s restaurant and café. Children’s Ikea is connected to
direct exits – the front of the building and towards the Ikea Marketplace.

It is also recognized that Children’s Ikea is a retail service, therefore marketing is

prioritized alongside the child’s physical, emotional, social, cultural, and ideological
needs; therefore while Ikea does show clear efforts of making this department a safe,
inclusive, and affirming space, there are certain improvements to be made.

Physical Safety
After assessing the environment of Children’s Ikea, it is found that there are only
two visible fire extinguishers located within the area. However, there are several located
throughout the adjoined café as well as the other nearby departments. Moreover, it has
also been confirmed by Ikea that all of their upholstered products contain flame-
retardants, and are therefore less likely to spread fire (“Information concerning”, 2014).
Given the staff members’ positions, it is assumed that they are trained in how to use a fire
extinguisher in case of an emergency, as well as are informed in emergency procedures
and exits. The stairs to and from the Children’s Ikea have slip-free grips on each step and
lower railings for smaller children to hold on to. Additionally, there are plastic guards on
the ladders of display bunk beds that help reduce the risk of children climbing the beds
and falling off. Beds within Children’s Ikea are also built much lower, further eliminating
the risk of children falling off and hurting themselves. Children’s Ikea is an adequately
large area, this allows families to move easily along pathways; however there are also a
lot of bins and miscellaneous items that fall on the pathways that could be tripped on, or
bumped into if there were a panic. As a solution, Ikea has multiple staff members
stationed within the space with the main purpose of picking up strewn toys and checking
for damaged furniture. Further following Burns’ checklist (2006, p. 14), the general area
is very well lit and supervised by staff. The only areas that have dimmer lighting are the
small display rooms that showcase different lamps on sale.

Recommendation: Though Children’s Ikea is closely connected to the front

entrance and there are multiple shortcuts placed to meet fire regulations, Professor Alan
Penn admits that Ikea’s floor plan is “designed to keep customers from leaving” (Tozer,
2011). The store has many shortcuts and rooms, which becomes difficult for customers to
navigate easily back and forth between departments. While this is a smart marketing

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move, it can prove to be physically unsafe for a child. As Burns highlights, without
proper safety exits, there can be serious risk for youth (p. 10) - it can be hard for a child
to quickly find a safe exit from the building if there is a panic. To ensure there are proper
safety exits, Ikea should place multiple clear signs that indicate where the regular and
emergency exits are. They should also have emergency procedure signs hanging by staff
kiosks and exits for customers to read over. Moreover, while there are few cubbyholes for
children to hide in, the area is often very busy – which presents the possibility of children
escaping unseen or being pulled away by strangers unnoticed. It could prove to be
beneficial if there was a staff member placed at each exit connected to Children’s Ikea,
thereby preventing children from leaving without their parents. While there are no wall
hangings that have sharp edges or protruding nails (p. 12), there are some shelves or
wardrobes with sharp covers that children can bump into. It is recommended that Ikea
place corner-covers to avoid children from hurting themselves.

Physical Inclusiveness
At the main entrance of Children’s Ikea, there is a sign above the doorway
reading: “the most important people in the world”. Underneath the sign and beside the
main entryway, there is a smaller tunnel created for children to walk through separate
from adults. This sign allows children to know that Ikea is not just for adults, but that
they can pick and choose furniture for themselves, too. The furniture is built for children
specifically, therefore they are able to explore and experiment with the products. The
general lower build of the furniture also makes it easier for small children or children
with physical disabilities to transfer themselves onto the beds with little or no adult help.
It was observed that children really enjoyed being able to freely use the furniture to do
things like play or read a book. The colours of the furniture are varied and bright, rather
than the cold or neutral-coloured items found in other departments. Bright colours can
help “inspire, stimulate, and warm-up a room” (p.19) thereby making the space more
welcoming to children. There are also smaller, bright yellow shopping bags located
within Children’s Ikea that are more suitable for children to carry around, as opposed to
the large blue bags used by adults. Throughout Children’s Ikea there are display rooms,
all with different atmospheres that appeal to the diverse tastes of each child – such as a
green jungle-themed room, or a pink room with a canopy. Children’s Ikea further
demonstrates physical inclusiveness as it provides toys that are suitable for various ages
and genders. There are many gender specific toys, such as dolls or cars, and even gender-
neutral items for all children, such as small tents, puzzles, or mini kitchenware. There are
also smaller toys such as rattles and plush toys for infants available. All of the toys are
easily accessible for children.

Recommendation: It is highlighted on the Ikea website (“Children’s Ikea”, 2015)

that their children’s furniture is targeted to those aged from 0 to 12. This excludes any
youth above that age. It is also made evident in the length and size of their products that
their children’s furniture is not suitable for older youth. Some of their products, such as
their bunk beds, even have disclaimers that children above the age of 12 should not use
the product. To improve the physical inclusiveness of Children’s Ikea, there should be a
new series created targeted towards older adolescents. This allows youth the option of
having their own furniture to choose from, rather than purchasing furniture from the adult

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section, which might be mature or bland for their tastes. Additionally, there is oftentimes
music being played lightly from the Ikea speakers; the music coupled with the volume of
families chatting through the enclosed space can be overwhelming for children and can
be an unwelcoming experience. Also, if it was possible to rearrange the displays and bins
to allow more space in the department, the physical space could allow children to feel
more welcome and comfortable rather than crowded.

Physical Affirmation
The sign at the entryway of Children’s Ikea affirms to children that they are
valued, that this area is primarily for their approval. This supports Burns belief that it
benefits a child’s sense of pride and dignity to be recognized and honoured by peers and
adults in their life (p. 21). The children appear to trust the space in the way that they
freely and confidently move around Children’s Ikea to play with any of the products that
they found familiar. The children also appear to trust the environment and be proud of the
space because they generally take more initiative and lead their parents around to show
them their environment. It was observed that as soon as children entered Children’s Ikea,
it was clear that it is their space. They led their parents to various areas of the department
to demonstrate how things worked, what worked best for them, what they enjoyed the
most, and the like. Within Children’s Ikea, it was the child that dictated how things went
and it was clear that they were proud to give their opinion on furniture or products that
are intended for them.

Recommendation: To make this environment more physically affirming, the

department could have a small area where children can draw pictures and hang them up
in the rooms to make it a little more welcoming and like their own space. If staff is
worried that the decorations will become too crowded, they can remove the drawings
after every day. The children can even bring their picture home if they wanted to, a token
of the fun they had there. It is also observed that within this milieu, children generally
become more independent. Many of the display rooms are designed for a single child
rather than as a shared room. Moreover, many of the toys within Children’s Ikea are
single-player items; therefore children tend to play by themselves or with their parents
rather than with the other children. Single-player items allow children the opportunity to
prevent others from having a turn with the product. To make this space more physically
affirming, Children’s Ikea can provide more multi-player games within the department,
much like the toy kitchen or puppet theatre. This will allow children to value each other
more and help them develop team skills or values.

Emotional Safety
Surrounded by items that are targeted towards them, children are more inclined
and confident to express their thoughts and emotions about the environment and products
around them. Burns states that it is when children feel emotionally safe that they are more
prone to open up about their emotions and feelings (p. 51). Within Children’s Ikea,
children are presented with items that they are familiar with, which allows them the
emotional security that they are in a safe and comfortable environment. Moreover, there
are less fragile items, such as glass vases, lying around this milieu; within adult-targeted
departments, children might feel pressured to control their emotions and to be very

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careful when stepping into the display rooms – some might even be discouraged from
entering the area. Children’s Ikea has products built for children, which means that
almost all of the items are designed to withstand any playtime accidents. It is also
recognized as more acceptable for children to express their excitement and hyper-activity
within this space than it is within other departments as they are amongst other children
and this is seen as “their space”. This can decrease a child’s anxiety or fear of being
punished for not “behaving properly”, essentially not containing their energy.

Recommendation: While this milieu is filled with many items that children are
familiar with, it is also filled with many other people and several sections; entering a
crowded room can be emotionally intimidating for a child. As a solution, there could be
an Ikea staff member to greet families and help, even if it’s just a little, children feel more
welcome and comfortable entering the space. Children’s Ikea can also put up signs to
remind parents that the area is generally considered unsupervised and that they should
pay close supervision to their child. By giving parents this reminder (and if parents
follow-through), this can allow children the emotional security of knowing that their
parents are watching over them and are there to protect them if need be or to help ease
them into the environment.

Emotional Inclusiveness
The sign above the entryway stating that children are “the most important people
in the world” supports Burns belief that an emotionally inclusive milieu allows a child to
feel as though their emotions are as important as their peers’ and that others want to hear
what it is they are feeling or what they have to say (p. 53). Being labeled as the most
important allows the children that enter this environment know that they are valued and
that Ikea places them as top priority. As this is the Children’s Ikea, it is generally the
children who take lead in introducing the parents or adults to the space. It has been
observed that parents are generally very open and willing to follow the child’s lead and
allow the child to freely express their thoughts on the products that they pick up. Parents
also demonstrate interest when they give their undivided attention within the space and
play along with whatever game the child chooses. As this is a child-targeted space,
parents are allowed the time to focus solely on the needs and wants of their child and
listen to or understand what their child has to say or is feeling.

Recommendation: Due to the fact that not every child might feel free or
comfortable to express their emotions (maybe because they are shy), there is the
possibility of them being excluded from certain games or activities. Again, if there were
more multiplayer toys available, children might be more open to the idea of joining in, as
opposed to asking for a turn. Children’s Ikea can also have a small checklist or survey
available for children to fill out which allows them to give their opinions on what they
liked about the space and what they disliked. By providing this survey, it gives all
children the opportunity to express their thoughts and emotions – if they are too young to
write, an adult can read out the questions and write down the child’s answer. This lets
children feel like their emotions and opinions are being validated and valued, not only by
their parents, but by staff members as well. This also gives shyer children the chance to
voice their opinion without being put in the spotlight.

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Emotional Affirmation
As children often take the lead within this space, it is observed that parents show
more curiosity and interest in what their child has to say about the furniture than they do
about furniture within other departments; this is consistent with Burns’ emotional
affirmation checklist (p. 58). As Children’s Ikea has furniture that is child-targeted,
parents take into great consideration how their child reacts to certain beddings or
wardrobes in order to choose what they will take home. It is in this space that the parents
pay great attention to the child’s expressed emotions and opinions so that they are able to
get something that they know their child likes. Children are not often seen as equal
decision-makers when choosing other home furniture; however in Children’s Ikea, they
are most often the primary decider and this really affirms to them that what they like and
dislike matters. Much like emotionally inclusive, the sign above the entryway affirms to
children that their emotions and feelings are important and significant to the milieu.

Recommendation: Aside from sharing their excitement over choosing their own
furniture or toys, children do not really have the opportunity to express their thoughts and
emotions about anything. This is why it could again prove to be a good idea for
Children’s Ikea to have a special checklist or survey for children to fill out during their
visit. This survey can cover more than just their thoughts on the furniture, but about how
the space made them feel and what they liked about it and what they disliked. The survey
can also ask questions about what the children think Ikea should improve, whether it is
customer service or the colours of the walls, etc. Also if there was a station where
children could invent and build or draw furniture that they think could be a good edition
to Children’s Ikea, it could also aide in a child feeling more involved in the process rather
than a simple observer or tag-along.

Social Safety
Children’s Ikea is a department created for and of the children. It is a space where
children should feel safe and comfortable in who they are and how they are feeling.
Children’s Ikea allows for children of various ages, cultures, and genders to shop within
its department; there are no furniture that are culturally exclusive and there is a wide
variety of products that are suitable for any gender or age. None of the furniture or toys
have labels reading: “for girls [or boys] only” – which allows children to pick and choose
what they prefer without the added insecurity or pressure of having to choose something
suitable for their gender. It was also observed that the staff members were very
accommodating and kind to the children, as were the parents. However, it was also
observed that it was when children were not sharing toys or when parents told children
that it was time to leave and they weren’t listening, that there were certain punishment
threats being made. While it is understood that most comments are made in anger or
frustration, it can make a child feel socially unsafe if other children are being verbally
aggressive due to no sharing and so on. If children are in an environment that has verbal,
emotional, or psychological abuse, children are less inclined to feel safe or accepted (p.
67). It can also be intimidating for a child to enter a crowded room of playing children if
they are an only child, because then presents the question of if other children will boss
them around of not let them play with certain toys.

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 Recommendation: While Children’s Ikea is a retail service, it could prove to be
beneficial to a child’s social safety if the department were to put up signs with a set of
rules, such as always give other children a turn. These rules can act as a reminder to
children to share and could reduce discord between children. Also, if there are no parents
around, staff members could kindly remind children what the rules are and ensure that
they are being followed. Additionally, having multi-player games, such as a puppet
theatre can encourage acceptance and teamwork amongst children. With something like a
puppet theatre, children can participate as either a player or as an audience member, both
allowing them to be involved. As the Children’s Ikea is connected to the café, parents can
use that as an enticer for children to leave the department, hopefully reducing verbal
threats of punishment or arguments about leaving.

Social Inclusiveness
In observing the environment, it was clear that many of the products available are
designed for single participants only – there are bunk beds, however they disallow use of
the top bunk for safety purposes. Therefore there are not too many opportunities allowed
for children to play or interact together. It was observed that even for families with more
than one child, the children – while physically together – would pick up toys and play
separately or express interest in furniture that only accommodates one person.
Sometimes, even though a product can involve more than one player (such as the play
kitchen set) children still choose to play with the item separately. They would choose to
play with the product, but not speak with the other child using it. Within Children’s Ikea,
there is a lot of use of the pronoun “I” want rather than saying “we” or “us” – this is
inconsistent with Burns’ checklist of what is socially inclusive (p. 91). Children’s Ikea
however does show social inclusiveness in that it does not exclude any cultures, races, or
genders; there are no blatant religious symbols or flags (aside form the Swedish and
Canadian flags outside) or gender specific signs aside from colour. All children are able
to find something of their preference.

Recommendation: By creating and selling furniture that is targeted for multi-

children families, Children’ Ikea can promote unity amongst children. Furniture such as
multiplayer tea party sets or connected wardrobes can allow children the opportunity to
involve others in their decisions and games. Also having games that require more than
one player can help in promoting social inclusiveness and encourage children to make
new friends. Moreover, as mentioned previously, Children’s Ikea only creates furniture
built for children aged 0 to 12. It is also observed that the beds only fit children within 5
feet (lying flat on their back). Building furniture within these parameters excludes any
older youth and also youth that are taller than 5 ft. If Children’s Ikea were to build larger
furniture, it would introduce a whole other extended demographic. New youth could be
involved and included into this environment, allowing them to not feel excluded and to
feel as though they are valued and thought of as well.

Social Affirmation
Burns states that a socially affirming milieu provides opportunities for children
and youth to assist and support one another (p. 94). Within Children’s Ikea, it is the

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parents and staff members that most often do the assisting and support. There are not
many opportunities for the children to support one another as they are generally making
decisions for themselves and based on their personal preferences. However, despite the
low rate of new friends being made, it is observed that all of the youth have one thing in
common – they all respect the space and treat it as their own. Burns discusses that
although children and youth behave and view things differently, they still maintain a
sense of respect for their environment (p. 94). Children all commonly acknowledge that
Children’s Ikea is their space; the products contained are meant for their enjoyment and
use and children often show that acknowledgment in their confidence of exploring their
space and making sure the environment is well-treated. It is observed that it is almost a
silent agreement between children – because this is their space, they need to respect their
things and take care of what is there. In this, they operate almost as a unit.

Recommendation: As mentioned before, if Children’s Ikea were to provide the

option of allowing children to draw their own pictures and hang them up in the rooms,
children could be given the opportunity to give compliments and praise of one another’s
pictures or even work together in creating a picture. Multi-person accommodating
furniture, such as dual beddings or wardrobes can also encourage children to make co-
operative decisions. Having a building station can also encourage children to either give
their opinion on one another’s creations, but to also make group suggestions. By
providing activities where children can use their imagination and create new their ideas
allows a child to feel socially affirmed. By providing children with these activities in a
public group allows children to not only feel affirmed, but also gives children the
opportunity to encourage and support each other. As Burns mentions, all elements are
intertwined; group activities allow children to make new friends and learn to work as a
unit – which can help a child both socially and emotionally.

Cultural Safety
Although Ikea is a Swedish company, aside from their flag and central colour
scheme, there is nothing that children can view as culturally threatening. It is observed
that families of all cultures come to shop for their furniture at Children’s Ikea. The staff
and customers show no discrimination against who is or is not allowed to shop within
Children’s Ikea. The furniture that is built and sold at Children’s Ikea bare no flags or
cultural or religious symbols, this therefore allows all families to feel safe and accepted.
The furniture available is very general and therefore can be used and enjoyed by all
cultures. It is also observed that the staff members at Children’s Ikea are apart of various
racial, ethnic, and religious groups. This further allows children the feeling of cultural
security because they can too feel welcome within the area if they see someone of a
similar cultural background being accepted within the environment. Moreover,
Children’s Ikea does not celebrate one specific holiday during holiday seasons – such as
Easter, Hanukkah, or Christmas. Children’s Ikea announces a simple “happy holidays” to
its customers and also sells a variety of holiday décor – such as plush Star of David and
toy Christmas elves. The display of diverse holiday décor also adds to a child’s sense of
familiarity and security within the milieu. As the furniture and atmosphere is very
culturally neutral, there is not very much opportunity for children to make judgments
about another’s culture – everyone is choosing home ware from the same place.

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 Recommendation: Burns states that the first step to creating and maintaining a
culturally safe milieu is to educate and raise awareness (p. 126). By simply raising
awareness to children of all the different types of cultures that are out there, it can aide in
reducing the risk of any cultural discrimination within Children’s Ikea. This environment
can help raise awareness to children about other cultures by simple placing the different
world flags around the space. They can be hung along the tops of the walls, or even from
the ceiling. This simple décor can spark the interest of children and hint that there are so
many different countries and cultures outside of their own and can hopefully encourage
them to ask questions or research about other cultures.

Cultural Inclusiveness
Burns highlights that a culturally inclusive milieu is one that “encourages interest
and curiosity in differences among people” (p. 129). As Children’s Ikea is such a
culturally neutral space, there are not many opportunities for children to discuss or learn
about each other’s cultural differences. The furniture products, while some have intricate
designs, are very universal – there are no identifiable symbols. This can be viewed as
both a positive and a negative. It can be viewed as a positive because if the space is
culturally neutral, there is less of a risk for children to feel culturally excluded or to be
discriminated due to race, ethnicity, religion, or otherwise. However, this can also be
viewed as a negative because it does not provide children with the opportunity to learn
about cultures separate from their own. There is no environmental material to stimulate a
conversation between children about their cultural differences or similarities. This proves
to be a disadvantage to the child because by educating children and raising awareness
about diverse cultures, it creates a sense of unity and bond between children. Children
can learn to form bonds despite their differences. With knowledge, children are a step
closer to understanding and accepting their differences with one another. When children
understand something, they are more open to be inclusive about it. If a child has no
knowledge or understanding about another’s culture, they will not be as likely to be open
to it or inclusive.

Recommendation: If there were an activity where children could draw what their
own homes or bedrooms looked like, children could be able to identify and examine their
cultural differences. They can even identify the similarities between their homes. All
families decorate their homes differently, whether it is because of personal preference or
due to cultural traditions. By showing each other what their own homes looks like,
children can learn new things about their peers and their cultures. Children can see what
is inside of each others’ homes and rooms and that can lead to them asking questions as
to the purpose of certain items or traditions. By giving children this chance to ask each
other questions, they are able to learn new things about each other and even teach others
about their own culture. This can encourage children to feel more comfortable and
confident about their culture and even help them feel more accepted amongst their peers.

Cultural Affirmation
Burns states that a culturally affirmed milieu’s “members hold themselves and
their cultural identity in high esteem” (p. 130). If a child sees that their own cultural

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holiday is being celebrated in their environment, it can allow them a sense of pride and
security. However, for a child whose holiday is not a familiar to the country and therefore
isn’t celebrated or recognized throughout Children’s Ikea, can make a child feel as
though their culture is not as valued. Burns again highlights that a milieu that is culturally
affirming communicates to a child that their cultural identity is worth recognition and
celebration (p. 130). By not acknowledging all holidays and simply celebrating those that
are highly commercialized, certain children become less affirmed and thus feel as if their
culture is not as important. While Children’s Ikea does not discriminate against any
cultures, it does not give every culture full recognition or celebration. There is also little
chance for children to share their cultural backgrounds openly, therefore there are fewer
occasions for children to support and learn more about each other.

Recommendation: Christmas and Hanukkah are the most commercialized and

common holidays recognized amongst children in Canada. To ensure that the milieu is
even more socially inclusive, Children’s Ikea can put up posters or have a quick general
greeting over the central speaker acknowledging other various holidays such as Rosh
Hashanah or Corpus Christi or Kwanza, rather than the usual Westernized holidays.
Children’s Ikea could even have a large calendar hung in the area that has a short
animated blurb about what holiday is coming up or happening. By having a poster like
this up, it can help educate children about the other holidays and even spark their interest
and encourage them to want to learn more. Children can also have the opportunity to
explain to their peers how their holiday is celebrated. All cultural holidays (as long as
they can be explain age-appropriately) should be shared for this milieu to really be
culturally inclusive.

Ideological safety
As Children’s Ikea is a furniture retailer, there is no formal discussion about
beliefs or religion. Any or all conversation about one’s ideologies is not initiated by the
milieu but rather in personal conversation between customers. Fortunately, nothing about
this chosen environment discourages children from voicing their thoughts or beliefs.
Burns believes that “children’s thoughts, beliefs, morals, and values need to be respected
whenever possible” (p. 162). Within Children’s Ikea, a child’s thought about the products
being sold are taken into great consideration and are respected by both staff members and
parents. However, there is not really any focus on morals, beliefs, or values. As
Children’s Ikea is a public retailer and all customers are valued, children of all beliefs are
free and welcome to come in and shop/browse. This means that if a child is wearing
something that identifies their religion, the staff members (and as observed, the
customers) place no discrimination against that child or family. By welcoming in children
of all beliefs, it allows a child to feel safe within the space. There are also staff members
who wear religious symbols within the children’s department, this can also add to a
child’s ideological safety.

Recommendation: Any display or recognition of diverse beliefs can be a helpful

step towards educating children and allowing them to feel safe in their beliefs and morals.
If Children’s Ikea had a small book area for children to read from (instead of the display
books written in Swedish), there could be a book provided that taught children that

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everyone is different and that everyone should be treated fairly. Children’s Ikea can also
display posters of children from diverse ideological backgrounds playing together and
showing them as friends despite a difference in beliefs. Fundamentally, all religions share
the belief of treating your peers fairly and this is something that Children’s Ikea can
communicate visually to its consumers.

Ideological Inclusiveness
While there are no exclusive factors or formal discussions within Children’s Ikea,
it is observed that children of similar religions and ideologies group together. It is most
likely that they group together due to having similar beliefs and familiarity. Children’s
Ikea does not really make an effort to recognize or discuss any ideologies, as it is a retail
service. In this way, children are at a disadvantage to learn about their peers’ beliefs,
morals, values, and thoughts. Without this chance, children are unable to express interest
in one another’s ideologies. As Burns writes, an ideologically inclusive milieu stimulates
and promotes interest and curiosity in the differences of opinion and thought processes
(p.169). Without the acknowledgment of other religions, children cannot identify or
examine from the environment what their ideological differences are. However, it can be
assumed that Children’s Ikea does not stimulate discussion about ideologies to avoid
customer conflict, due to their young demographics, or even lack of relevance (they’re a
retail company).

Recommendation: To make this milieu more ideologically inclusive, Children’s

Ikea can sell plush dolls of all cultures and religions. This way all children can feel as
though they are being recognized and valued. This can also probe children to ask
questions about the different religions that they see. Children’s Ikea could also put up
animated posters of children of different religions or cultures all holding hands or playing
together. This can let children know that no ideology is discriminated within this space or
unvalued.

Ideological Affirmation
It has not been observed within Children’s Ikea of a child being discriminated by
a staff member or fellow peer due to their ideology. While there is no formal
encouragement for children to share about their beliefs or values, there is no
discouragement either. Burns states that an ideologically affirming milieu understands,
supports, and interfaces diverse ideologies (p. 174); unfortunately, Children’s Ikea was
not consistent with this statement. If Children’s Ikea were to have various posters or
books or even informal discussions about the world’s diverse ideologies, in a way that is
can be easily understood by younger children, this milieu could allow children to feel
more ideologically affirmed.

Recommendation: If there was a wall where children could write what it was
about they believed is important to them or what they believe is right, it could create an
outlet for children to freely express their values and subsequently find pride in what they
believe in. This could also enable children to see the similarities amongst their beliefs and
interpret and accept the differences. An exercise such as this allows children to bond
together as well as allows them to learn more about themselves.

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 References

Burns, M. (2006). Healing spaces: The therapeutic milieu in child and youth work.

Harrowsmith, ON: Child Care Press.

IKEA. (2014). Information concerning fire retardancy on all IKEA upholstered products

[Data file]. Retrieved from

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/pdf/Fire_retardancy_info_IKEA.pdf

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