Lighting plays a key role in making our homes safe, functional and comfortable and this is especially true when children are involved. For childrens lighting, you need to create a mix of illumination that's both bright enough to be safe, soft enough to be relaxing and create a cosy ambience for sleep, and focused enough to allow them to read and do homework without eyestrain.

In fact, children's lighting involves the same basic three types as for any form of home illumination -ambient, accent and task. The good thing is that you have more options, and they tend to be more colourful and fun. First, let's look at ambient lighting.

Ceiling lighting is usually the most fundamental source of ambient illumination. When it comes to ceiling lights for children, your two main choices are fitted lights which may be flush or recessed, or pendant lights which hang down.

Your choice will depend on the height of your ceiling and the amount of installation work you want to do. Flush ceiling lights take up minimal space and come in a wide array of designs for children such as sky motifs.

Pendant childrens lights also come in a wide range of themes from such favourite topics as sports, music, and cartoons. Both the lamps themselves and their shades are available in a vast range of richly decorated styles. You'll need to take your own children's' tastes and interests into account when choosing designs for their lighting. For your son's bedroom you could choose pendant lighting in the shape of a rocket or a football. For you daughter, perhaps you might opt for the motif of a young princess or butterflies floating above.

For younger children it's a nice idea to install lighting with learning value. You can get lights which are both attractive and educational such as abc lighting is a rich array of colours.

Another option for ambient light is to use all wall sconces. These come in a wide range of styles for children. For example, there are silver rocket sconces for little boy's rooms.

Accent lighting to highlight a special feature is likely to be less important for children. Perhaps you could use a ceiling mounted spot or track light to light up a poster of a favourite movie star, singer or footballer, or another special part of the room.

Other than creating a cosy atmosphere for your kids to relax, you also need to install task lighting to allow your children to enjoy their hobbies, do homework and read comfortably. Older children can use standard desk lamps though for younger ones you might prefer spotlights affixed to the ceiling for safety. If several youngsters are sharing one room, you need to make sure that each has adequate lighting that doesn't disturb the other. You can do this through the use of adjustable lighting and dimmers.

Safety is of prime concern when it comes to lighting for younger children. Not only should illumination be sufficient to carry out all activities easily but you also need to be careful about things like the type of lights and their positioning. For example, table lamps can be pulled over and are potentially dangerous to very young children. The electrical wires have to be properly installed so that they are out of harm's way. Older children, of course, can safely use any type of lighting including desk lamps.

For very young children in a nursery, you can install night lights to provide a soft illumination all night and be a source of comfort should the child wake up during the night.

Other than illumination for your kids' rooms, you can also install outdoor childrens lighting. These can transform your garden into a magic area. Popular are decorative pebble, cone, star and ball lights along with illuminated chairs.

When it comes to lighting your child's room, you have a rich array of options which allows you to be truly creative. You can use a mix of lamps, colored light bulbs and a variety of illumination sources including sconces and lowlights, as well as ceiling lights. The best way to see what childrens lighting is available is to visit the web sites of online vendors. Here you'll not only find the widest variety but also the best prices in the UK.