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Playroom Ideas
Create a special place for your child to play, explore, learn and most of all have fun. If you don’t have an extra room in your home to devote to a full-time playroom, there are plenty of other options to create an imagination-worthy play area.
Kids' Playroom Design Ideas
Playtime is essential to the development of your growing child. Play is how they learn, experiment, and observe the world. Creating a space that encourages unstructured, imaginative play where creative messes are allowed will help foster creative confidence in your child. In this guide I will go over the items you will need to create a playroom that is fun, inviting, and educational.
Create the Space
Playrooms are a place where children learn, play, and grow, so this room should be both welcoming and exciting. Before you begin designing your playroom, declutter your space to start with a clean slate. Donate or throw away any unwanted toys or items that don’t make sense for the space. If your child is old enough to contribute, include them in the planning process of the design. Involving your child in those decisions will make the playroom more meaningful and useful to them.
Playrooms are a place where children learn, play, and grow...
Create the Space Essentials
Play Rug
Rugs come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Find a rug that brings in a fun and playful element. If you want to teach your child about colors or the alphabet, you can easily find a rug to help.
Seating
Whether it’s a beanbag, rocking chair, recliner, or couch, look for comfortable seating to create a pleasant environment for playtime, reading, and cuddles.
Wall Display
Honor your child’s creativity by displaying their artwork on your walls. You can exhibit their work by compiling a collage on a corkboard or magnet board, or by putting their art in frames to create a wall gallery.
Toy Storage
The right storage for toys and books will help keep your playroom clean. Having a place for everything will also help you teach your child about putting toys away. There are a variety of storage options to choose from including toy boxes, bins, organizers, shelves, and bookcases. It all depends on what will work best for your needs.
Art Station
Help give your child creative independence and confidence with an art station.
Help give your child creative independence and confidence with an art station. Keep art supplies together and out in the open to encourage creativity and art spontaneity. As a good rule of thumb, choose quality materials over quantity. Don’t forget to go over any rules about using art supplies.
Art Station Essentials
Art Supplies
Purchase a variety of art supplies that are appropriate for your child’s age. This could include paper, crayons, playdough, tape, glue, and stickers. Teach your child how to take care of their supplies, including how to clean them up and put them away.
Craft Table
When you have a dedicated activity or craft table for your child, you don’t have to immediately clean up after creative play. Allow your child to leave their projects out so they can come back to them at a later time. Be sure to choose a table set that will accommodate your child’s size.
Art Easel
An art easel allows for convenient creativity. The paint is stored in the easel, smocks are hung on the side, and paper is clipped on the board beforehand. Simply hand over the paint and paintbrushes to watch the inspiration unfold.
Organization
Keeping your art supplies organized will allow your child to access their medium quickly when the creative moment strikes. Use containers or storage boxes in varying sizes to house your supplies and to keep items from becoming misplaced. You and your child will appreciate what a difference easy organization can make!
Reading Nook
Designating a reading space can help your child wind down from other distractions. Create a space that invites your child to get cozy and explore their books. A reading nook doesn’t need to take up much space — just a corner of the room will do. Make sure to provide a variety of books and a comfortable place to sit.
Create a space that invites your child to get cozy and explore their books.
Reading Nook Essentials
Children's Library
Keep a collection of books, magazines, and even toy catalogs you get in the mail. Fill your child’s library with subjects they are most exited about. Regularly rotate books to encourage your child to try new stories.
Educational Toys
The reading nook can also be a great place for the use of educational toys. Educational toys and games are a fantastic way to make learning fun. Choose toys that will best fit your child’s age and areas of need. For example, a toddler would enjoy a shape sorter, while an older child may enjoy doing puzzles.
Floor Pillows & Throws
Designating a reading space with cozy floor pillows and throws can help your child wind down from other distractions. It also creates an inviting space where they will actually want to take time to read and explore their books.
Bookshelf
When looking for a bookshelf, be sure to find one with low-to-the-ground storage. This way your child can easily reach their favorite books.
Imagination Station
When your child uses their imagination to act as different characters, they build self-esteem, sympathy, and empathy.
Children learn many valuable skills while pretending. When your child uses their imagination to act as different characters, they build self-esteem, sympathy, and empathy. Pretending also provides your child with a variety of problems to solve and allows them a safe place to practice new words and phrases. Create an imagination station for your child with these four pretend play essentials.
Imagination Station Essentials
Dress Up
Dress up is an important type of pretending. Costumes help your child to dive into the world of imagination and explore a new identity. Today your child will be a pirate, tomorrow a nurse, the next day a superhero.
Playhouse
A playhouse or fort gives your child a private place to read, play, eat, and have fun. It can open the door to an assortment of imagination-based activities. The playhouse can transform to be a classroom, grocery store, a fire station, or their very own home.
Pretend Play
Offering pretend play items such as a play kitchen, doctor set, supermarket set, or train set will open up the creativity in your child’s mind. It gives them the opportunity to explore and create their own imaginary world.
Puppets
Learning through play is fundamental to your child’s emotional education. Puppets come to life as characters with different personalities and emotions. Puppets can also help with your child’s fine motor skills as they learn to control the puppet.
Katie is a mother of three children. She’s learned through personal experience that children need a creative space to learn, develop and grow. She’s also learned that it’s just as important for adults to enjoy that creative freedom every now and then!