Kids Playroom: Pros And Cons Of Setting Up A Play Area At Home

Children are often at the center of attention when organizing space at home, and rightly so. Kids generally need more space than adults. They need a place to play and be physically active, develop their skills and imagination, but also relax. Naturally, school-aged children also need a dedicated space for reading and doing their homework. That’s quite a lot to fit in an urban home or apartment, but planning, good storage solutions and a bit of inspiration will allow you to craft the perfect spot to nurture your child’s creativity and wellbeing.

Here are some of the pros and cons of setting up a playroom at home:

• It’s a great setup for families with multiple children, as it encourages them to play together, and the parents can supervise them more easily.
• However, it might not be the best idea for families where’s a big age gap between children. While your preteen might want to read, or watch a TV show in peace, a toddler has a completely different agenda that involves plenty of noisy toys. Forcing them together in the same space is probably not the best way to promote good sibling relationships or a harmonious household.
• Having a playroom makes it less likely that your entire living room is invaded by various toys, games and books.

• Setting up a playroom usually means you are sacrificing a guest bedroom, a dining room or a space that you might be using as a home office. Analyze your family’s lifestyle and habits to determine whether a playroom is a good idea for all of you. If, for example, grandparents are visiting regularly to help with the little ones, maybe having a nice, comfortable guest room is a better fit for your family.

• Another good thing about having a playroom is the separation between playtime and sleeping time – children fall asleep easier if there aren’t a lot of toys and other distractions in their bedrooms.
• As your children grow, the playroom can be easily turned into a study or a game and media room for the entire family, as needed.

Toy storage ideas that will help you keep things under control in your playroom – and beyond

Whether you set up a playroom for your children – or your entire home is a playroom – toy storage is a common issue among parents. On the one hand, the little ones must have easy access to their favorite toys. On the other hand, adults would prefer a home that’s tidy and uncluttered. Fortunately, there are some simple solutions that can reconcile these two requirements:

• Mesh hanging towers and mesh hammocks are inexpensive, fun ideas for organizing your children’s plush toys. They will certainly love the idea of picking up their soft toys from the floor and throwing them in a mesh hammock hanging from the ceiling.
• Put a pegboard on one of the walls and fit it with S hooks. Add small baskets to the hooks and use the baskets to organize small toys and craft supplies such as crayons, pencils, stickers and so on.  Mount the pegboard next to their desk or craft area for maximum efficiency.
• Add a pocketed shoe organizer on the playroom’s or the child’s bedroom door – it’s a good system for storing small figurines, dolls, animals, and so on. If your child is obsessed with O.M.G. dolls or plastic dinosaurs, these shoe organizers are the perfect solution. Just make sure they’re transparent, so your child can see what’s inside each pocket.
• Under the bed storage is a great solution, especially when it comes to toys that children usually use on the floor, such as building blocks or cars. Buy a few plastic, transparent, lidded boxes that fit under their beds and organize their toys into categories. This will help avoid huge messes – if your child wants to play with just his or her cars, they won’t scatter other toys around the room.

• Children grow out of their toys every few months or so, which means you have to declutter their toy collection on a regular basis. However, good quality toys (as well as other baby items) are expensive, and you naturally want to keep them for your future children. One way to hold on to those items without turning your home into a literal toy store is by renting self storage. A small, 5×5 unit is just the right size to safely keep toys and other baby items until you’ll need them again.
• Bedside caddies are ideal for keeping your child’s favorite books and sleep toys on hand, making bedtime more tranquil and drama free!
• Add storage options in all the areas where children play. If, for example, your children prefer bringing toys into the living room or the kitchen, keep a couple collapsible baskets and bins in there. You can use them to pick up and store all the toys at the end of the day. If you prefer to bring the toys back to their bedrooms each night, these baskets will also be very handy.

Care to share any other ideas that helped you create your kids’ happy place? We’d love to hear about them in the comments!