Over the years we have worked with some amazing brand reps with the most beautiful and practical play rooms around. After admiring their spaces I’ve noticed a pattern. It’s not about who has the prettiest toys, or the biggest space. What truly makes a great play room is how they use their space. Here are a few of the common themes I have noticed about these truly amazing play rooms.
- Less is more
Credit: @billabong_fdc
When it comes to play rooms its easy to get caught up in wanting EVERYTHING for your child. For some reason with think if they have one more toy it will keep them that extra bit busy and you'll be able to finally have a coffee while its hot. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. Have you ever had that feeling when you’ve walked into a cluttered room and you just don’t know where to start? Kids are like this too. It is much better to have just a few selected toys out for play at a time. This will help them focus their attention and play with what is available instead of experiencing overwhelm.
- Everything needs a home
While a big catch all basket is tempting, having set homes for each item or toy in your play room makes it far easier for the family to keep this space tidy. The problem with the catch up system is looking into the tub later to find a toy is cluttered and distracting and hard for toddlers to do. Instead by having a home, encouraging children to place it back on the shelf before they get the next toy may not work every time but is essentially teaching them good habits for looking after their belongings and environment.
- Storage is everything
Sounds like a bit of a theme but just like reducing clutter and having a home. Storage options are everything. For example to reduce having every toy out at once, a storage system such as the IKEA Trofast can keep each type of toy stored and easy to find. We personally had this and the kids became good at knowing which tub was for Duplo, wooden train tracks, Hotwheels etc. When it comes to Lego though, storing in sets never worked for us and we started to use the drawstring gather style toy storage bags. They double as a play mat and clean up was instant. Once they are finished, pack up simply involves pulling the string and all the Lego is gathered up. It makes the best Lego storage hack.
- A place to play
In the centre of your play space you need a padded play mat. Your play mat needs to be soft, easy to clean, padded and encourage kids to sit and play. A waterproof play mat that is easy to clean will make this an easy to maintain heart of your play space. Go for a design that can be fun and engaging with a reverse side that suits your décor.
- Use your walls and corners
Did you know you can hang your gather style play mat bags up? Once you’ve tied up the string simply hang by its handles. A play space always looks cleaner, lighter and more spacious (which in turn encourages more play) when surfaces and the floor are clean. This means adding hooks to hang and shelves is hugely beneficial.
- Rotate it out!
Credit: @__stephsky
We’ve mentioned it a couple of times now but as clutter works against a functional play space. A toy rotation system works best. If you don’t have much storage in the play are to keep toys out of rotation out of sight, pack them into a plastic tub and move them to the garage, or linen cupboard etc and rotate every week or fortnightly. This will keep things fun and engaging which promote play in your play space.