Who doesn’t want their child to have more FUN at play? Who doesn’t want more PEACE in their home?
Yes, you can have BOTH. Read on to learn to make the most of what you have for your family to thrive on fun and functionality.
First, two definitions:
A playroom is a room in a house that is set aside for a child to play in.
A play space is any environment where play can take place.
STEP ONE: BRAINSTORM + CHOOSE YOUR PLAY SPACE
What space can hold your child’s toys, books and activities? The space can be a corner of a room, a child’s room itself or a spare room. Often it’s convenient to put a play space near where you’re spending the most time as a parent.
Don’t have an open spot? It’s ok to move furniture around and try something new. Read about “quieting your home” from Myquillyn Smith, The Nester.
STEP TWO: GIVE TOYS A CATEGORY
Make easy-to-understand categories.
This teaches your little one skills of putting toys away where they belong (which helps you in the short term and long term – can I get an AMEN?).
Put “like” things in one place. Categories can be ALL sizes. For example, CARS and DOLLS are larger categories. You can then divide those large categories into small categories.
CARS –> “hot wheels” and “emergency vehicles.”
DOLLS –> “Barbies” and “American Girls.”
Use bins, labels, boxes, pictures, rugs for your categories… whatever helps your child visually identify a zone (transportation zone, a tool zone, a craft zone)!
<– This is Jack’s reading and craft zone. The bottom shelf “zone” is crafting, with smaller categories of scissors, glue, and colored pencils, etc in jars, bags, and smaller bins.
We store these things near our dining room table where we do most of our craft time and reading together. He knows where things go and can take things out and put them back himself.
STEP THREE: GET THE RIGHT CONTAINERS FOR PLAY
A few tips to help stop you from feeling overwhelmed by the AMAZING products out there!!
1. Follow the order above. Make your zones before you think about storage.
2. You probably already have great bins around your home. Shop your house first!!
3. Avoid soft-sided rope baskets. I know. I LOVE a rope basket, too, but it often just falls flat (literally) over time. If you like texture, try lined wicker baskets which have more support. If your style is more sleek than textured, see what metal trash cans/laundry baskets/storage bins you can find with a decorative element to them.
Check out our team’s six favorite products and how we use them, too – these can help in any space, including play spaces!
CLICK TO SEE HOW WE DID THIS FOR A CLIENT’S SON
A friend of mine from kindergarten (YES, KINDERGARTEN, WHAT?!) is now a single dad of an awesome four-year-old son. He’s in school for his masters, is an entrepreneur, and battles severe ADHD. He needed easier ways to get his son and himself out the door in the morning (who can relate?!).
This room serves as a playroom and a get ready room. Before we installed a new system, they were living out of laundry baskets and toys were everywhere with no home in the room, which is right by the front door.
So what did we do?
We ordered this Walmart cube organizer with soft cube bins so the child can pull out and put back easily.
His larger categories are toys (in the bottom bins) and clothes (in the top bins) which we labeled with these Target labels.
His smaller categories for toys are big trucks, music, action figures, and building blocks. Bonus: the car rug makes it a soft place to play, and sections off the room.
If you love practical tips like this, you might like the blog “How To: Easier Laundry” and “5 Things to Declutter in Your Kitchen.”
Have any questions about hiring a professional organizer?
Schedule a call with me – I’d love to hear about your playroom or other challenging space. This call is free and is a chance for us to chat and see if Upstate Organized Living is the right fit for you!
Happy Organizing & Happy Holidays!!
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