Our playroom is one of the MOST used rooms in our house and we get so many comments on it. So many people asking us how we set it up, if they can come over to play and if we find we use our playroom enough to justify such a big space. Let me tell you – the playroom is absolutely one of the MOST used rooms of our house. When we moved in we had a “half finished” basement as I playfully refer to it. So we spent one weekend tossing up some drywall, painted it and put down some Gym mat flooring. Read below to see what we use, what we absolutely love and how we keep it interesting.
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Playroom Atmosphere
I think the main thing that makes our playroom unique is that it LOOKS like a playroom and is completely babyproofed allowing our kids to explore and play without much interference from us. We added gym mat flooring so that the kids have a soft cushioned floor. We also found quite a large baby gate to close off the room.
I took a lot of time to put up decals on the wall (I loved these playful jungle ones on Amazon and then once I got my Cricut I added gigantic custom name decals), painted the room a kid friendly colour and raided our basement for furniture to fill in the space. I am almost positive that every house has at least a few pieces of IKEA furniture that has been loved and downgraded to the basement “just in case”. So I grabbed the surplus POANG, KALLEX and TROFAST and a spare single mattress for a make shift daybed.
Fruit & Vegetable Market
We have the Janod Green Market Wooden Grocery Stand and absolutely love it but here is a good Melissa & Doug one. We got it when we were deep in the pandemic lockdown and it has been played with non-stop since. It came with a bunch of wooden fruit accessories and a Cash Register, Produce Scale, and Blackboard. I absolutely love this for imaginative play and its a great toy for my two kids to play together with (one sells and the other buys).
Play kitchen
Absolutely, without a doubt this is the MOST loved and USED toy in our playroom. If there was only one thing I could keep this would absolutely be it. Im not sure I have really met a kid who doesnt LOVE a play kitchen. I have the IKEA one but I am sure any play kitchen will work. My main piece of advice is DO NOT forget the food and accessories! Most do not come with it. This Melissa and Doug food group set is a great starter set and dont forget some pots and pans!
MUST READ! I recently transformed this IKEA kitchen into a vet clinic for the kids!
Jungle Tent
This one is a funny one. We figured my son would LOVE having a club house (this is similar to the one we have). We set it up and nothing. AT ALL. Couldn’t get him in it. Then about a solid month or two later it became his FAVOURITE hideout ever. Him and his sister are in and out of it a billion times a day. BONUS is you have this type of crawling tunnel as it fits in the doorway to add more fun to this already cool toy.
Play BBQ
My son got this Hape BBQ as a Christmas gift from the grandparents last year and he is SO into it. He loves to pretend grill everything. It has dials he can turn, a fold up table and the lid that opens and closes. Its actually quite interactive and something I might not have bought myself but super awesome addition to the playroom.
It does come with some play food but I found it a little bit small for the baby to be around so it is safely away in a box to bring out when ready and instead I bought some play food that he can use in the meantime.
Book Shelf
We are avid readers in this family so it was an absolute necessity to have a book shelf. I like ones that the kids can help themselves. We had an extra KALLAX in the basement so we repurposed it for the kids bookshelf and it works perfectly. I added some 3 Spouts storage cubes (which fit perfectly!) to keep it clean looking!
Foam Blocks
This is the epitome of a pandemic lockdown purchase. I was looking for a way to ensure the kids were not only getting mental stimulation but physical as well. These blocks are fantastic for climbing, jumping, crawling and making obstacle courses. Don’t be fooled when they arrive in the box – They are not too small! I promise.
Note: I got mine at Costco when they had them on sale before Christmas but they don’t have them currently but these foam blocks are similar.
Melissa and Doug Work Bench
This Melissa and Doug Work bench always makes me chuckle. At one point air miles decided to make miles expire (they have since walked that back) so we had a whole bunch of “Dream miles” to use but not enough to travel. After searching ALL of the categories and not having enough points I stumbled upon the kids toys category and since Melissa and Doug make the worlds best toys I figured I would try it. The Kids. Love. It. It ended up taking 4 months to arrive but what can you do. I also held back quite a lot of the accessories and recently just pulled more out (after 2 years!)
Keep it interesting
- Keep toys back: Whenever I get the kids a new BIG play piece (such as the kitchen, market, or workbench) I hold back some of the accessories and bring them out after a few months to keep things interesting
- Rotate toys: I like to rotate toy bins between the playroom, the art centre and the kids quiet bags. That way I don’t need to keep buying new toys but the kids see them and use them in a new way.
- Keep it moving: I like to move around the furniture and rearrange the toys to keep it fresh.
- Theme days: If you follow us on Instagram then you know I LOVE the theme days. It’s not just a day but I create a theme for the playroom and keep it up for a month or two. It usually takes a couple hours to create but it absolutely shows the kids a fresh take on the toys. PRO TIP: Any cool decorations that are still in good condition consider donating to the local kindergarten class!
What’s next/on our wishlist?
Other than a finished ceiling? Haha. Someday.
I’m thinking of making a dress up corner with some easy costumes for the kids to put on.
Enjoy setting up your kids playroom and drop in below what your playroom MUST have is!
Happy Creating!
Jo
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