Playroom Re-do
This little house of ours is constantly evolving. We've got a never ending list of spaces we want to re-work. Our goal each year is to tackle one or two. The playroom is one that always gets kicked to the top of the list when the kids outgrow our current configuration, or when it just gets out of control and starts driving us crazy.
I've lost track of the number of times we've re-done the playroom. We rotate toys every few months, but we've also made big changes at least a handful of times. It's about that time again so we've started planning the upcoming version of the playroom.
Goals:
- Encourage more independent reading
- Encourage more imaginative play and creativity
- Eliminate age inappropriate toys, and minimize the number of toys that stay out.
- Freshen everything up so that it all seems new again.
- Make the view from the main part of the house less busy.
Current Playroom:
Because of the age differences in our kiddos, we have more toys out right now than we've had out in years. This causes a lot of problems:
- The kids get overwhelmed and just dump things out instead of playing
- They don't touch half the stuff at all which just causes visual clutter (not good for anyone)
- It makes it harder for them to completely clean up independently
We struggled with figuring out what to put out for each kid, and what they would use the most, but I've spent the past month really paying attention to what they gravitate towards and which toys/types of toys get the most use. I feel like I'm ready to get rid of 75% (or more) of what is currently in the playroom.
I also like to have things in our playroom that encourage them to really move. Since it's 1,000 degrees out these days, I need a way for them to burn off a little energy indoors. Right now, we have a slide out for Leo, but he mastered it months ago so I think we can remove that visual clutter and replace it with something else.
We lack a vertical surface for them to play on. We moved the chalkboard out a while ago (chalk-dust problems), and never replaced it with anything.
The Plan:
Eliminate two areas of toys completely:
Right now we've got a low shelf dedicated to Leo and a play-kitchen we pulled out for one last hurrah. The plan is to get rid of both of those completely. This should eliminate a lot of little pieces that end up spread all over the floor as the day goes on.
I should note that toy clean-out was already underway when these photos were taken. The shelf normally has baskets of Leo toys in it.
Re-arrange the configuration:
When you peak into the playroom area from the main part of the house, you see our main shelf unit. This hasn't really bothered me much, but it is kind of busy looking so I'd like to move it to a less visible wall.
We'll putting in a new toy/piece of furniture/amazing little thing that I'm super excited about to take up the space on the main wall. It will be a lot less cluttered to the eye as you scan our house. Yes, you'll have to wait until I reveal the playroom to see what it is.
Carefully select toys for shelving unit:
Like I mentioned, I've been watching the kids play for a month now to see what toys really get played with. The big kids love anything they can build with and figures that they can play in those creations with.
Leo loves balls and cars (typical boy), and also enjoys a good ol' dump and fill activity. He also enjoys a variety of smaller activities that I'll be rotating through
Add in missing features:
We used to have forward facing bookshelves (the kids read so much more when the books are displayed like that) and a vertical work surface for the kids, but they got eliminated in previous versions of the playroom. We're binging them back!
We'll be transforming the playroom while the kids sleep within the next couple of days, so I'll post the updated space next week!