How to Design a Playroom for Children
Designing a playroom for children takes more than taking out adult furnishings and tossing in a few toys. For children to want to use a playroom, the room needs to be inviting. For you to feel at ease leaving your children in the playroom without constant supervision, you need to make sure the room is a safe area for your children to spend time.
Instructions
Prepare a plan before you start working on the playroom for the children. Think through what you need to do, and how you wish the room to look. Consider the ages of the children who will use the room. If able to communicate with the children, ask for suggestions as to theme, colors and other things they may wish to include in the room you create with their needs in mind. Check the dimensions of the room and consider what will best fit into the space while leaving plenty of open play area for the children. Paint the playroom in bright, primary colors. Use washable paint for easy cleaning. To add animals and figures, download graphics, check coloring books for large, simple pictures or take figures from the child's favorite story books. Using tracing or carbon paper, trace the figures onto the wall, remove and paint. Noah's Ark is a popular theme for a children's playroom. Trace or stencil pictures of animals on the wall all heading toward the Ark. Create the Ark from a graphic or picture. Cowboys and horses are another popular theme. Intersperse, cowboys and cowgirls, with horses, saddles, rope, cows and either mountains or cactus or both around the room at a level where those children using the room can not only see, but also touch. When adding figures to the walls, consider the height of the children. Look at your decorating not from your point or view and interests, but from those of the children who will be using the room. Don't overpower the room with furniture. This room is supposed to be a playroom. Furnishings should add, not diminish this aspect of the room. Add child-sized furniture. If you add bookshelves, make them colorful and the shelves easily reached by the children. A toy box to hold toys needs to be safe for children. Not just any box with a lid will do. The lid of the toy box needs to stay open until closed on purpose. Or, instead of the traditional toy box, use plastic crates or bins that stack or even interlock and provide "cubby holes" for storing toys. You can also use inexpensive plastic drawer units or sturdy cardboard boxes. These you can "dress up" with stickers or markers. Rounded edges are better than sharp edges for furniture. Inflatables need to be sturdy and not easily damaged by jumping or playing on them. Choose toys carefully. Checking the labels enables you to purchase toys appropriate for the age of your children. Toys should be safe and not present a choking or other hazard. Add toys to the playroom that encourage the children to explore and learn as well as to have fun. You can divide the room into different "stations" with different toys and learning activities, such as a farm set up, a school set up, a place for dolls with beds, strollers and so forth.
