When your kids have friends over where do they play?

[cba]

Do they play in the bedrooms or downstairs in the room that they normally play in?

I am feeling totally overwhelmed with having three children and toys all over. When they have friends over they seem to be like whirlwinds all over the place. My kids are two boys 7 and 5, and our daughter who is just 3.

I have a few options:

a. make the dining room a playroom and all kids in there friends and all?

b. living room which is 31 foot long to be a living room / playroom.

c. living room to be combined living and dining.

d. we were thinking of knocking kitchen into living anyway, so then current dining room could be a permanent playroom.

Are you keeping up??

or do I make dining the dining room, living room a living room with a few toys and play in bedroom with friends.

Can you tell my head is filled with toys??? Just want to feel organised.

PLEASE HELP

[PeaMcLean]

Where do they play?

Everywhere.

DS's bedroom, the front room, the garden, the dining room, my bedroom... Just everywhere.

[cba]

pea, is that even when they have friends over. my mil thinks that they should keep their bedrooms nice. I must admit I get sick of kids tramping up and down the stairs.

[Flamesparrow]

Their bedroom, the lounge, or if it is good weather i generally kick em outside.

My room is always off limits.

no idea what you should do though! i work with the space i have

[Bowddee]

Make sure 1 room is toy free at all times if possible. DS's toys are in his bedroom and what we call the Back Room (it's short for dining room/study/playroom).

[cba]

so malory, i to like you encourage outdoor play. But, weather bad is it mainly their bedrooms they would play in?

How old are they? What sort of things do they have in there? Any tv or such like?

My kids bedrooms do not and I was quite keen for them to stay that way, am I being old fashioned?

[cornsilk]

Everywhere in my house as well. No matter how many times I scream tell them not to play in my room, I find them rolling about on my bed.

[cba]

ah bowdee your back room sounds like my dining room, do you ever use it as a dining room.

Think i am becoming highly strung over toys and organisation.

[cba]

but ladies is it the same when they have friends over?

do they cause mass destruction or is that just my little angels?

[lucykate]

dd will usually play in her bedroom, but we also do have a playroom, it is supposed to be the dining room but while the dc's are small, a playroom is more use.

if i were you, given the ages of your dc's, make the dining room a playroom and make the living room a living/dining room. that way you don't have toys everywhere, but in a separate place you can literally close the door on.

we have joint toys, eg, play food/kitchen, lego, games, drawing stuff in the playroom, personal toys in their bedrooms. dd (6.5) likes to take her friends upstairs so ds doesn't annoy them, whereas, ds (3) would have a playdate in the playroom as there's more toys and space there.

[lucykate]

playdate usually does = mass destruction, i remember one of dd's first playdates from school, they decided they were going on holiday, put her duvet on the floor and piled all her toys, and contents of most of her draws then wrapped everything up

[lucykate]

sorry drawers

[PeaMcLean]

CBA, yes, when DS has friends over. He's an only, so I guess that reduces the impact somewhat

LOL at your MIL thinking the bedroom should be kept nice What does she think the bedroom door is for? To close it on the mess, that's what!

[cba]

oh right, i am thinking dining room becomes premanent playroom with bedrooms as overspill if necessary. Living room to become gorgeous either with kitchen knocked through to create an two reception rooms or as combined living dining room.

oh decisions, decisions.

[cornsilk]

We were going to do that but aren't bothering now. Ds1 is 10 and has started hanging at the park with his mate rather than in the house. When they're in they usually go in his room.

[cba]

oh, so cornsilk are you saying then I might be wasting time having a playroom and should just let them bring toys down as and when and let them have mates in their rooms! You can be my voice of experience

[OverMyDeadBody]

they play everywhere

[Bowddee]

Sorry, would have replied earlier, but we were having tea. At the dining table! So yes, we do use it as a dining room. And now that I've booted DH in to the kitchen to do the washing up (he'll cheat and shove it all in the dishwasher)it's turned in to the study. It's also a craft room, a library and DS uses some of his outdoor toys in here when the weather's bad.
And yes, it's an absolute sh*t-tip!

[mumonthenet]

I think, for your own sanity, you should make the dining room the playroom.

This is what we do: Living room/dining room off limits for kids (except for Christmas and birthdays!)

Bedrooms are off limits except their own if they want to take a friend in there quietly

Playroom has tv, dvd, computer, toys, books and soft floor.

This is where they play if they're not outside.

One other thing, while they're very little they won't use the playroom if it's miles away from the rest of the family. Ours is next to the kitchen - so easy access for snacks/conversations while cooking/running outside and back(rather than trashing through the whole house!)

[cba]

thanks ladies. bowdee your dining room is just like mine at the moment. mumonthenet, dining room is right next to the kitchen so no trapsing through the house.

probably is my issue more than the kids, the other thing is I feel quite closed in when in the dining room, not really small though about 18 foot long, 14 foot wide. Probably because the living room is so long with a huge bay window at the front and patio doors at the end leading to the garden. They never ever get opened or they would do laps

[mumonthenet]

well, cba , if the dining room is already a family-type room then go for it. If it feels a bit small decorate it...let the kids choose the colours!

Our playroom isn't very big but still it's theirs and they also have their bedrooms if they want some peace and quiet. Mine are older than yours btw.

[cba]

yes, I suppose done properly might make a big difference

what did yours do at this age. you say yours are older, how old are they and what do they tend to do now.

[Othersideofthechannel]

5 and 3 here. It is not just your children. Mine get very excited when having friends over and get everything out all over the house except bathroom, toilets and our room. Play is much less messy when there are no guests. It's chaos but not destruction though.
I take the approach that DCs can keep their rooms how they like as long as they clear rooms up enough for weekly vacuuming and at nighttime there is a path from door to bed (to avoid standing on Lego when on way to comfort child in night)

[cory]

Mainly in their own rooms and the garden. Don't encourage our bedroom or my office, but otherwise I'm not too fussed. I like having other kids round, saves me a lot of work. And their rooms are messy anyway. I make them blitz now and then.

[NomDePlume]

DD is almost 6 - Garden, living room, kitchen / family room or her bedroom, all other rooms are out of bounds (bedrooms and bathrooms, although obv I let them use the loo!).

DS' are 14.5 & 16 so any mates that come over are generally in their rooms or on the odd occasion in the kitchen / family room.

Personally, in your situation I'd make the dining room the play room. That way you can shut the door on all the toys and stuff once the kids have gone to bed.