How do I get the children to use the playroom?

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I have three children aged 4, 7 and 9. The downstairs bit of our house has a large kitchen living area with a big dining table and a sofa plus the actual kitchen. Then a separate living room, a bathroom and then another room off the kitchen/living room which is supposed to be a playroom.

But the children never play in it!

I've tried various things- having all the Lego out in there. Having the scalextric on the floor. A big table. Then no table so huge floor space. Comfy seating. But they always end up back in the living space - toys everywhere and the dining table constantly covered in stuff. I spend so much time nagging them to tidy, or get everything back in the playroom ready for dinner, or just doing it all myself - I feel there MUST be a better way of doing it.

Any ideas?

Does any family have a well-used playroom and if so, what attracts the kids to use it?

Swap the rooms round

They want to be where you are.

I sat in the playroom with my DC until bedtime. I'd then use the lounge when they were in bed.

I had this, for years. Only changed when they got a bit older and I put a telly in there and then later added an Xbox. They're teens now but we've had the PR for 10yrs.

scrap the playroom and turn it into something else. Your DC want to be where you are.

We have a playroom, but it’s just used for toy storage. The kids play all over the house but mainly in the living room.

Following because I have seen this happen a lot before! I am about to move and we will have a playroom for the first time and I'm wondering if it will be a disappointment!

Swap the dining area a d playroom around. They just want to be where you are

Fairy lights, TV, freedom to have more out in there.

Our rule is small toys can be out in the house and it's a case of play with one / one set but you need to put it away before getting anything else out.

In the playroom it's kids rules basically lol but all tidied up before bed.

Where are you in all this? In my experience kids want to be with you.

By the sounds of your set up, I’d make the living area the playroom and have a separate adult living room and dining room.

Kids want to be where you are, it’s always like this. Will change once they’re teenagers but until then you’ll have to live with it I think.

Agree that it’s useless. They just migrate to where you are! Put a comfy seat in there and base yourself in there, or just use it for toy storage. I literally hid my sons Christmas presents in his playroom as he never goes in there unless I do. It’s a bloody lovely room as well!

Use it for toy storage and enjoy the fact that they want to be around you, it's their home too. It will only be for a few years and then as teenagers, they will be hibernating in their rooms and you'll hardly see them at all!

Our playroom is upstairs which is even less successful. I have to go up there with them. Once they are established in play I can leave... always found it the same though even when we had a playroom on the same floor as the kitchen.

Ours is off the kitchen so they can see us when they are in there and pop in and out if they need help with toys etc. (My kids are younger) and it’s used loads but only because they are so close.

My DD loves her playroom because she can set up huge lego/brio/playmobil contraptions and I don’t make her tidy them away before bed so she can come back to playing with them the next day. Any toys she takes out of there have to be put away when finished with. We don’t call it the playroom, it’s the snug and it’s set up essentially like another living room- big comfy sofa, tv, etc. It’s also not decorated to be ‘childish’. We sit in there with her in the day and she prefers it in there as she’s allowed snacks and drinks etc which she isn’t allowed in the main living room. Ours is just off our kitchen diner too so she can wander in and out. Then when she goes to bed we can shut the door and go and sit in the nice living room! She’s five.

Ah - this is interesting. I thought I was missing a basic trick.

So maybe the thing would be to ensure there's really good storage in the playroom so at least it's easy enough to move stuff from dining/living space to playroom....

I had been wondering if I should knock through the wall so that it was all one space but maybe I'd then regret it if they'd want a separate room when older?

They will want to be where you are! The best thing to do is get a comfy seat and sit In there with them every so often

Sorry OP, in the words of my good friend Ariel 🎶 they wanna be where the people are🎶 If you’re dead set on them playing in there (and keep their crap from invading the rest of the house) you need to set up themed play and stay, even just for a while.

Basically if you’re treating it as a room you don’t want to be in they're picking up on it

After a while of mummies enthusiastic playing, theyll soon get it as a fun place to be

Tidy it & sit in it.
Don't allow toys out of it. But yes, they want to be where you are so can you do some moveable chores in it with them when you aren't really free? Fold laundry, chop veg, paperwork etc

Buy a very comfy armchair for yourself. Sit in there with them.

Have a rule that toys stay in the playroom.

Only allow kids TV/ movies on the playroom TV.

We've just turned our playroom into an office and given the kids bigger rooms. The playroom had become a big dry room which nobody used (despite a sofa, smart TV, toys etc). Drove me crazy.

Kids have confirmed they don't miss it and prefer to be with us or in their rooms. (11 and 8).

Dry meant to say storage

Agree with others, you need to be in there too. Ours are 9 and 10 and have only quite recently started using our playroom independently to do games, lego etc.

Tell them to go away and play in the playroom