Playroom not functioning as a play room

[Burntoutandfedup]

I'm annoyed with our play room, in theory in should work but it dosnt. It's currently a dumping ground for washing. Daughter dosnt play in the hideaway, never has. Kitchen is never touched. And I know it's too nuetral this area is an exstentions off of our dining room so wanted to keep it inkeeping with the dining room but I no longer care about that, I want an area my daughter almost 3 and my 4month old with eventually play. Rug is also now gone as it got in rusted with food 🤪

help with ideas, I want a little table to do colouring and stuff for definite but what else.

What about painting the rectangles of the panelling with blackboard paint so they can draw with chalk on them? And maybe a brightly coloured rug that can go in the washing machine?

Where are the toys?!

It's a great size! Ours is half that size, and I'm so pleased with how it functions. We also have the same play kitchen, it's fab. It's very boring to the eye and I can't really see any toys? What kind of play does your daughter like? Then we can help you set up the space. The best question I find for kids rooms and play rooms is "how would I play with xyz toy" etc. So for an easy example - a shape sorter for young babies. Instead of keeping it with all the shapes inside, you need to store it with the shapes next to it ready to be played with. For your baby, set up an area with a baby gym or play mat, and a small very low shelving unit with baby toys on.

I think they will play in the room (and with those toys) as they get older. At almost three she will be following you around still. I would leave the kitchen and the den. Put a nice armchair in there so an adult can sit comfortably and a table for colouring. I’d put pegs up or picture frames with clips to pin up art work (so you can change weekly or daily - depending on how often they draw.)
Mine loved duplo at that age which will inject colour and mess 😆.

Then I would spend time in there which hopefully will encourage them to play in there!

Lovely room, I’d like help designing my conservatory playroom to look as nice!

My DS plays where the toys are really. That's the quickest way to get him to move rooms.

I wouldn't want to play in that either. Looks boring with no colour. Where are all the toys?

this was when it wS first done, I could show you what it's like now but I'd be shaming myself 😂

It looks a bit too much of a showroom or a photo from a magazine shoot to me.

If you're able to have a room that you can use as a playroom, then I'd make it more colourful and a bit cosier.

Everything seems very neutral and around the edges.

I find that children tend to play more with toy kitchens if you set it up as something - currently we have an ice cream parlour, before that a pizza restaurant (save your takeaway menus!!) twinkl has lots of resources and ideas to print off.
I would get rid of the tent for now - maybe it could go in the bedroom as a reading cosy space. Some low, easily accessible shelving (Ikea kallax 1x4 or 2x4 on its side) with a few inviting activities set up that you can swap around every couple of weeks.

Brilliant idea from PP to paint the panels with blackboard paint and lay out some chalks. We added a massive low coffee table to the middle of DC's playroom so they could kneel or sit to do playdough, Lego, build castles, play with Playmobile etc.
You often need to set up a play session and guide it a bit and be prepared for mess. E.g. for the play kitchen, make sure your DC has a friend over and then give them some play dough or some safe real food to play with (dried pasta shapes, sliced carrot or apple, crackers etc) and ask them if they would make a delicious dinner for everyone then you have to sit for ages and pretend to enjoy it. They need people to play with as well as toys.
Do you ever sit in the tent area with her and read her a story? Or hide in there and pretend to be a good fairy who grants wishes etc? Give her ideas on how to use the play tent and she'll start doing it. If you don't want to get stuck being a key figure in the make believe games then help her turn it into a teddy hospital or a teddy school or theatre where she is the teacher or the performer or the nurse.

Is it because she wants to be with you? In my experience my DC only really started playing in their rooms or play room at about 5 unless I was in there too.

It looks great! Do you stay in there with them? My LO wants to play wherever I am, even if more exciting toys are in the other room.

I also found that our toy kitchen got more use when we put it in our kitchen if that’s an option for you?

I have found this simple thing really works: Each evening put three different toys out on the floor.
It will draw your child to it.

Comfortable seating or thick foam mates on the floor. Make sure it's warm in there! Some fun lighting. Easy to access toys and books,

At 3 the toys need to be a lot more accessible than it currently looks. Also agree with others that this looks like an instagram playroom rather than somewhere where kids actually want to play. Wheres the colour?!

My DD started playing in her playroom much more at around 4 - before then it was mostly used as toy storage. Make sure you have lots of accessible toys/games. We have about 30 Kallax cubes altogether across 3 units with various puzzles/books/toys. We have recently added a fancy dress rail which is going down very well! She will play in there by herself for a bit at weekends and after school. Really comes into its own when she has a friend around and the adults can have a peaceful cup of tea elsewhere.

She’s not even 3 yet, some of this is just about age and stages of play. My 5 year old would play all day with her sylvanians or teddies or whatever in a space like that now, but definitely wouldn’t have done 2 years ago. Her play kitchen started getting used a lot more when she was closer to 4.

Looks more like a showroom to me, no colours, nothing fun. Only thing to play with is a little fake kitchen? No wonder they don't want to play.

So clean it looks like that but there's lots of colourful toys and I usually either sit on the floor with them of at the table with a tea (rarely) which is right next to it you can see in the first picture

I don’t think she will play in it until she’s secondary age . Then you put her console there and a TV with Netflix, YouTube etc and she won’t leave.

You are expecting too much from a young child. She just wants to be where you are.

Needs a little sofa or an armchair for you to sit with the baby whilst she plays. Also needs a little tables and chairs and a colouring station.

Also she's probably too young to play on her own in there. Come age 2 & 4 full of toys it will get used all the time. Then it will inevitably have a TV or games console one day!

I too, think it’s an age thing. She is only little yet and needs help with her imaginative play, I’m sure she will grow into it fairly soon, she probably wants to be mostly where you are at the moment.

Playrooms are just you storage, most dc want to be with you.

toy

you also need to set toys out