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.

Time. My 3 yo won’t stay in one room and play for more than a few minutes independently. He wants to be where I am or have me playing with him.

Where is your 3yo playing atm?

If she doesn’t play in the den and with the kitchen, get rid of them and that gives you space for something she might like – what does she like doing? A colouring table would fit in the space where the den is, and some shelves with craft materials on display - pots of crayons, paper, etc, so she can help herself.

It doesn’t look very accessible for her to choose her own play at the moment, other than the kitchen which she doesn’t use. I’d add more hooks for dressing up and open shelves and colour. Ikea drawers for Duplo and Lego etc are good - easy to tidy but you can also pull out a drawer for inspiration each day.

Mine wanted to be with us. So toys migrated to front room and kitchen. I would periodically return them to playroom.
not helpful I know.

I think you’re missing a comfortable chair for you. If you sit in there with her, would she be more likely to stay in there?

Sounds like you are in there with them, so it’s not the “wants to be with you” thing?

If the canopy doesn’t get used I would take it down (maybe use it above bed once she is older) and put a big kallax or trofast unit full of toys.

Not all kids play with play kitchens. Maybe put it away somewhere till younger DC is a bit older.

It will get a lot more use once they are old enough to play together. Though you’ll still need to be in there, to stop the squabbling <sigh>

Get rid of the tent thing.

Have toys in storage your 3 year old can get to herself. We have some ikea things with pull out trays/boxes. Our 3 year old loves going in and getting things out.

My four year old is in her playroom all the time. Think you need a little bit more colour and some toys.

Mine were older than that before they were willing to play somewhere other than where I was. Play area was a storage area though if a friend came round for coffee, we'd take a drink in there so the kids would play around us.

This ours was where I chucked the toys on a night at that age. Now he's 9 it's a proper den that him and his friends don't want to leave

I had a playroom growing up & never used it. Once we got to the stage of playing alone we used to take the toys upstairs to our bedrooms or our games involved using the stairs, landing! We did use it as teenagers though as a deb.

den

It's probably the location. Is it near where you are the majority of the time?

My 2.5 year old loves to play in the playroom all the time. Now that there is a thick mattress pad in there he likes to lie on it all the time but can access the toys easily so will make a right mess which is fine! I think a table in there will massively help along with an easel perhaps and easy to access crayons if she likes that sort of thing

Our playroom looked like toys r us has collapsed through our ceilings. Nice neat tidy playrooms just don't do it for the under 5's apparently!

But there's no colour in this room?

@ladymacbeth it has a fuck load of toys though!

My 2.5 year old does heaps of independent play in her play room! Tell us what your DD likes to play and we can help you imagine the space differently

She likes to play with figures, peppa and Bluey, she loves to get all her play sets out and create a little world she will lay on her tummy for hours just pottering them around

Have a look at Five Minute Mum on Instagram. She’s great at setting stuff up for play and her own playroom is quite inviting.

Though I agree with everyone else about the age thing

Where tent is put a comfy chair and also put in a kids table and chair where she can get building sets out, jigsaws, colouring , Lego, etc. we used to have an ikea unit with little drawers in then they just get one drawer at a time out . I printed pictures of the item on the drawers with the label so they could see what was in . It wasn't a long phase and you can go back to pretty in a few years

Definitely needs a sofa

You can then sit on the sofa and do other stuff

She'll naturally follow

It needs to be her area.. So if it's a mess that's OK. It's creativity!

Definitely need a table and little chairs too

This is more normal not shameful . Kids like colour and mess and fun. Your playroom is lovely but this is lovely for an adult look, not for kids. Stick all the artwork on the wall. Kids love a den they make with sheets pegs and boxes more than bought teepee.
It's hard now to look so perfect for the adult standard, just look at the room from a kids eye, or what you would have liked as a little one.

Store the tent thing and the kitchen.
I'd just put a couple of big floor cushions there and a rug that's nice underfoot, and a wicker basket that can hold toys. Maybe a small table and chair or two.