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.

My dd only ever wanted to be with me, even up to about age 7 so her toys were stored in the playroom and rotated into the kitchen and living room areas. I agree that you need to put a sofa in the room. Your eldest will probably start staying in there more when a little older, especially as she has a sibling. Some children play alone very young. My dd was just more the other end of the scale.

My DD spends lots of time in her playroom but it’s hers – she “decorates” it with her artwork and crafts, blu-takking nonsense to the walls and displaying her treasures etc. But like pp she does also want to be where we are so she’ll drag toys to the sitting room as well. Playroom is useful for opening the door and hurling the mess inside! I think allowing a bit more mess is good, and getting rid of the formal playroom look and allowing her to have free rein over it.

Rug wise I recommend totter and tumble. They’re pricy but beautiful so fit in aesthetic wise if that’s what you care about but are squishy foam matts that are wipable.

agree re setting more toys out, get a table or tuff tray.
get a beanbag and sit low down with them

Thankyou all, I spent all of last night looking for bits and bobs to revamp it, it's going to be pink and yellow bought an ikea kids table, wallpaper and a new rug, although a totter and tumble one would have been nice it was out of my budget I spent £180 on new bits and bobs so once it's all done I'll post an update if I remember 😄

I have a massive mustard beanbag chair upstairs In my sons room that takes up space and gets thrown on the bed when he wants to play so I'm gonna bring that down for me to sit on so I can be there while she plays, I'd have loved to buy a nice big arm chair and a foam mat but it's a bit pricey for now. I think it'll be better once it's been redone though

What do you want her to do in there? Read, arts and crafts, play with toys?

Personally, I'd have a small tuff tray and chair in the corner for art/messy play. I'd turn one of the centres of the panels into a chalkboard, one into a painting/drawing wall, one into a magnetic board where she can play with letters/animal magnets etc., and one into a pinboard to display her work. Kids love having their creations on display.

Then I'd have a comfy corner with giant floor mat and cushions for reading and some wall bookcases next to it.

Toys need to be more accessible. I'd have some cubby toy storage that she can get things out of herself.

As others have said they want to be where you are, I found our room was really toy storage area for toys to go back to.

where do you spend time? Expecting young children to spend time alone in a room off the dining room entertaining themselves when you’re several rooms away is unrealistic.

the room need a to be more Central or it will likely be poorly used til she’s a teen

We have our living room/playroom upstairs for various reasons. All of DD's toys are easy for her to reach and get out. It's the one room we do keep tidy because if there's no room on the floor for the train track or whatever it's off-putting for them. You can start early with tidying one big toy away before you get another out.

DD is 5 now and has played in there happily on her own for a good couple of years now. I don't think she would have at 2 though.

Glad you're going to inject a bit more colour in it. It looked incredibly beige before!

It's laid out like this, I think I miscommunicated what I meant it's not she dosnt use the space she does, it's just that what we have in there at the moment it's exciting her. She takes her toys out and plays, but the canopy is never used, and the kitchen is never used. I wanted to replace the furniture so she'd interact with it more. And because she only takes her toys out in it and dosnt bother with the kitchen or canopy it becomes a dumping ground for washing because she has a bedroom where she can play with toys aswell so it's useless space if she's not bothering with the things that are specific to that room

I'd be getting some comfy mats she can lay in them in bright colours. The floor is beautiful but not very inviting to lay on!

Then store everything in bright coloured boxes or look at ikea kallax.

It's a great space but I d have a cuddle chair, low table and chairs and more comfortable rather than the more formal looking table you currently have.

It looks very bland and dull. That with "play all day" on the wall, suggests it's somewhere intended to impress adults

2 yr olds still want to play close to adults; play areas won't get much use until they are old enough to want to play out of sight.

I think I was influenced my Instagram playrooms sad beige playrooms for sad beige childrun (hoping someone gets the reference) 😂

I no longer want sad beige. I want colour, my house is grey, white, black and beige. Expect the kids rooms, sons is khaki green and daughters is very very pink

Dts didn't really play in the playroom unless we were in there with them until they were about reception age, they just wanted to be where we were

Get a tall single 4 square kallax from ikea and turn it on its side. There's a low surface for her to play on. Put her sets of toys un each square so she can see them and pull them out easily.

Paint the walls a nice colour. Hang her drawings up. Put a radio in there and put Kids fm on.

How easy is it for her to access the toys on her own? If she can't get the toys, she won't play with them. And if you are in a separate living room she will want to be in there with you.
I'd turn the space into more of a family room for everyday living. Then the living room is a grown up evening space.

God I hate this beige baby Instagram trend, kids like colour and chaos, not soft neutral tones. Have you ever been to a beige soft play?

As pp have said she's probably just too young. My DD didn't start using her playroom consistently until she was 4 or 5. Hers was painted with fat technicolour unicorns at her request. It was hideous but she adored it until she turned 13.

I found imaginationtree on Instagram really helpful.

You need to put out 'invitation to play' ideas for your DD.

It needs a lot of adult input at first. I learned from the nursery workers who would.put a selection of toys out, a tea set or a hairdresser's kit when child was nearly three.

It needs a lot of adult input at first. I learned from the nursery workers who would.put a selection of toys out, a tea set or a hairdresser's kit when child was nearly three.

I'd agree with this now I think of it. At 3, DD wouldn't know where to start really so I would set her up with an activity or two laid out.

I totally understood the sad beige childrun reference!
Good luck with it all!
Bringing the beanbag down for you to sit on and cuddle/ read is a great start.

God I hate this beige baby Instagram trend, kids like colour and chaos

Research shows the opposite. Young children thrive in play and learning environments with neutral decor. Nothing wrong with the room.

OP - I'd cancel that stuff you've ordered. If your dd wants to play with peppa in her bedroom, let her. Cover the dining table with an oilcloth and let her paint, draw, stick things there. Look at books together on the living room sofa. She's at home, not preschool.

Does she like baking? Make some cakes and let her wash up stood on a chair at the kitchen sink.

Play is natural and your DD will let you know what she wants to do and where. Instamums seem to want to make a project of their children - I'd bet the majority of playrooms aren't played in - the house and garden is where they'll play and relax.

Your floor is gorgeous btw 😍

Research shows the opposite. Young children thrive in play and learning environments with neutral decor
What research?

Is there a sofa that I can't see?
DD's used their playroom a lot but it had a sofa and armchair and a tv. I could sit in there and read the newspaper, have coffee etc in the day and could snuggle up together to watch TV
Nothing special decor-wise - floral furniture, pale blue walls, 2 built in cupboards either side of the fireplace and a couple of wicker baskets under TV table to do a quick tidy up

No there's no sofa, and excuse the Halloween throwback 😂 but this kind of best shows the lay out, it's connected to the dining room where there's a tv so I can sit at the table if I want to, and then behind is the kitchen. It's all sort of open and there's double doors between the kitchen and living room so I can close them and keep up at the back of the house, or go in the lounge and shut off the back of the house