Those of you with a playroom, do your children play in there?

[cba]

We recently had an extension, well six months ago. As a result what use to be the dining room we decided to make a playroom for the kids so there was no need for toys in the lounge and the new dining kitchen.

However, they do not play with toys in this room. They will go on the computer, watch a dvd, wrestle and generally piss about. But, play with toys no.

I find there play now centres around their bedrooms. The kids are 8, 6 and 4.

So should I just make this room an extra chill out room or not. I am expecting another baby in September so we will need baby stuff downstairs.

Am I being too anal. I would love to keep all toys upstairs.

My DD does play in her playroom most of the time, she's 6 , but at 4 everything used to get dragged ouot and ended up all over the house. Do they all play together , or prefer to be apart?

We have a play room but all the toys seem to end up in the living room anyway. It is currently playmobil world with a huge set up they are both playing with. Lovely but I do get sick of climbing over it all. I think we need to use the playroom in a different way. Our boys are 4 and 11 - think perhaps the eldest needs a more chill out space type of thing. I think hoping to keep all toys upstairs might be hard - well it would here.

yes my twins do, but this is probably because they ahve always shared a bedroom in order to have a playroom, where all the toys live - they have so many that are shared it is impossible to split them!

I got rid of my playroom because the children wouldn't play in it!!!!

the thing is the two eldest are boys 8 and 6. They prefer to build assault courses and generally mess about. The youngest is four a little girl and she plays nice in her bedroom.

I think I might keep most things upstairs and allow things down if they want them.

Perhaps its the way our playroom is set up, how is yours set up?

ds1 who is 8 dosent play with anything really. He likes his drum kit which is in his bedroom, I am rubbish at decisions.

Yes my two DDs do. That said, they're not allowed to take toys into the living room, and they share a bedroom with no toys in it, so I guess they have little choice. Might be different that we have an open plan house, and their playroom is essentially a large extension that runs along the length of the back of the house, so its not a seperate room apart from everyone else iyswim.

cba - we have two boys 9 and 7 and they do have a playroom with two computers and their toys.

They would play upstairs in bedroom, lounge and kitchen but we have banned them so they have no choice but to use their playroom. They know that is their space to use as they wish - but no fighting alowed.

They have to play in their own room and nowhere else. It keeps the house tidy and free of toys. It also means they have a duty to tidy their room - if it is messy it is their mess.

I suggest you do not put any toys or any other distraction (e.g drums, computers) in any other room than the one you want themto play in. Then they have no option. If you put toys upstairs or allow them to take toys up then they will go where they wish.

I built them an outside 'den' in the garage and they have other outside toys in the garage.

We just feel that there needs to be a rule. Kitchen and formal dining room is not appropriate for toys, we have a right to enjoy one 'adult' tidy room to relax in ourselves which is the lounge and upstairs is for sleeping not playing. Computers and TVs upstairs cannot be supervised properly so that is why they are downstairs.

They keep trying to push the boundary and move stuff upstairs but we are firm. We have changed the configuration of their room as they have grown older so it still works for them.

... by the way, the kids tell us to leave their room if we hang around to much in there. They welcome us in but make it clear it is also time to leave to give them space.

Yes

we had a conservatory built and this is ds's playroom he is 4.

I am not hugely strict downstairs he is allowed to play in the sitting room but upstairs is for sleeping so he is not allowed toys or tv in his bedroom

He used to just use his playroom as storage and always play where I was .. in the last few months he has started playing in his playroom.

My ps2 is out there.. and sometimes if go out there to play it he says.. eeeh you are taking up space in my playroom.. so he difinatly understands it now

The reason I allow them toys to play in their bedrooms as well is that the playroom is not huge and with there being three children they like their own space as well.

They dont have tvs or anything like that in bedrooms