Does everyone have a playroom for their children?

[Gateau]

Everyone I know seems to have a separate playroom for their children. We don't. Although it is huge we only have one living room and DS plays with his toys here which means our living room is never wholly an adult space, whereas my friends have a room that is always tidy - just for them. And the kids play elsewhere. In fact my friend is having a conservatory built - just so the children have a playroom! It doesn't bother us but am just wondering if we are the odd ones out? At the end of the day we stack DS's toys in boxes near the window to get some space back, and of course to let DS knows this has to be done.
It's no big deal but am just musing.

[Guadalupe]

I think it is different having a room where toys/xbox/instruments/beanbags or whatever are and having rigidly defined spaces. I might want to sit in there myself as it opens on to the garden and it's cosier than the front room.

I know someone who actually used to lock their living room door and the children called it the special room. I find that odd.

[Meglet]

No . I have a small open plan downstairs and their toys extend from the front door, round the sofa, under the dining table to the back door. I tidy up every evening but it would be lovely to not have to trip over it all during the day. I'm hoping that they will play in their own rooms more as they get older.

[allaboutme]

I just turned the spare room into the playroom last week!
Its fab. My living room looks clean and tidy and so much BIGGER!
The boys are loving having their own room to play in too.

[claireybee]

Disney I agree, my friend doesn't let her children bring any of their toys into the sitting room and I find that strange. Despite havng a playroom my sitting room currently has several dolls and teddies, a shopping trolley, a balloon, some cars and a board game on the floor-I do like having somewhere to tidy them all away to at the end of the day though

[flatcapandpearls]

No, she did have one when she was younger but to be honest I only knew one other child who had one.

Dd is 7 now and does not really have lots of toys tbh. We keep boardgames, cards etc in the dining room. Art bits are in the bootroom and I have a trestle (sp) table she can put up in their if she wants to do painting or something messy so she does not make a mess in the main house.

[lovechoc]

No playroom here, toys spread between DS bedroom and livingroom area. would be lovely to have a seperate room, but can't afford that.

[QOD]

I am in the playroom! DD is in the lounge with her toys........
LOL

[stonethecrows]

We do have a playroom / computer room, but rarely gets used - they much prefer being in sitting room with us (or perhaps with the TV )

[OrmIrian]

The whole house is a playroom for our DC Which is why it's such a tip.

[ComeOVeneer]

We have a playroom. It is on the lower ground floor with french doors onto the garden. We love it, it is the same size as our adult living room which is one floor above. It has 2 sofas (one is a sofa bed) tv/dvd player, hidden floor to ceiling wall cupboards for storage. When they are older we will convert it into a den type room for them to hang out with their friends.

[ComeOVeneer]

Oh and it houses the piano we inherited from MIL, so I do't have to listen to the children hammering the living daylights out of it!!!!

[DamonBradleylovesPippi]

We thought about the playroom, then decided that playroom or not playroom they would always be around us so we scrapped the plan and made it into a study... for me! I porsonally think it's a great idea !

As someone else said it the whole house is a playroom (except from my study and DH's garage, where we hyde ), and I like it this way!

[DamonBradleylovesPippi]

having said that ComeOVeneer's house sounds fab and I am picturing COV sitting confortably in a spotless house listening to piano music while 200 children make a crammed mess in a sunny playroom!

[thehouseofmirth]

No, I'm with Disney, Edam & Gateau on this, not really comfortable with this ghettoisation of children within your home. We're one (not very) big happy family and share our space. I am encouraging the DSs to keep toys in their rooms but that's a storage issue rather than anything else.

[DamonBradleylovesPippi]

thehouseofmyrth yes I agree. Dh and I always say that in reality we live in a bedsit as we are always in the same kitchen/living room area. We would make better use of the rest of the house if we'd rent it out to students.

[edam]

Ormirian, snap!

MUST fish out the toys he hasn't played with for a while and take them to the charity shop...

[Flibbertyjibbet]

No playroom here.
The dc's have a large enough bedroom but they like to be where we are.
Having their stuff around the house is great for not having big toys etc.
We are having a little conservatory built on the back of our 2 up (and loft conversion) 2 down soon. Playroom? no chance it will be mums lounge for me to escape from them.

My friend built a 20' x 12' extension for a playroom and is always pissed off that her children don't just sit and play in it while she goes about the house unhindered....

[AnnieLobeseder]

We have one room downstairs, which is knee-deep in the DDs crap toys. They can't really play in their room either since they share a box room.

But the plans for the extension are with the council... soon there will be more rooms for them to colonise with their junk!

[DamonBradleylovesPippi]

Yup all the friends with a playroom complain the kids are always under their feet. Maybe it will works better with teenagers.

[newpup]

I have a playroom too. It has a wooden floor and floor to ceiling cupboards for storage. It has a sofa bed and a huge window to flood it with natural light. Dh bought the DDs a flatscreen tv. with dvd player and an ipod dock a while ago and as they get older like COV's it will become more of a den.

They are 10 and 7 now so still very much a playroom but will be somewhere to hang out with friends as they get older!