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Original poster

Do playrooms actually work?

60 replies

Cakeisafoodgroup · 01/10/2026 09:16

Just that, really! Does anyone who has a playroom find that their children actually use/play in it? Youngest two dc are 8 and 18 months.
We’re fortunate enough to have an extra room downstairs that DH uses as a study to WFH 2 days a week, but it’s right next to the living room and kitchen and the noise of children and dog is often bothering him. We could reconfigure things so he works upstairs which would be quieter, and turn the current study space into a playroom.
I don’t know anyone with a playroom, however, and I have no idea if it actually works or if it just becomes another dumping room for toys!

OP posts:
Skinnyplaits · 01/10/2026 14:58

We love ours and have had once since DC were babies. Like others you have to be prepared to sit in there too, but if large enough you can have bean bags or a sofa. I am not a fan of toys in bedrooms because they do get cluttered and it encourages DC to want to be shut in their rooms. Bedrooms are lovely cosy places for sleeping.

I grew up without a playroom and when I came to being a teen I had no desk to do my homework so I was either on my bedroom floor or perched on my dressing table. I always wanted DC to have their own desk which is what they have now they're older. The big toys are morphing into lego sets and desktop pcs.

Hicks123 · 02/10/2026 18:44

We used ours. Not all the time but it was great for messy play - we had hard flooring and foam mats - and for keeping all the toys in there, leaving half-constructed Lego, artwork in progress etc and somewhere they could get all the toys out when other kids came round. Our child wouldn’t spend much time in there without us though.

Decorhate · 02/10/2026 18:50

We have two living rooms. When the kids were small, one was where we kept toys, they watched tv/videos (showing my age!). We had a sofa in there. It was great that you could shut the door and escape to a tidier room when they went to bed.

ElBandito · 02/10/2026 19:03

I found it got used more and more as they got older. I deliberately didn't put TVs or computers / game consoles in their bedrooms instead they could hang out with friends and be noisy on line downstairs. It also meant I pretty much knew who they were online with and could walk in to double check or call for meals without having to go upstairs.

Bedrooms remained quite and private places for sleeping.

Notpop · 02/10/2026 19:04

We had a playroom for the DC when they were little but it was a small room off the kitchen with no door between the two and yes, they did use it but only because they could see me and I could see them whilst I was in the kitchen. I don’t think for a minute they’d have played in there if that hadn’t been the case. For context we lived in that house until they were about 5 and 7 and our next house we had a sort of tv room for them but the 7 year old in particular started to play upstairs in their room. So unless you can see them or they can see you I don’t think many young kids would actually play in a stand alone room on their own and if they had friends over you’d definitely want to keep half an eye on them 😂

Justploddingonandon · 02/10/2026 19:06

Ours got used a lot between when youngest was old enough to play unsupervised and oldest started high school and they stopped really playing together as interests differed. Now DD uses it a bit but it’s mostly just a place to keep toys.
There’s 3 years between my kids and I’d say we got about 5 years of them using it, with your age gap I’m not sure that stage would last very long.

Meand2Ls · 02/10/2026 19:09

My kids are 4 and 1 and 90% of the time they are in the house they are in the playroom, they both absolutely love it. It’s also a huge hit on playdate and my friends little girl asks if she can come to my play cafe every day 😂.
however I will add the playroom is the biggest room in our house so there is lots of room which I feel like encourages play for longer because even with a few things out there is still lots of space

mondaytosunday · 02/10/2026 19:10

Only if you are in it with them. I think for many it’s just a storage place for their toys. We had a family room open to the kitchen and that worked as I was in the space with them. It’s only when they are older that they want a more private area to be with friends.

truffleruffle · 02/10/2026 19:11

We are lucky enough to have a playroom for my grandchildren. My granddaughter age 8 has a wee mini salon set up. A huge box they use for a house, hotel, headquarters for what ever they play and an art table. Also lots of games and storage for toys. Keeps them all in one place.
I have the kids after school weekdays and have 4 grandkids. It’s used constantly for them and their friends after school.

HamBap · 02/10/2026 19:11

Loved ours, kids played together, all the toys in one place, stopped other kids nosing round the house, could close the door on the mess and when they were older that's where the games console/pc was, so they weren't locked away in their individual rooms, they were downstairs with the rest of us which felt more connected.

BugJuice · 02/10/2026 19:13

Ours has always been used. And now they’re older (13 and 11) it’s used to watch TV/do homework/have friends round etc.

SwirlingAroundSleep · 02/10/2026 19:35

Ours is used constantly but they do take toys everywhere else and I have certain things (crafts) I still insist on being done in the kitchen. TBH I like that ours is connected to the living room by double doors and it will become a perfect teenage snug when they’re older. I had a playroom as a kid (not posh, we lived in a very rough area so my parents could afford a big house) and it was such a luxury.

you need organise it well and seating/table areas are important too

Lindy2 · 02/10/2026 19:48

Ours was used loads but that was because I was a childminder and it was the main room I used for my business.

Once I stopped childminding it was used less. However my kids are now teenagers and the Playroom is back in regular use when they have friends over.

nighttimemusings · 02/10/2026 19:54

Ours works but it’s more of a second lounge - I based myself in there when they were young and used the lounge after they were in bed, all the toys were in there, now they are older they play on the console and watch tv in there and we store all our board games and books there

August1980 · 02/10/2026 21:09

Hi Op, oor child is now 20 months and we have used the playroom her whole life every day! She has no screen time so no telly in there but all the toys are in there, books a teepee, swapped out the changing table for a set of chairs and a table! I love having my morning coffee on the floor with her and dog in that room. I always wonder what to do with that room once she has outgrown it ie a teen? Her bedroom is purely a room for sleeping although she has book shelf and rocking chair in there and a dolls house…go for it!

Yogafiend · 02/10/2026 21:14

So we still have one to this day and the kids are 13,11 and 10. It’s turning more into a “game room” than a play room but it still works as such. So they don’t have any toys in their bedrooms really. Keeps the mess contained and they have to tidy up before dinner.

But when they were smaller they would leave their brio tracks out (which they spent ages putting together) and their holiday camp and whatever else. So mine really use theirs everyday.

GabriellaFaith · 02/10/2026 21:37

We did... It was a toy storage room really until about 8 years old as they play wherever you are! At 10 we turned it into a study for them ready for secondary with storage for games etc

FredbassetOT · 02/10/2026 21:53

Ours did when they were younger. Art, craft Lego stuff was stored there and the Wii.

15yo still uses our playroom. It has a second TV in there and his PC is there. It's slowly evolved from play/react room to gaming/gym space.

DrStrawberry · 02/10/2026 21:58

We have a playroom for my 18m kid. I 1000% recommend it. Ours is the conservatory - we had it plastered and got a proper roof on it. Still bit coldcin winter but we use an electric heater. It's absolutely perfect. Can put all the toys and mess in there, it's baby proof...we have fewer toys and less mess through the house and loung. When we're done playing for the day, I can shut the door and shut the curtain and leave all the kiddo mess in the playroom and not have to think about it.

Sadcafe · 02/10/2026 22:00

We had an extension on our last house, the downstairs part was used as a large playroom for years for our kids then grandkids, everything from train sets, dolls houses to large snooker table and in its final year a cinema room and it was used a lot

PigsawJuzzle · 02/10/2026 22:02

Useful for keeping the mess in one place.
I also quite liked that all the toys were not in their bedrooms. Only books and soft toys in bedrooms made it better for sleeping.
But they didn't really know how to go and play in a separate room so either the toys get brought out or I hung out in the plauroom with them.

Kimbyjab · 03/10/2026 04:16

SatinHeart · 01/10/2026 09:42

We have one, but it's the 'diner' part of an open plan lounge/diner so DC can see us in the lounge and to an extent in the kitchen as well. Various friends with completely separate playrooms have all said that DC will only stay in there if one them goes in there too.

A dumping ground for toys is not necessarily a bad thing though if you have space. It keeps them out of the grown-up living space without having to tramp everything back upstairs to bedrooms.

Ours is exact same set up and so it’s used daily as my kids can see us. My husband does work upstairs if home.

DesperateforSunshine · 03/10/2026 04:37

We always had them as children and we were lucky enough to have room for our children to have one as well. When they get older it turns into another TV room/ second lounge for them and their friends

minisoksmakehardwork · 03/10/2026 04:47

Yes! We use the dining room as a playroom. The conservatory is now our dining room.

when the kids were younger it really kept the lounge free for socialising and allowed the kids space to play freely without us tripping over the huge games they would play.

Now they are all teens it’s a handout and gaming room. They can watch their rubbish tv programmes or have friends over and we have a chilled lounge space.

we don’t have tvs in bedrooms and our kids have to share a room so it gives much needed extra space for people to do their own thing.

CatherinedeBourgh · 03/10/2026 05:32

Yes loads. But we home ed so when they were little that happened in the playroom, after it had their games computer, 3d printer etc.