The Wonder of the Playroom
We are very fortunate to now live in a spacious and comfortable home. We love our home and we like to keep it as clean and tidy as possible. Back in 2014 (when we lived in a one bedroom attic flat which we adored) I was pregnant with our first child Lillie and we quickly learned that when children come along, lots of things come with them. Since then, we have forever struggled with the parent's common nightmare 'finding places to put things.' And even after cleaning out clothes and toys we still find ourselves stumped.
A popular and widely praised phenomenon has continued to re-surface around the internet in recent years and I find myself finally getting to blog about it: The Playroom. My first experience with a playroom was when I would sleepover at my best friend's home as a child. Her family lived in a lovely three-bedroom house and one of those rooms (situated at the bottom of the stairs, facing the kitchen) was used as a playroom. I remember boxes of toys, a desk for drawing and writing and posters on the walls displaying the alphabet and numbers. I remember playing my first game of chess in that room as well as other fond memories.
Since then, I have always loved the idea of creating a playroom for my own children. A place where they could be messy, explore and create. A place where they could independently play but where I could participate with them and teach them things. I like my home to be clean and tidy (particularly when I have visitors) so having toys scattered around the house is a bit of a nightmare for me. I love my children and I do let them explore and play pretend wherever they choose to, but I can't help that feeling of a niggling irritation when I see my home become increasingly untidy. Even when I throw parties I sometimes forget to enjoy myself, worrying about the mess that's being made. I try to help it but I can't! *I might add that this is a shared feeling between husband and wife!!
When we first viewed our home we were surprised to learn that there would be enough bedrooms for each of us. On further inspection we even found a spare room attached to our kitchen that could be used as a dining room. Whilst I liked the idea of a separate room for eating meals, I enjoyed the idea of a playroom much more. We agreed on it right away and I scribbled down all our plans and ideas in my notebook. Since then, I have managed to create the playroom I dreamed of. There are still finishing touches to be made but I am more than pleased with our efforts thus far. *Pictures of said playroom can be found throughout this article...
So what are the benefits of having a playroom anyways? Besides the fact that you can keep all the mess in one room? Play is such an important part of life for children - it is essential to the way in which they learn and develop. The concept of a playroom allows children to have their own space to do this. Whilst we continue to sometimes have a handful of toys in the living room (especially for our 7 month old who is much less independent) most of the toys and books are kept in the playroom where free play can happen without interfering with the rest of the home.
Have you ever heard of space conditioning? I hadn't up until recently. Apparently, we as human beings develop mental moods for when we visit and inhabit a particular place. These moods can apply to anywhere - the workplace, the gym, the shops etc. Now I don't know about anyone else but when I put my children to bed I want them to go to sleep! But if their bedroom is somewhere they spend a lot if not all of their time playing, surely this could be a little confusing? Now I'm not suggesting that if EVERY child has a separate room for sleeping and playing they will go to sleep peacefully with no problems AT ALL! But surely it might help?
My favourite thing about our playroom is that I can teach my children all about being tidy. When choosing a storage system for the toys, we opted for big IKEA units with colourful, plastic boxes. Boxes are so easy to work with when putting things away. I can ask my two year old to tidy up and 9 times out of 10 she can put all her toys away in their boxes and sometimes she even tries to put the boxes into their designated slot. The handful of times when she doesn't do it aren't because she isn't capable, but only because she point blank refuses to, with a two-year-old tantrum!
Another element of the room that I love is the plastic table and chairs we bought, also from IKEA. As my children grow older I want to be able to teach them things myself. Our little girl Lillie has come so far just in the past two months. Her speech is astounding us and we are thrilled to hear her copy so much more of what we say, whilst frantically trying to make sure we don't say anything we shouldn't (I will admit to a recent occasion where she copied my naughty word even though it should have been a much more likely situation to happen to daddy).
I imagine days where I will sit at that table drawing pictures with my children, teaching them to write their names, finger-painting on rainy days and completing homework assignments on Thursday afternoons. Not to mention the countless play-dough workshops and cupcake decorating! The other great thing about it being right next to the kitchen is that Lillie often eats her meals at the little table, giving her some independence but still very close by as daddy and I eat together at the big table.
So how do you find space for a playroom? Believe it or not the internet is full of families who have opted to have siblings share rooms in order to free up space for a playroom. When myself and three of my six other siblings were very young, the four of us shared one big room for a few years and we loved it. A playroom can also help in the instance where there are shared toys. And when children are young (way before the grizzly teenage years) they tend to enjoy room sharing. If the ages and sleeping patterns don't clash too much, I say give it a go!
Not everyone has the extra room and so playroom alternatives can be created. Since our little girl was around four months old we have always had a play corner in the living room. This is a popular concept, with one mum telling me recently that she was thrilled her children were older and she no longer needed to have toys in her living room! As part of my research into 'the playroom', I have come across many different types and styles. Instagram in particular was a goldmine! Click here to view my favourites! Or just search #playroom on instagram & pinterest and you're sure to come up with some great ideas for creating your own playroom, play corner, play nook, or playstation etc.
Whatever you want to call it, the playroom is a wonder of its own & can be a spectacular environment for children of all ages.
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning." - Fred Rogers
"Play is the highest form of research." - Albert Einstein.
"Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs." - James L. Hymes Jr.