The Ultimate Guide to Design a Fun, Functional Kids Home Playroom

You can’t always get outside for some family play time. Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate. And sometimes you just don’t want to deal with packing up a bunch of stuff, right?! Enter the kids home playroom!

Playing is a way for the whole family to have fun together. It’s also an important part of child development. As parents, you can transform any space at home and create a kids playroom where your whole family can have fun, get creative with different DIY projects, and learn. When planning and designing a playroom, it’s crucial to put yourself in the shoes of your children. This complete guide will show you how to design and develop a fun and functional kids’ home playroom that your children will love and never want to leave.

Make a Plan with Your Children

While you’ll have the final word about the kids home playroom’s design, it’s important to let your kids provide some opinions and brainstorm with them before you set up their new play corner. Discuss with your kids their favorite subjects and activities in school or kindergarten and what type of games, tools and toys they’d like to have in the room. Sit down and make a list of all the most favorite things to your kids. When you brainstorm together, you’ll make sure that the final result is something you and your kids will be able to enjoy together. Make sure you design a space that’s “evergreen” and one that will grow and adapt as your child transforms into a teenager. This is the best way to make the most of the playroom and keep it functional and useful over the years.

Pick a Theme for the Kids Home Playroom

Choosing a theme for your new playroom can make it really fun and exciting, but remember that specific topics or themes might not be exciting to your child as they grow up. Try to stick with themes centered around their favorite activities rather than characters from movies or TV shows as the taste of your children might change over the years. Here are some tips to help you develop the perfect theme for your child’s playroom:

Dance Studio / Home Theater

Add a small stage to the room where your children can practice their acting and dancing skills. Add mirrors on the walls so they can monitor their newly acquired skills and practice. Fill the room with various costumes so the kids can play dress-up and do skits and performances. Bring in a stereo system or a record player so they can enjoy their favorite plays and dance to music.

Get Musical

Fill the playroom with different music instruments like a small drum set, a keyboard, and a guitar or tambourine. You could even add a karaoke station for your kid to practice singing skills. Stock your child’s playroom with sheet music if they’re skilled at playing any instrument, so they always have new melodies to learn. Display some music-themed décor in the room like oversized music notes or artwork or images like people or animals singing and playing instruments. 

Become an Artist

Set up a sturdy DIY craft table where your child can paint, draw, and work on various creative projects. Add some watercolor and finger paints to the playroom, an easel, paintbrushes, scissors, glue, and construction paper. Find a place where your kids can display their art, such as a magnetic board for easy hanging.

Be Active

Decorate the room with things that remind your kid of the favorite sport. For example, a framed picture of a football field, a hockey stick hung on the wall, or an image of their favorite athlete. If you’re feeling brave, install a ceiling-mounted climbing net so your child can play and be active indoors. Bring in some books about sports so your child can read about their favorite team games and broaden their mind whenever they’re not on the field.

Play Games

From cards to board games, you can easily make your kid’s home playroom a fun game room by stocking it with various games fit for their age. Paint a tabletop in a checkerboard design so the kids can practice with a game of checkers or chess anytime they want. If you have space (and the budget), bring in a big game like a foosball table or ping pong table to serve as the room’s man attraction.

Kids Home Playroom Furniture

Once you’ve chosen the perfect theme for your child, it’s time to pick out some furniture for your playroom. Here are a few tips to help you get started and make sure that this room is functional and fun to use:

Stick with classic and neutral furniture that’s not too colorful. The more neutral the furniture is, the better the odds are that your child will grow with it as the years pass.

Choose furniture that’s durable and easy to clean and aim for multifunctional furniture that includes storage like a storage bench.

It’s important to ensure that the entire family feels comfortable in this room. While kid’s furniture is excellent for little ones, consider bringing in a full-size sofa and table so your older children and the adults will feel welcome in this space, too.

To add a splash of color, bring in some rugs, curtains, and decorations to fill the room with bright and cheerful hues. Leave the wall color neutral, so it’s easy to adapt the room as your child grows.

Make sure that this space has flooring that’s easy to clean and maintain. Consider installing a carpet to protect the floors and your kids’ knees and elbows from bruising. Machine-washable area rugs serve great for this purpose. Linoleum and vinyl are both excellent options, and they don’t require a lot of maintenance to keep them looking new.

Storage Space is a Must

Your child must have fun in their playroom, but it’s also important that this part of your home is always clean and organized. With the correct storage, you can keep everything tidy and in its place.

Use Mason jars with a lid to store and organize small craft items like buttons, beads, and spools of thread. Consider repurposing old food containers or boxes. Cubbies are perfect for larger toys and games, and you can quickly put them on a shelf or stash them under furniture. Baskets and storage bins work well as a catch-all to keep stuffed animals and other toys in one place. Add a storage bench or ottoman so the kids have a place to hide their shoes, board games, and other medium-sized items. Make sure your playroom has at least one bookshelf for reading material, sheet music, or DIY crafts.

Set up Different Play Zones

To make the most of your playroom, break it up into different play zones. Each zone can be designated for a variety of activities your child enjoys. Put a small desk in one corner of the room for homework, and place shelving with art supplies and a craft table on the opposite side of the room. Keep kids’ toys, games, and accessories in constant rotation so that there’s always something new for them to enjoy. As your child gets older, donate the toys they don’t use anymore to a local nonprofit organization, charity or your school. Make sure there is one part of the playroom designated for the use of the whole family, such as a spot for a comfy sofa and TV set.

Get Creative Whenever You Can

You can bring many fantastic extras into the playroom to make it more functional and fun to use. Here are some smart ideas to help you get started:

Add a swing. Hang a swing from the ceiling of the playroom so your child can swing as they listen to music or watch television. Make sure the swing is anchored securely and that you’re always next to your kids whenever they use it.

Add a nap station. Nap-time is really important for younger children, so create a “nap zone” with a comfy mat or sleeping bag along with a blanket and some pillows so they can take a snooze after playtime. Consider setting up a tent and designing it to be fit for sweet naps.

Create a dress-up corner.  Add a closet to hang costumes and accessories in the playroom, and add a freestanding mirror in the corner of the room so your kids can have fun playing dress-up.

Add a slide. Bring a small slide into the playroom for your younger children. If you really want to go all in, install a tube-style slide that will whisk your child from one floor to the next for a grand entrance. It will also be great for birthday parties and attract attention of all your kids’ friends.

Create a chalkboard/whiteboard wall. Paint one wall with black chalkboard paint so your child can sketch and doodle to whatever they feel like. If you’re not keen on painting a wall this way, bring in a large freestanding chalkboard or whiteboard and place it against one wall.

Make a colorful slime station. Playing with slime is lots of fun, but it’s also messy. Make a special “slime station” with all of the supplies so your child can have some slimy fun, and then organize everything back to the right place when they’re done. 

You don’t have to spend much to design a fun, functional kids home playroom. There are plenty of ways to DIY and get really creative by using items you already have lying around your home or dusting away in the attic. The key is to make sure that you and your child are having fun together while you plan and decorate the playroom. Use these great kid’s home playroom ideas as inspiration to help you create the perfect space for your family to enjoy together. When it’s finished, every kid in your neighborhood will want to come over and play at your house and enjoy the amazing benefits the playroom offers.

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