How to Make Your Playroom the Ultimate Fun and Educational Space, According to Experts

Turns out, you really can have too much of a good thing. Especially when that thing is toys. “It is definitely overstimulating for kids to have too many toys out,” Trimmer said. Bowen-Poole has noticed the same thing in the homes she has worked on, adding, “Parents have way too much stuff, leaving kids overwhelmed in their playrooms.”

Luckily, our experts have come up with a couple of creative ways to tackle this problem. When decluttering a new space, Davies and Bowen-Poole look to keep items that are age-appropriate and can be used in a number of different ways. “We prefer to go back to the basics with things like magnet tiles, wooden blocks, toy people and animals, anything that can really engage a child because they can use it however they want.”

At CASA Design, Trimmer is a big fan of toy rotation. This can be really helpful if you are constantly overwhelmed by the number of toys strewn about your house but aren’t quite ready to part with certain things (though she did note that you can probably toss or donate anything that is broken or hasn’t been played with in over six months). “We help customers set up bins in their home or storage room, and parents can rotate those out seasonally, biweekly, or even if the child is just showing signs of boredom with the current toys. It really depends on the child.”

“An integral part of how the playroom functions is the organization,” Bowen-Poole told us. Some of Smart D2 Playrooms’ projects have included Lego walls and even a giant Lego pit for a communal play space in Brooklyn. When it comes to organizing those hundreds of tiny bricks, “How we try to organize Legos depends on the kids’ ages. The Duplo blocks are sometimes fun to do by colors because younger kids can actually manage that themselves.” Older kids, on the other hand, may prefer storage bins that let them organize by shape and size.

Our experts also love open cubbies and storage baskets because kids have easy access to the toys and are more likely to put them away. “One of the things we have always done is to create photo and word labels for storage bins. We can introduce kids to matching and literacy, and those are great cognitive skills for the kids when they know where to put things back,” Davies said.

CASA Design uses a lot of pieces from Ikea and Wayfair in the homes she works on. “We have a lot of success with both of those stores because the pricing is accessible and you can find affordable products that still have a nice aesthetic.” This Ikea shelf unit puts toys where kids can see them, and these spice racks pull double duty as book storage.

Working from a Montessori perspective, CASA Design primarily uses neutral colors like white, tan, and gray for the walls so the children are drawn to their toys, puzzles, and books. “We try to keep it as simple as possible so their eyes are drawn to what they should be focusing on.” When it comes to artwork, however, “it can be anything your family loves, but you want it to be at eye level to your children so they can enjoy it with you,” Trimmer added.

At Smart D2 Playrooms, they view the play space as an extension of the home. “We are working on a space right now where the house is very neutral with a lot of reclaimed beams. We wouldn’t do bright colors and a lot of contrast in a space like that. We kept it very organic with muted colors.” They’ve also done rooms with multicolored, hand-painted murals, so it really comes down to what the parents and children prefer. “Kids want good design as much as parents want good design,” Davies said.

When considering which toys and activities to keep in (or add to) your playroom, the name of the game is variety, but not too much. Different toys benefit your child’s education and development in different ways, but they also keep kids playing in the space longer, as long as there aren’t so many toys that they feel overwhelmed.

For sensory play, CASA Design often adds a sensory table to a playroom, with materials that can be switched out based on a child’s age or even with certain seasons or holidays. “It could be moss-covered rocks and leaves in the fall, to moon sand or water beads with scoopers and things like that. Fine motor activities can be anything where kids use their hands. It could be art or tracing letters or even putting stickers on a piece of paper,” Trimmer said.

At Smart D2 Playrooms, they’ve learned that different types of play keep the kids interested and engaged. “What you hope will happen is they build for a while, then they pretend play for a while, then they read a book, and then do some physical play,” Bowen-Poole said.

Trimmer always tries to find a spot where kids can read and have quiet time each day. This could be a comfortable chair, a tent, or even a few pillows in the corner where your child can rest and recharge. “We encourage parents to try to stick with 45 minutes to an hour of quiet time each day. That means no screens – they can read or play quietly by themselves in the play area with books or puzzles that are only available to them during that quiet time.”

You can let your child choose how they want to spend that time by having them pick a selection of books and jigsaw puzzles to keep in a bin that only comes out during their quiet time.

In addition to fine motor development, kids also need toys that allow them to work on their gross motor skills. Gross motor development involves larger movements like jumping, rocking, climbing, and swinging. Trimmer recently added this Rock-a-Boat Seesaw to a home, and she also loves Pikler Triangles for climbing and wobble chairs for kids’ core strength.

Smart D2 Playrooms often uses moveable stepping stones that kids can run and jump across, but they’ve also done projects with rock walls and even monkey bars. In addition to strengthening their motor skills, “physical play helps kids to relax, it helps them to focus, there’s just so many benefits to it,” Bowen-Poole said.

When kids are going to be running, jumping, and climbing in a space, they are probably going to do some falling, too. According to Bowen-Poole, parents have to decide on their level of comfort. If a rock wall or a climbing rope is going to make you nervous, find activities that keep your kids closer to the ground.

But first and foremost, if you are installing anything in the walls or ceiling, let an expert handle it. Smart D2 Playrooms alway works with licensed contractors to install these types of items. Outside of that, you just want to make sure they have a safe space to land. “We always have at least one mat underneath, or sometimes two,” Bowen-Poole said. “And we love a good foam pit.”