I would love to say that if you make your playroom calm and attractive and full of carefully chosen toys that you will never have to go in there again. Wouldn’t that be great? Unfortunately most things in life require some maintenance. Today I have a list of questions to consider when your playroom isn’t working for one reason or another, and solutions – quick playroom hacks.
Let’s say you’ve already done everything I have suggested in Playroom 101 series but your playroom still is not working. Or let’s say you fixed your playroom a few months ago, but now it is in chaos all over again. What can you do now?
Questions to Ask When Your Playroom Isn’t Working
If you have already rearranged your space, de-cluttered, carefully selected age appropriate toys, figured out a system for rotating toys and worked on helping your child learn to clean up, but your playroom is still a mess hopefully these will set you on the right path.
When is the last time you rotated the toys?
This is my go-to when my kids seem to be getting bored or restless with our play space. Often it is because I lost track of time and haven’t rotated their toys in a while. Trying pulling out some new toys and putting away some that have lost their charm for the moment.
How are your kids using the space?
Maybe they want to play on the floor but there isn’t enough floor space. Can you move some things out of the way? Is there a circle created by a shelf or table that they can’t resist running around and around? Try pushing everything to the side for a while and putting something fun in the middle of the floor. Is there enough room to move and play? Can you put away another bigger object? Alternatively, is there too much open space? Are they just wandering or running in the open space? Can you break up the open space with shelves or a child sized table?
How are your kids using the toys?
Are they interested in what you have out? Maybe you should rotate the toys and try again to match their needs and interests. Do they seem lost about what to do with something? Maybe you need to sit down and play with them for a bit to help them understand how that marble ramp or sorting toy works. Are they trying to do something and running out of materials? Can you get out more of something similar or help them figure out a way to extend their play in a different direction?
How are your kids interacting with toys?
If you have more than one child sharing a space, social interactions are going to be a big part of keeping the room peaceful. Is there enough for everyone to use? For instance, my kids were constantly fighting about the Magna-tiles because we simply didn’t have enough for them both to build at the same time. Are there enough costumes, trucks, etc for each child to have one? This isn’t always possible, but I try to have at least 2 of everything. Do you have a way for one child to save their work or keep it protected from a younger sibling? Maybe there is a higher shelf or counter they can work at or save things so no one will bother their work.
THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR ORGANIZED PLAYROOM
In the Playroom 101 series you will learn how to:
- Why you need a good playroom organization
- How to create an organized playroom
- How to teach your child to clean up
- How to choose the best toys for your child’s developmental needs
- How to present toys in the playroom
- How to maintain your playroom organization
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