Creating a perfect game room

These days, it seems like kids need a lot more space for toys than we did when we were kids. The children may have received half a family room in the basement large enough for their collection of toys, dolls, houses, trucks, and other items. The toys seem to get bigger and require even more space with every birthday, holiday, and visit from Grandma and Grandpa. It can be overwhelming for parents trying to contain the clutter and make it look presentable. These tips should help you create a child- and parent-friendly space that is functional and attractive.

Try to get ahead of the disaster. As soon as you are or like a new parent, think early about the fact that your child will inevitably collect a lot of toys. Try to determine from the beginning what space you want to dedicate to your belongings and how you want to organize that space. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have the first few conversations with family members about how to limit the number and size of toys given to your children, especially if their space is already limited.

Whether you’re starting early or already have knee-high toys, consider dividing your child’s play area into stations. All children are different and will enjoy different activities. Think about the activities your child enjoys (or think he might enjoy in the future) and adapt your space to them. For example, create an art station with a table where they can draw or paint and store their art supplies. Make sure to leave some of the storage out of reach of paints and other supplies that you don’t want them to be able to reach on their own. You can also create a costume station with cubbies and wall hangers for dresses, hats, and scarves, as well as a vanity area for hair and makeup. Get creative with your stations and try to adapt them to your child’s interests.

Think about the sizes and shapes of the toys your child already owns and adapt their storage to those toys. If you start early, think about storage that accommodates various sizes of toys, from small cars to large car tracks and toy houses. Shelving with movable shelves is ideal for adapting to your storage needs. Buy fun cubicles and baskets to hold small things. Cubicles that allow you to write in them (whether with chalk, whiteboard markers, or others) are best for helping you organize toys by type. You can also color code your cubicles per child and can use it as a learning exercise in both colors and picking up after themselves.

Use toys as accessories. Organize your kids’ play area so that when they pick it up, it looks organized and set up. By grouping certain types of toys, you can create large structural groupings (for example, group board games and stack them on a shelf by size). Colored cubicles and baskets can make a shelf or storage unit look color coordinated and purposeful. Don’t forget to add artwork to the space. http://www.art.com has great art for kids, or better yet, use your own child’s art to create a rotating art gallery. Get some pretty picture frames for Ikea or another picture frame store and display your little Picasso’s art in his space.

Make it a learning experience by removing unused toys at least once a year. Inevitably, you will have toys that children are not interested in or are no longer interested in. Spend time with your child or children to decide which toys to remove and donate to children in need. You can teach your child a lesson on giving and making room in his toy area for the upcoming birthday or holiday.