Time for a Toy Room?
Have you been wondering how to regain the space in your living room? Do you want to encouraged your kids to play, but hate to clean up the mess? Then it might be time for a toy room in your house. As someone who lives on a tight budget, I thought that a toy room was out of reach for my house. Until, my children showed me how it was possible.My little ones are six and two. And up until a few months ago, they coexisted in their own individual worlds. Recently, my two year old has been more engaging and my six year old has discovered his patience. So, now they are buddies. (Smiles, as this warms my heart, obviously!)
One night not too long ago, I discovered my two year old in bed with the six year old. He must have gotten scared and crawled into bed with him. At the time, they had separate rooms. (The boys' rooms are closer to each others than my room is to theirs.) Awe, can you imagine it? I seriously had a tear in my eye knowing that they truly do love each other. And what's more, it gave me an idea. The boys could share a room and it would free up the other room for a play room. They would have each other at night when they need a little extra reassurance, and I would get my living room back!
So, I went to my husband and told him my idea. His response, "If it is going to get the toys out of the living room, move the kids wherever you want." Yay! He was wholeheartedly on board. :) And so it went. Over the course of about three weeks, I sorted clothes, toys, and furniture. I moved the beds and dressers into one room. My plan: the boys and their clothes would be in one room and the toys would be in another. I left one bookcase in the boys room for bedtime and general reading. All of the toys went into the new toy room.
Next it was time to bring order to chaos. I decided that the best course of action was to create play "zones." With my boys, the zones I came up with were tools, sports, trucks, action figures, puzzles, and general play. (My arts and crafts are in another room; one that does not have carpeting...) Once I got the zones set, I had the lofty process of finding a space for everything. As much as I could, I simplified games and toys. I used Pinterest to help me, of course. My favorite tip from Pinterest was to put jigsaw puzzles into Ziploc bags with a picture of the finished puzzle (I usually used the box top with the edges cut off). What a space saver!
I wanted the room to be inviting to them, so they knew that they could and should play in it, so I got some decals for the walls. Did you know that you can get really cute wall decals at the Dollar Tree. If they move them and they rip, who cares? With a two year old and my no budget, Fatheads are out of the question. I did spend a couple of bucks on Command Hooks though. I like these a lot more than regular hooks, because I can take them down without ruining the paint on the walls. So, truth be told, I spent about $10 on my (kids') new play room.
Doesn't it look great? I still have some work to do. I hope to turn the closet into a reading nook and role playing area. I also like the idea of having an indoor jungle gym set up. Remember: my children are boys, better they hang off of something they are supposed to then the rafters! We'll see where it goes, I'll keep you posted. Please let me know if you have any ideas for the area.
What about you? Is there a room or, even, a dedicated space where you can organize your child's toy collection? It has only been a week, but already the new space is creating more peace in my house. I'm sure it would do the same for you!
If you already made your toy room and are in need of some more great toys, check out this site's pretend play stuff. I just love them, so cool...
http://www.ourgreenhouse.com/category_s/438.htm
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