Making the Perfect Kids' Playroom
Furniture, Toys and Ideas to Help Ignite a Child's Imagination
May 14, 2007
Play and learning go hand-in-hand with young children. The optimum activities teach and entertain at the same time. Here are some items suggestions for putting together an exciting and inviting play room for your child.
1. Arts and Crafts If you aren't on a tight budget, you can purchase an "art center" for your child full of supplies, or an easel with bins to hold their crayons or pencils while they work. However, if you are limited on space or funds, a simple, labeled bin and a chair at your kitchen table will work just fine.
2. Low-tech Gadgets Chalkboards, old typewriters, and rubber stamps, for example, allow your child to discover and create the low-tech way. An easy way to create a chalkboard is with paint. You can paint a section of your child's bedroom wall or even a small piece of wood to store and pull it out when it's time to play.
3. Books and Magazines Reading is a great way for your child to develop imagination and vocabulary. Child-targeted magazines offer a fun and light way to break into reading if your child isn't excited about what they are reading in school.
4. Blocks, Puzzles and Board games These types of activities contribute to brain development and early math skills such as problem solving, matching and sequence.
5. Puppets offer a chance for your child to express themselves, and can be a parenting tool to teach social responsibility and empathy. Puppet stages can be bought or made, but could take up a generous space in your play area. Another alternative would be to cut and decorate a box to resemble an actual stage.
6. Dress Up Climbing into old clothes can transform your child into another person or to another time, even if just for a moment. Finding dress-up items can be as easy as rummaging through your closets or asking relatives if they have anything they want to donate. Put these into a box that your child will have access to in their playroom.
7. Playing House Children love to imitate what they see their family doing at home. This can be a great opportunity to teach along with the activities that you are doing. Cooking, cleaning, folding laundry and fixing things are just a few of the ways your child can help and learn at the same time.
8. Add a Big Mirror Looking at themselves in a mirror gives your child the opportunity to identify with themselves and their own personal features. You can also use this time to introduce new body parts and to teach your child how to comb their hair or brush their teeth. New concepts such as opposites can be learned as they can see themselves in relation to other people or things, and can teach them concepts like big/little or left/right.
9. Music is a way for your child to express themselves and their feelings through playing along with their favorite songs while singing and dancing. Donate an old CD player or buy a cheap one and keep it on a shelf that the child can't reach. Music is also a good tool for speech and language development. Finding a way to work song into your day by singing your activities will encourage your child to listen and eventually sing with you, along the way learning new words and word combinations.
10. Outside Play Moving beyond the four walls of your home opens up endless opportunities for exploration. Swinging, sliding and climbing at your local park or playground is great exercise for children of all ages. Sandboxes, ball games and bike riding give your child the opportunity to learn to share and work together. Gardening is a good way for children to actually see how things grow and change, help along with the process, and be rewarded for their work with a flower or vegetable.
For great children's items at an affordable price visit IKEA online or at stores nationwide. For a more high end play room, Crate & Barrel offers a line of children's furniture and accessories called Land of Nod.
