Top 15 things you need for a fun playroom or playhouse!

This list will help you create a space for kids that is well thought out and designed with them and their interests in mind. Hopefully, these items will help you create a fun playroom and a space they will utilize. Which, also means, mama gets a break 🙂

So while every kid may have different interests, this is the list you need to get started! These 15 items will help create a special space for them that they actually will want to spend time in 🙂

My top 15

1. Twinkly fairy lights

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Boy or girl…your kids will love you forever if you put these twinkle fairy lights in a play area 🙂 Especially if you get these ones that can change brightness 😉

I love that they come in a variety of colors and that you can put them up anywhere! From inside of a playroom tent, to on the wall of an under stairs playroom. These will brighten up any room and help create a magical and fun space!

2. Fun lights

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Think back to what you would have loved as a kid….and lean in that direction when making decorating decisions 🙂

In our playroom, I kept the main light fixtures consistent with the rest of the house. But I love the idea of finding accent lighting that feels fun to the kids.

For our understairs playhouse, I choose to do a DIY option here using these metal spheres and fairy lights like these. But there are so many options out there to both be functional and fun!

3. Playful Rug

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Sometimes the room you have designated for a playroom, changing the flooring to a practical option for kids isn’t an option. That’s how our playroom is. However, whether your playroom has carpet, wood or any other material, there is a quick option to transform the room easily!

One word….RUGS!!!! I found a big, colorful and bright rug to brighten up our wood floor! Rugs are an easy and quick way to add playfulness and create an inviting room! Plus, in all honesty, when (with kids it isn’t really an if, more of a when:) something happens to the carpet, it is a lot less expensive to clean or replace an area rug than it is to replace flooring or installed carpet.

However, if you are doing renovations, whether for a playroom or an understairs playhouse, please save yourself a massive headache and install a flooring that is EASY TO CLEAN!!!! This is a kids area. No matter your intentions, something will spill, and you may not know about it for weeks if it is in an area like an understairs playhouse.

When we renovated our understairs area for the kid’s playhouse, we used vinyl flooring and a cute throw rug that we could easily pop in the washer. Or another fun option is to use something like these foam tiles that you can easily wipe up! These are awesome options making it easy to keep clean.

4. Bean bag chairs

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These bean bag chairs are perfect! They are just the right size to curl up and relax and can easily be moved to other rooms for movie night or play 😉

I incorporated these under a reading tent I made for the kid’s reading nook in their playroom as well as for a reading nook in their under stairs playhouse! The kids love them, and use them all the time!

5. Chalkboard

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Give them an appropriate place to draw on! If not, they will utilize the walls/ceilings or toys….Trust me on this one 🙂 If you like DIY projects, check out this easy DIY blackboard perfect for this space! Or head over to Amazon and have a pre-made/finished blackboard shipped to you ready to go 😉

Or even take it one step further and do whole chalkboard wall! Your kids will be in heaven 🙂 Plus it looks really cute!

6. Kid’s wall decor

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If it isn’t colorful, they won’t go for it 😉 I love these felt banners or some sort of wall art for decorating and making it feel like a fun playroom for them! Another awesome option is these wall decals! They can easily be removed and replaced as the kids grow and interest changes 🙂 I love these vinyl wall decals so much I even used them in my kid’s bedroom for a quick update!

I’m a huge fan of wall decor that can easily be changed and updated as the kids grow and their interests change! A fun way to add a pop of color and make it “theirs.”

7. Play kitchen

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A play kitchen is perfect in this space! I love the idea of using a smaller one like this one so it doesn’t take up too much room! They don’t need much, but kids love anything make-believe!

8. Kids table

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There is something about kids size furniture that they LOVE! Two options I liked for a kids table: I liked this wooden table/chair set because of the look and its not huge! I also really liked this metal table because let’s face it…..this is for a kids area and so there is a good chance it will get drawn on. Which when that happens, you want these magic erasers on hand to get it off quickly!

9. Kids chairs

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It may or may not be a small area. Two to four chairs like these metal ones will be perfect!

10. Wall basket organizers

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Take advantage of vertical wall space! These metal wall baskets are perfect for books, toy food, dolls, play figurines, dinosaurs, you name it!

11. Baskets

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It’s a kids room. You need a quick method and place for cleanup! This stylish basket is just the right size and perfect for them to quickly throw toys in when they are done playing 🙂

You’ll want a variety of sizes. Small ones are great for little items such as books, baby toys or dolls. Medium baskets are a great way to separate different toy sets and keep them organized. I also love having a large basket that I utilize for stuffed animals and dress up!

12. Toy cubbies

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With all the toys that kids seem to accumulate, you’ll need some sort of organization system! I love cubbies for utilizing baskets and keeping the toys up and off the floor.

Having a toy cubby organizer is a game changer. It makes it easy to keep toys separated so they can easily find what they are looking for without emptying all the toys out!

Along with the toy cubbies, I utilize this toy organization system to help keep my kids interested in their toys and keep them excited and occupied 🙂

If you are handy, take a look at this custom slide/toy storage cubby that my handy hubby built! It is my kids favorite part of the playroom!

13. Cozy nook

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Did anyone else love building forts as a kid?!?! These are some fun option to incorporate into your playroom that your kiddos will love!

Whether for reading, playing games or playing make-believe….kid’s love these!

14. Hang wall shelves

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It is the little details that will tie the room together and create a welcoming fun play area for your kiddos. I love the varying design options of wall decor that serve multi-purposes. These shelves are functioning to hold decor, photos, special animals, etc are also a fun way to customize the space!

There are so many fun options out there that provide a great way to fill a void space on a wall without anything huge!

15. Decorate the walls

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The final touch, incorporate kid-friendly wall decor to the play room! Some of my favorite ways of doing this is through using your kid’s artwork or fun vinyl decals!

The rest of your house has art, photos and various decor that you love and represent your style. Let this room reflect theirs.

Choose fun kids artwork to hang up, or use a creative way to display your own kid’s masterpieces for all to see in their playroom 😉 Or choose fun vinyl decals like these awesome polka dots that you can use to decorate any surface and easily remove if needed later!

That’s it!

These are my go to’s for a fun yet functional playroom that will actually be used. Thank you to my mom who has shared so many great ideas and was the inspiration behind many of these ideas 🙂 She was my “Pinterest board” before Pinterest was even a thing 🙂

For more tips and tricks from my mama, a retired kindergarten school teacher of 25 + years on how to keep kids toys organized and from taking over the house, you need to take a look at this post! You don’t want to miss this!

I hope these ideas help! It can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start!

What are your favorite items to include in a playroom or understairs playhouse? Would love to hear!

XO,
Morgan