Parents may monitor the growth and development of their children as they play within their dedicated playroom. Motor skills, cognitive skills, social skills, and the overall development of a child can be honed in a fun and creative way. Children can build, hide, play pretend houses or even knock over items while playing. Because they are young learners, they are still learning how to tackle and complete a task with creativity and ambition.
Having a playroom does not mean you have to dedicate an entire room to it. You may have it in any space you have in your living room. Your child should have a specific place to store all his toys.
Playrooms that are organised allow children to explore creativity and independence. The benefits of this type of play on the brain and child's learning abilities are numerous. The creative, independent play has been shown to function as an important, if not the most important, mode of learning in recent research.
In this article, we will show you some playroom ideas. Make the perfect playroom for your little one!
Curate a Toy Set
Toys are a must for playrooms (or play areas!). You might not realise it, but toys are essential to the development of children.
It is beneficial for a child's brain to play with various toys to get them thinking about narratives and expand their thinking. As a result, they will be prepared to understand the world more clearly. Kids learn to think outside the box through creativity, which is vital for their development.
Here are some toys you might want to consider adding to your kid's playroom:
- Open-ended toys that will allow your child to be creative when playing. Toys like this will help them develop problem-solving, creativity, and logic skills. Examples are building blocks or a shovel and bucker set if they have sand to play with.
- Toys that will allow your children to solve. Build your children's logical thinking skills by giving them toys like puzzles in any form.
- Art supplies that will allow your child to be creative. There are art materials that are safe for children. While this can get messy, nurturing a child's creativity is essential.
- Allow your children to have imaginative play by giving them symbolic toys. This can help your child develop language skills as they try to roleplay while playing. Examples are doll houses, toy food, toys, tools, and animal figures.
- Toy replicas of real things that adults use may benefit your children. A toy phone, cleaning, or play kitchen are examples of this. This will help them figure things out little by little.
- Give your child a creative children's book. By creative, we mean pop-up or interactive books that will catch toddlers' attention.
Here is a cheat sheet on what toys to buy for your kid:
For 1 to 12 months: Your child's senses are stimulated through sensory play at an early age. Toys that encourage more interaction can be introduced to your child as they grow and develop hand-eye coordination. In addition, introduce problem-solving toys to your child as they become more active. Children can work through conflicts and learn about cause and effect with these toys. After some trial and error, their confidence can also be built up once they can figure out how to use a toy. Movement-promoting toys are also a good choice. At this age, you can give them wooden toys.
For 12 to 24 months: Upon reaching the age of one or older, your child will start to become very mobile. You can help your child learn to balance and coordinate by giving them the appropriate activities and toys, which will increase their curiosity as they gain mobility. Counting steps will help young children learn numbers as they learn to walk, which will give them a better understanding of the words they hear even if they do not understand what they mean at this stage. Pretend play will help them have an idea of how things work too.
For 2+ years: Toys that promote physical play can be introduced to your children as they become more active and older. They might appreciate playing in an open space. Additionally, this is an excellent age for introducing toys that build cognitive skills. Kids can practice their writing and motor skills with a variety of toys. Reading and playing games can also help your child learn to recognise names and build literacy skills. The visual version of what your child hears will be displayed on these toys. A child can begin associating a cat's picture with the sound a cat makes by reading about a cat and seeing a picture of a cat over and over. You can help your child familiarize themselves with how words they hear look on the pages of books with colourful illustrations and a few words on each page by reading them.
Display Appropriate Toys Only
Your child might get overwhelmed if there are way too many toys around, especially if they are too advanced or if your child has outgrown the toy already.
Display toys that are suited for your child. This will help your child to focus and play with their toys longer. Put it in a place where your child can access it by himself and arrange it separately so they can quickly identify which. You may keep a toy storage box to house toys that you wouldn't display in the playroom yet, and keep it out of their sight to avoid overwhelming them. Implement a 'toy rotation' where you keep certain toys in display, and replace it with the hidden toys. This way, your child won't get bored of playing the same set of toys.
Decorate
When decorating a playroom, fill it with various shapes and colours. Exposing children to different colours and shapes can help them familiarize themselves with the concept. Fill the walls with creative and educational wall decals. You may also hang their own artwork around. They would appreciate it if their wall art is in their play area! Make sure that your child's playspace is safe by putting wall and floor cushion. You may put simple furniture too.
Conclusion
Toys are essential for child development; kids need to have access to both different types as well as a variety of toys. Give them suitable toys to play with to help them develop their skills as they grow.
FAQs
What makes a good playroom?
A good playroom has a variety of toys that can help develop the child's skills. Make sure to include a variety of colours and shapes too.
How do you build a playroom in a small house?
A playroom does not have to be a whole room dedicated to a child's play alone. It can be a small space in your living room or anywhere in the house. Keeping it organised is key to an effective playroom or play corner.