| Anyone who has cared for children of between the | | | | weighted, could be used to divide areas within the |
| ages of one and five years knows all too well just | | | | room. Additional storage could be provided in chests, in |
| what are the important things to remember when | | | | boxes on castors, in baskets or even in a hammock |
| planning a playroom. | | | | (especially if this were to fit in with the theme of your |
| For a mother to remain relaxed about her child | | | | room - for instance, 'Treasure Island'). |
| spending time in this room, supervised or unsupervised, | | | | If the child is also to use the room for sleeping, a bed |
| she needs to know that the child cannot damage | | | | and some kind of wardrobe will, of course, be needed. |
| himself/herself or the room and that he/she will be | | | | Although initially a child might not need hanging space, it |
| entertained for a reasonable length of time. It is also | | | | is wise to allow for this as he/she will soon be into |
| important that, after playtime, the process of cleaning | | | | clothing that will require more than just shelves. |
| up can be carried out with the minimum of effort, | | | | A really useful tip for a playroom is to fix a pegboard |
| mother and child both having better things to occupy | | | | with hooks, as found in Shaker homes, at dado-rail |
| them. At this age of maximum mobility and minimum | | | | height (90cm/3ft). This could be used for hanging |
| attention span these are tough demands. | | | | clothing, small chairs or drawstring bags, or for |
| A gate as well as a door at the entrance will help | | | | displaying decorative items. |
| ensure that the child is contained within the room and | | | | As children mature they need the company of others |
| within earshot when mother's back is turned. To lessen | | | | to develop their social skills fully, and so it is important |
| noise from the playroom, install plenty of soft finishes | | | | to make provision for visiting friends. A small table with |
| within the room. | | | | several chairs where they can gather is a good idea - |
| The creation of zones for different activities will help | | | | useful for both play and meal times. And as children |
| punctuate the child's day as he/she moves from one | | | | seem to simply love to stay over, you might consider |
| activity to another, and will help with the organization of | | | | bunk beds or some other novel sleeping solution. |
| storage associated with each occupation. For | | | | The decoration of a playroom can be great fun - you'll |
| example, in one corner a table and chairs might be | | | | be amazed at what can be achieved with a staple |
| positioned on plastic sheeting to protect the flooring | | | | gun, a few meters of fabric, some pots of paint, |
| and craft materials stored nearby. Other areas might | | | | several sheets of fiber board and a fertile imagination. |
| be dedicated to eating, quiet story-telling, play-acting, | | | | Create your own circus tent, underwater world or |
| resting and so on. | | | | Indian camp! |
| To enable you to keep the room in reasonable order, | | | | An alternative approach would be not to have a |
| plenty of storage facilities will be needed. In general | | | | specific theme in mind but to use strong bright colors |
| these are best housed in fitted units - apart from them | | | | as a background for constantly changing visual shows. |
| being more stable and less likely to trap tiny fingers, | | | | These temporary decorations could be attached to |
| such units will give the room a neater finish. A | | | | walls by means of removable adhesive, mobiles could |
| blackboard might be attached to the front of one, a | | | | be hung from the ceiling and prints suspended from a |
| pinboard to another, and perhaps a third might carry a | | | | picture rail. To help develop your child's taste ask him |
| plastic mirror. | | | | her to make selections from a range of ideas you |
| Any free-standing units, so long as they are well | | | | deem suitable. |