Do kids really need a playroom?

[missyfatcat]

I’m a new parent to three young kids, ages 6, 8 and 11 (their mother died during the delivery of the 6 year old).

Do you think that kids need a playroom separate from their bedrooms? We have a playroom/guest room and I’m wondering if they really need it. This just seems like an extra room for them to have to clean in addition to their rooms, bathroom and hallway upstairs that they messy up. And there seems to always be the “that’s not mine” or “I didn’t put that in there”, etc.

Do you have a separate playroom for your kids? And did you have a playroom when you were growing up?

What’s your opinion?

 

[FrenchGwen]

We (family of 7children) didn’t have a playroom when we were growing up, and never missed it. We just played in each other’s room, and that was great ! The only time where there actually was a place dedicated to playing was in the short time when our rooms were really to tiny to play in, so that a great hall became, de facto, our playroom.
So well, to my mind there is no need for a playroom. Indeed it would merely be another room to tidy up… We had to tidy up our bedroom before dinner time so that everything would be ready for quietly going to bed afterwards, and so we did. More or less.

 

[valient_Lucy]

I was going to say that my brother and I never had a playroom, but then I remembered that we had finished half of the basement as a kind of playroom.

But, at 26, I totally forgot about that. Let that tell you something. In the long scheme of things, it won’t matter.

 

[mommamaree]

When I was little, my family had one. The girls (me and my sister) shared a bedroom and my brother had a bedroom. So in our house, the little attic room was turned into a playroom. It was great because we only had to clean it a few times a month, and the rest of the time, we just shut the door after we were done playing in there, so that our mom didn’t have to worry about the mess. Since I was the oldest, I usually led the cleanups, with my little brother and sister helping out, even from when they were 2yo.
Now, I have my own children and in every home we have lived in (we have moved a lot), we have set aside one common area (dining room, living room, extra bedroom, etc.) as the designated playroom. Our children are allowed a few toys in their room but the bulk of the playing happens in the playroom. So I don’t care if the playroom gets messy because it is not dirt, just toys. And we just clean it a couple of times a month. Yay for me!
By the way, I just want to say that I think you are an angel to become the mom for those three children. God bless you in your new family life!

 

[rwillenborg]

if they don’t have it, don’t worry. They won’t miss it.
That being said, we DO have a playroom, but EVERY SINGLE TOY lives in there. NO toys live in their bedroom, or any other room. Because you’re right - otherwise it’s just one more room to clean. But my twins are only two years old, so we’ll see if I’m singing a different tune in a few years!!
So, I would say if the playroom is a way to ‘contain’ the kids and their toys, then yes, I think it’s great at maybe helping to keep the rest of the house tidy.
But, seriously, if the play room thing isn’t working for you, skip it.
Best wishes to you and your children! I will pray for you and the kids and their dearly departed mother.

 

[jmcrae]

I’m a new parent to three young kids, ages 6, 8 and 11 (their mother died during the delivery of the 6 year old).

Do you think that kids need a playroom separate from their bedrooms? We have a playroom/guest room and I’m wondering if they really need it. This just seems like an extra room for them to have to clean in addition to their rooms, bathroom and hallway upstairs that they messy up. And there seems to always be the “that’s not mine” or “I didn’t put that in there”, etc.

If I recall correctly, my mother used to say, “I don’t really care who put it there. You’re the one who’s going to pick it up, now.”

Do you have a separate playroom for your kids? And did you have a playroom when you were growing up?

What’s your opinion?

We had a play room - it was in the basement. As others have said, it was a good place to contain all of the toys and kid-type clutter. Bedrooms were for sleeping in, and doing homework.

 

[Truly_Beloved]

We have a playroom, but that’s because our children don’t each have their own bedrooms. Right now, everyone sleeps in the master bedroom, and toys are kept in the playroom.

It’s how I like to organize my house – Each room has its own specific function. Kitchen for preparing/storing food, living room for socializing/movie watching/family time, bedroom for sleeping, playroom for playing/toy storage. We decided to create a playroom because it seemed like a more efficient use of our available space and it best satisfied my need for organization. I discovered that I really like this setup, especially as I look back on the rooms I shared with my sister and how it seemed like we never had enough space to play because beds and dressers were always in the way. It got especially tight if either of us had a friend over.

When the kids get older and move into the spare bedroom (they will all share one room; I’ll just cram all of their beds in there), toys will stay in the playroom. I would definitely not have a separate playroom if toys are in bedrooms, too. It seems like more work/cleaning to have toys in both places. I also have a strong preference to focus on one job/room at a time and do it until it’s done – So when I get the urge to do toys, it’s nice to have everything in one room. I’m hoping the kiddos will prefer to all help each other clean the playroom, rather than being responsible for cleaning their separate rooms individually. Seems like it would be a better use of time and go much more quickly if 3, 4, or 5 (or however many) children are all working together to pick up toys if they’re all kept in one room.

So for us, as long as our children have toys, then a playroom is definitely necessary. My sanity depends on it quite a bit.

 

[samovila]

My kids don’t need a playroom, but I feel like I need a playroom for my kids. We’re hoping to finish the basement soon and use some of the space as a playroom. I feel like having so many toys and play things in the family room is a little bit too much to tidy up all the time so we’re hoping by putting the majority of their toys on another floor might make house keeping easier. Growing up I never had a play room and never missed it. My mother just pulled her hair out in frustration that there were toys all over the house.

 

[puzzleannie]

Do you have a separate playroom for your kids? And did you have a playroom when you were growing up?

What’s your opinion?

decide where you want them to play, use computer, games, videos, have all their stuff stored, what works best for you and them. If you would rather the computer, games, videos etc are under your eye, move this stuff to the family room. same with other toys. If you want them out of the bedroom to eliminate fights, make it easier to keep the rooms clean, better supervision, whatever, have them in the family room. If the family room mess and clutter is getting you down, then make a playroom. My dad did this in 1/3 of our basement, we had a bungalow with a finished dormer which was both bedroom and playroom so the downstairs stayed somewhat neat. Depends on the layout of your house, how much mess and clutter you can tolerate in the other living areas and so forth.

whatever you decide, getting rid of at least half their toys will help immensely and they will actually help you sort them out

 

[SMHW]

My opinion is that playrooms are more for the parents than for the kids.

If a playroom looks like a toy store exploded… So what? It’s a playroom, after all.

There’s a different level of clutter that’s acceptable for a playroom than is generally understood to be acceptable for a living room or bedroom.