Find out if you can have a playroom in your basement and check out 6 detailed ideas to design and fill a kids playroom.
Sometimes, parents just need a little time to themselves, away from children who somehow have endless bounds of energy. An adult space is difficult to come by but I have the solution you’ve all been searching for.
A kids’ room! And, no, I’m not talking about their bedroom. I’m talking about a special space that’s completely out of the way. By creating an area for your kids to go play, the rest of the house becomes your space.
The question is: Is it really possible to have a basement playroom?
Can You Have A Playroom In Your Basement?
Well, if your basement looks like this, the answer is simple: of course! Having a finished basement means you’ve knocked out the hardest step!
In my opinion, if your basement is able to house a playroom, it is the perfect place for one. Mostly because it’s out of the way and you don’t have to worry about your kids playing dress-up with the clothes you just folded and put away. I know I’m not the only one who has this issue!
I also know that not every house comes equipped with a finished basement. Unfinished basements are a very common occurrence, in fact, most basements you see will probably have visible pipes running above your heads. Creating a play place isn’t as feasible as one might hope in situations like that.
This might require more work than you were aiming for, but no amount of work is too much when it comes to keeping your kids safe! With a basement like the one in the picture above, it’s still a possibility that you can transform this space into one of those fabulous basement playrooms you see when you’re hiding in the bathroom for a few minutes of solitude and scrolling through Pinterest.
With concrete surfaces like these, though, I would recommend that this be an area for older children whose feet aren’t still considered to be tripping hazards. Another way to get around this would be to lay foam and carpet for extra cushioning.
Now, how do we get those little ones to stay entertained in the basement long enough for you to actually sit down for a couple of minutes? Here are a few design ideas for your kids’ playroom.
Playroom Floor Ideas
As I was saying before, it’s important to know what kind of surface your children will be landing on so that you can be sure they aren’t seriously injured. Concrete is not the safest option, and it certainly isn’t the warmest, either. You can always look into getting actual flooring put in but if you’re hoping for a cheaper alternative, check out these options.
Carpet
Naturally, carpets and rugs are the first places your mind goes to when you think of covering the floors. They’re popular for a reason, though. Soft and warm enough to run around barefoot on, or with socks if it’s necessary.
Rugs are also a great way to add some color to the room. A really clever idea would be to invest in one like this that can double as a toy. It is comfortable to walk and play on with your race cars!
Square Tiles
Square carpet tiles are a really fun way to go. Kids can take them apart and put them back together in whatever order they want, learn the different colors, and how to make patterns with them.
Using the alphabet tiles do all of that and more! Learning the alphabet early on is an amazing way to boost your child’s development and help prepare them for school. These tiles can serve as a soft cushion for playing on and a lesson on letters.
Playroom Wall Ideas
Natural light is hard to come by in basement playrooms, so using vibrant colors on the wall such as white or yellow will brighten up the room immensely and help with lighting. Picking a theme can also be a really fun way to transform your kids’ playroom into a dream world.
That doesn’t mean you have to spend hours covered in paint like the mother in this picture!
Simple things like adding a few fluffy clouds on the wall can make all the difference. It’s simple, yes, but versatile and so much more fun than plain walls!
Add a sun and a little bit of grass, and you’ve given life to the basement playroom that wasn’t there before! The great thing about the sun and clouds is that your kids can use their imagination to be and do anything! An astronaut, an explorer, whatever they want.
For younger kids especially, using their brains creatively in ways like this is an important stepping stone in their ability to learn and grow.
A very popular option nowadays is chalk walls. These don’t have to cover every wall in the room but it’s still a fun choice for your kids wherever you decide to put it. This way, they can pick the theme and style of their playroom themselves every day!
You can find rolls of chalkboard paint or paper on sites like amazon.com or stores such as Walmart.
Playroom Storage Ideas
Storage space is arguably the most important aspect of any play area. As much as parents want their kids to have their own space to play, they also don’t want toys to cover every inch of the floor.
Creating designated places for specific types of toys will actually help with your child’s development. Organizational skills are important to learn, and sorting their toys into the correct spots teaches them just that!
Shelf space and drawers are equally good ways to create toy storage and tend to be more helpful than tossing all of the toys and games into the same box. Depending on how you put the furniture in your kids’ playroom, you won’t have to create space for either!
Drawers & Boxes
Looking for storage options in drawers? Bucket drawers are a colorful and especially durable choice. We all know that kids tend to be a little rough with their toys and that doesn’t stop when it comes to what they put them in.
Durability is a necessity for rambunctious kids!
Boxes are a colorful alternative to drawers, and are a great option thanks to the fact that they can be moved into any slot or spot! The label spot is also useful for organization and sorting to help younger children learn where things go.
Shelves
If you don’t have the space for drawers or boxes but you’re still looking for a way to make shelving more exciting, this style has gotten very popular. Its simplicity makes it very easy to make and fun to look at.
House shelves can be done in so many different ways and rearranged to best optimize the space you have in your new basement playroom. You can even paint them different colors like in this example!
House shelves are best for when your children grow and can reach the things they want to play with. If you aren’t sure you can trust your kids with something like this just yet, screwing the shelves into the wall will help prevent them from toppling over if someone decides to climb up to the attic.
Playroom Tent Ideas
Don’t lie – you made blanket and box forts when you were little! We all did! So, why not save your kids the trouble by making them a tent? It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. Something big isn’t necessary for it to be fun, either. That’s why these tents are so great – they can fill enough space in a small corner and that’s all they’ll need!
It can be used as a fort, a house, or where your daughter can live her life as a princess in a castle!
Play tents are also a great space for when it’s time to wind down. Calm, quiet time to sit and read, or just lay down and rest for a little while. Some kids have a bedtime phobia, so using the tent instead of their room for winding down might be easier to do.
Lighting up this play area with LED strips or fairy lights can give it a completely new look at night! It becomes a fun place for friends to sleepover, or where you can read a book before bedtime!
These strips are affordable and very easy to find. LED strips can change color to fit your mood, available at your local superstore such as Walmart, and fairy lights offer that magical, warm ambiance. If you aren’t able to find this in-store, order them off of websites like amazon.com.
Playroom Arts Space Ideas
Giving kids a place to express their creativity and inspiration is as important as anything else! You can tell a lot about your child by what they’re drawing and painting. I guarantee that if you don’t provide them with a designated art area, they’ll find somewhere to scribble their markers!
Easels
Easels are a popular and tidy way to give your children space and work for any age. You’ll most commonly find easels with paper for painting and drawing with crayons and markers, but you might be swayed to other options when you find out there are more uses!
Have you ever seen a whiteboard in the place of paper on an easel? Well, you’re missing out! It’s easy to clean off and reusable, meaning it eliminates all the waste of throwing away scribbled papers.
If your kid still wants to hang their artwork, it’s as simple as taking a picture and printing it out to put on the wall!
Chalkboards are making a big comeback recently, and they are an even better option thanks to the new chalk pens. They are easy to wash off of most surfaces, unlike if your child gets carried away with a dry erase marker and strays too far from the whiteboard. The same goes for
Tables
Although it looks messy now, an art table is a fun, spacious spot for your kids and their friends to draw, paint, and create whatever comes to mind. This also makes way for more chairs and seating for the kids’ playroom, and they can use the table for anything when the art supplies are put away.
A desk has built-in storage which makes this the top choice for artistic children! Desks, or a small table, are meant to be used for stuff like this, and it doesn’t hurt that they typically come with a drawer or storage space built-in.
Unique & Fun Playroom Ideas
Check this out! Walking into a basement playroom like this would be like walking your kid into a dream. You’ll be the favorite family on the block! It’s practically an amusement park and will keep children playing for hours on end!
Foam guards and a netted wall are a good exchange if you have younger children that are more at risk of bumping their heads. The top is a blast of climbing, crawling, and sliding into the ball pit, and the underneath can serve as additional play space.
Club house, anyone?
Something smaller, but still loads of fun, is an indoor trampoline! You can find ones like this with nets for protection, as well as trampolines with a bar to hold while they’re jumping.
Obviously, not everyone has money like that to spend on a simple playroom and is trying to decorate their basement on a budget. No problem! Lay some themed wallpaper and screw in the rocks for a rock climbing wall. You might even think about putting a prize at the top for those who work hard!
Plastic basketball hoops are a super easy and cheap way to add more excitement and activity in your basement playroom. They don’t take up much space and aren’t hard to find, making them effortlessly replaceable if it happens to break.
Just be sure there aren’t any breakables around. I think we all know that kids miss the hoop more often than they hit it!
Isn’t it so adorable how kids will take any excuse to dance and sing? Music is a wonderful teacher for children, and the perfect opportunity to get them up and moving! Dancing and jumping around to their favorite song burns their energy and keeps them from running circles around you when you’re trying to work.
Try having a dance party before bedtime. Everyone will be tired, and they’ll snuggle into bed with a smile on their faces!