How to Create a Small Play Area in the Living Room

Toddler doing sensory play in living room play area

Play is an essential part of a child’s development. It can improve self-esteem, social skills and puzzle-solving.

As a parent, you need to make sure that you are providing an enriching environment for play. But it can be difficult to make a dedicated playroom in a small space. 

Don’t worry; this article is here to tell you how to make a small playroom in the living room of your home.

It will give you some tips on breaking up the living room space and how to manage small playroom organisation. The article also gives some suggestions for multi-functional furniture, lighting and colours. 

Create a Separation From Your Living Room

A key aspect of creating a playroom in a small space is to separate the area from the rest of the room. This will help prevent the living room from being “taken over” by the playroom area. It will also help your child feel like they have their own private area. 

You can use a play mat to visually create a dedicated floor space. Try to use something that is easy to wipe down in case of any accidents. 

Small play area in living dining room
Photo credit: @cardboard.kiddo on Instagram

Alternatively, you have a larger living room, you can create this separation using furniture, such as bookshelves, a desk or sets of drawers.

If you want the option to move things around, consider putting the furniture onto casters. This will also help with keeping your small playroom clean. This is because you will be able to hoover and mop underneath with ease.

Playroom in living room with storage shelves
Photo credit: @life_in_the_playroom on Instagram

Be Smart About Storage

There is nothing worse than stepping on Lego or having your living room taken over by toys. Having dedicated storage will help your children keep their toys organised and makes it easier to do toy rotation, which is essential when you have a small play space.

Multi-functional furniture are ideal small playroom storage solutions. For example, you could choose seating that also doubles as a storage chest.

Another essential piece of multi-play equipment is the Carry-Play table. This foldable table can be stowed away when not in use, and also doubles up as a tray or surface for different types of play.

It has a surface for Duplo, Mega Bloks, and Lego. Its deep and durable trays are perfect for water, sand, or sensory play.

Carry-Play foldable Lego table for kids

It also has 3 different height settings and clip-on side buckets. This makes it ideal for doing art, as you can store art supplies in the buckets. Its waterproof surfaces also make it easy to keep clean, no matter what type of fun you're all having. 

The versatility of this table means that it is suitable for children upwards of 6 months. There are safety clips available for added stability if your kids are prone to rough and tumble! 

Foldable kids table in living room play space
(Above) The compact Carry-Play when folded | Photo credit: @yuritag on Instagram

Use Colours and Shapes

Colours and shapes are a vital part of helping children to learn. Integrating colour will improve their experience of the play area in the living room.

Achieve this by adding colourful soft furnishings, such as pillows, curtains or rugs. This also makes their play area more comfortable and safer in case of stumbles.

There are also colourful decals, which can be stuck to the walls of a kids' play area. These can peel off with ease, so you don't have to worry if you are renting. 

You can also encourage your children to paint their own colourful artwork. Then you can display the pieces around the area, which will make it feel more personal to them.

Kids living room play area with artwork on wall
Photo credit: @storiesofplay on Instagram

You don't have to use bright primary colours if it doesn't fit with the decor of the main living room. You could go for pastels or more natural colours such as dark blues, greens and browns.

You could even use plants that are safe for children to add a pop of colour. Plus it can be a fun biology lesson to see it grow and bloom!

Make the Most of Your Wall Space

Although you may be lacking in horizontal space, don’t forget that you also have vertical space. Making use of your walls can be an interesting and dynamic approach to creating a small play area for kids.

One idea is to stick removable chalk decal on the walls so that your child can draw and write on it. This option is also great for rented space, as it is fully removable and non-damaging.

Walls are also a great place for storage. Make use of a hanging organiser with pockets or hanging nets, like the IKEA Skadis pegboard.

The Lustigt wall shelf is also a popular option to create open shelves for Montessori-inspired play spaces.

Large wall mirrors are also great for younger children as they start to learn about their sense of self. They have the added bonus of making the space seem larger than it is.    

Create the Best Playroom in the Living Room

We all want to make sure that our children have the opportunity to learn and explore through play. Even if you don’t have a lot of room, it is possible to make a great playroom in the living room that fulfils their needs.

Now that you have some ideas for small play areas, you can get creative with your small playroom for kids.

Carry-Play is the next level of multi-functional play furniture. Designed by a Melbourne mum of three, it has many parents' seals of approval!

If you're interested in a great deal, then check out our bundle deal on the Carry-Play. You’ll get more for your money and more fun as well!