Designing a space for young kids to play is just as important from them as it is for you. Assigning a designated area not only will help contain clutter, but let you catch a little down time. Knowing that they have a safe place to play will give you a chance to “sneak” off to finish a project in another part of the house or to make yourself a cup of coffee and relax for a few minutes.

Even if you do not have a separate room to spare for a playroom, having a designated place such as a corner of the family room, living room or basement that the kids in your house can call their own will go a long way to help keep toys out of your main living and entertaining areas. It will also give them more room to play, particularly if they are sharing a bedroom. Whether you have an actual playroom or you will be creating a space for them to play as part of another room in your home, the design process will be relatively the same.

 Step 1: Clearly make it their space

Separate their play area from the rest of the room by a screen or divider. As a DIY project, you could create your own customized room divider, making it multi-purpose by including cork board sections that can be used as bulletin boards (one for each child) or plastic pockets that your children can use to display their artwork or pictures of friends and family. Another easy way to create a “room divider” is to place two or three bookcases together to form a wall. These will be very useful for storing books and toys. Add a row of baskets to one of the shelves for storing art and craft supplies.

Step 2: Add Color

Kids love anything color. Especially if you are incorporating their play area as part of a room, it might not be possible to paint the walls child-friendly colors. However, you can bring bright colors into their play area by adding select furniture pieces like bean bag chairs, bookcases and toy chests that are colorful.

Step 3: Keep it Interesting

Make room for as many different activities as possible. Provide sleeping mats or body pillows for snuggling up with a favorite book. Give them someplace to paint and draw. Have a special storage bin just for building blocks. Include an activity table for crafts or a table and chair set as the ideal place to color or play board games.

Step 4: Make Tidying Up Fun

Include storage bins, storage organizers, cubbies or shelves as part of their play area. Encourage them to put the toys and books they have used back in the play area ready for next time and to tidy away any materials they used to make crafts. Furniture that has a dual purpose such as a storage bench is ideal for a playroom/designated play area because it can also be used as seating.