Those of you without a playroom

**Fabby** · 16-11-2012, 09:22 PM

We currently use our conservetory has a playroom. We are going to be moving house at the end of next summer into a new build which is bigger but it doesn't have that spare room downstairs for me to make into a playroom. So those of you who dont have a playroom, how do you do it? Do you have storage compartments in your garage or spare bedroom and the children pick a selection of toys each day to play with in the living/dining room?

**sharonmanc** · 16-11-2012, 09:28 PM

I wish i had a spare room or garage. I live in a mid terraced house, my bedroom is liek a storage room when i dont use it for naps or overnight care. I use my diningroom comem playroom mainly and my living room for quieter activites etc, my kitchen is a galley kitchen so tiny. I cope by beign careful with what i buy, smaller resources ect. I also have the expedit storage from Ikea to house reseources along one wall in the dining room. It is very doable, just needs organisation

**cathtee** · 16-11-2012, 09:31 PM

I currently don't have a playroom and toys are everywhere, in the lounge shed and my bedroom cupboard, I get things as and when
they ask for them or I want to change them. But to be honest its go to the stage now where I am fed up of having everything everywhere
I have been minding for 22 years and enough is enough, I am waiting for planning permission for a conservatory to use as a playroom
and can't wait for it to come through. I want my home back.

Hopefully you won't miss yours good luck with your new home

**Tatjana** · 16-11-2012, 10:05 PM

I have this EXPEDIT Shelving unit - birch effect - IKEA with these DRÖNA Box - black - IKEA it does a good job to hold lots of toys. I also have a a ride on, a wagon thingy and a large toy rubbish truck with sit next to a wall. There is a small childrens table and 2 chairs and the lowest level of our bookshelf houses childrens books and this is all I will allow in my lounge. We have lots of toys in the loft which hubby gets down for me to rotate the toys when they seem to be getting a bit boring.

ETA: forgot to say also have a huge craft box in another cupboard in the dining area.

**maxie77** · 16-11-2012, 10:18 PM

Hi i also have to use my dinning room, i have the Expedit range from IKEA also. I find it holds quiet abit so at the end of the day the room looks tidy.

**kel1983** · 16-11-2012, 10:44 PM

we lukily have a spare (box) room where we store our toys. Oh and the landing. We have Ikea Trofast whcih makes it easy to bring boxes down. We have been getting lazy and leaving boxes down but all goes back on a friday evening.

**Maza** · 17-11-2012, 09:44 AM

I don't have a playroom or spare bedroom. Most toys are on low shelves in the living room, art and craft things are in a little cupboard in my small kitchen, train track and trains are stored under DD's bed and mindee helps himself to those on a daily basis, I have a little box of toys and a ride on toy in my bedroom and a couple of toys in the dining room. They play in all rooms most days. Just don't try and open my wardrobe - everything not currently a favourite toy is stored in there. No matter how much room you have you always want more. Having less room makes you try harder not to hoard stuff. x

**TNT** · 17-11-2012, 01:30 PM

We also have the expedit wall units, a large one in my bedroom and a small floor level one in the living room, makes it really easy to swap toys around and children access them easily. We also have a bookshelf and a small tent in the living room. I keep all art and craft stuff in a kitchen cupboard in plastic drawers so children can access them too. It works really well and forces me to be tidy.
To be honest though I cant wait to move house myself as I am defiantely going to have a playroom, I need an adult living room with no toys so I can just shut the door of an evening and switch off!

**Kel175** · 17-11-2012, 04:32 PM

I use the garage for the time being to store everything in. The intention is to extend the house so I have an extra room hat can be left as is.

**rickysmiths** · 17-11-2012, 06:19 PM

Well I have been to a meeting today with an Ofsted person and withing the new Inspection framework they are looking for a Home from Home environment with a childminder not a copy or a Day Nursery or Pre School set up. Food for thought I thought.

**sharonmanc** · 17-11-2012, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by rickysmiths

Well I have been to a meeting today with an Ofsted person and withing the new Inspection framework they are looking for a Home from Home environment with a childminder not a copy or a Day Nursery or Pre School set up. Food for thought I thought.

At my inspection in October, my inspector comented on this too, which was nice as although i have my resouces ect I want my home to be a home

**Tatjana** · 17-11-2012, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by rickysmiths

Well I have been to a meeting today with an Ofsted person and withing the new Inspection framework they are looking for a Home from Home environment with a childminder not a copy or a Day Nursery or Pre School set up. Food for thought I thought.

I should hope so too....shame some are giving out actions to labels boxes and have posters which are rich in print.

**kindredspirits** · 17-11-2012, 09:26 PM

I minded for 4 years with no playroom, moved to this house which HAS a playroom and am now moving out to a house without a playroom and I honestly won't miss it. I spend all my life chasing mindees around because one wants to be in the playroom and one in the living room, or my ds and after school mindee hole themselves up in the playroom and get little tos out so I have to move the babies out and then go back and forwards between the rooms again, my playroom is small tho. New house has a massive massive living room , toys will go in a cupboard at one end and sofas etc the other end.

**rickysmiths** · 17-11-2012, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Tatjana

I should hope so too....shame some are giving out actions to labels boxes and have posters which are rich in print.

Arh now that wasn't intended as a result of the suggestion made and it was a suggestion not an action. The Ofsted lady commented on this today. 'Rich in Print' does not mean we have to label everything to the hilt, put up posters galore and plaster our house with letters etc etc. It means that we introduce a child (age appropriate) to the opportunity to start to and continue to connect words (Print) to their objects. Labeling some of the toy boxes with word and picture labels is one of the ways this can be done but by no means the only.

**rickysmiths** · 17-11-2012, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by kindredspirits

I minded for 4 years with no playroom, moved to this house which HAS a playroom and am now moving out to a house without a playroom and I honestly won't miss it. I spend all my life chasing mindees around because one wants to be in the playroom and one in the living room, or my ds and after school mindee hole themselves up in the playroom and get little tos out so I have to move the babies out and then go back and forwards between the rooms again, my playroom is small tho. New house has a massive massive living room , toys will go in a cupboard at one end and sofas etc the other end.

I have only had a 'Playroom' for the last two years. Prior to that I have always used my living room and kitchen/diner so for 16 year 10 of which were in a first floor flat. My 'playroom' now is very much a multi purpose room anyway. Spare room for friends at the weekend, sitting room for my teenagers and their friends anytime it isn't being used for minding and an extension to our large kitchen/diner when we have family and friends over for a party because the rooms adjoin with double doors. I have a sofa and two arm chairs in there and lovely prints on the wall all be it child orientated ones. We use the dining table and the kitchen table for crafts, cooking and eating our meals.

**handeme** · 18-11-2012, 08:54 AM

I don't have a play room. Everyone that comes to my house always says if they didn't know I was a childminder they wouldn't be able to tell because I have everything away. I use my kitchen/diner and lounge for childminding. I have Expedit storage unit in my kitchen which has toys, books and crafts in. I have a large cupboard under my stairs which holds more toys and crafts which I rotate. I also have a book that I made which shows all my toys and the children can pick from there if they want something out of the cupboard.

We did have plans for a conservatory but have decided against it and are going to save our pennies and build an extension to double the size of our kitchen diner so there is more space.

**Fabby** · 18-11-2012, 11:51 AM

Thanks everyone. We will be moving into a 4 bedroomed house so there will actually be 2 spare rooms upstairs one of which I'm going make into a playroom for my son anyway but I will also have storage units for age appropriate resources for minded kids. When we started looking for a new home I was looking for the spare room downstairs to make a playroom but I've fell in love with this new build home and I'm not going let not having a spare room downstairs for a playroom put us off having our dream home!