Where do your children play???

xmaslolly76

My two always played in the living room during the day but had to have everything away by the time DAD got home so that he could relax and chill out. If they wanted to play after that time it was in their bedrooms.

**skinnyminny**

Thanks so much for the replies, i think i will try and keep most of teh toys upstairs and let them bring a few down, i would definately be spending most of the time hovering around them anyway if they were up there for too long, my mummy strings are just too tight to cut at the moment.:rotfl:
My 4 year old could probally play up there for hours alone and play nicely but both of them together i am not too sure.
I have just taken up 2 baskets of toys and big things like garages, workbench, cars, and i just don't know where it all came from,let alone how it got in my living room,lol!

I think i will have a massive clear out and maybe do a boot sale or e-bay some of it, i posted on a thread the other day about what was the nearest red thing to me and the answer was my sons elc rocket, so thats when i knew the toys had to move:rotfl:, it is nice to relax in a tidy room, especially in a small house,where everything always seems so cramped and cluttered.

thanks all:D

katglasgow

I agree, I wouldnt want my kids to feel the LR wasnt theirs and also I would be concerned about my DD's safety (she is almost 2, son is 5). I think children under 3 need to be supervised most of the time, I have had play dates in friends before where my son has put a rope round his neck and tried to be a horse with his friend riding him and holding on to the rope - I had only left the room long enough to go the loo very scary! We keep shared toys in neat storage in the living room and tidy up at the end of each day (both children help). They also have toys in their room. All of my DS's older toys are in his room some because they are too small for DD to get her hands on (e.g. lego - would be in her mouth) and some because they are "his toys", I am sure as DD gets older she will have more of "her" toys in her room too. When DS has friends over from school they sometimes play in his room, but it is up to them. As long as everyone helps tidy up at tea time I get my living room back for the evening and am happy!

little_evo

We too recently decorated and have always kept the kids toys downstairs as we felt they were too young to be left alone. Now they are 6 years old and 5 and since they share a room we moved everything except their bunk beds out of the room along with their two rather large toy boxes. Since we have a wardrobe in our room which is huge enough to take up a wall, everyone's clothes is stored there leaving more space for the kids to play in their room. We don't mind toys downstairs during the day but in the evening it is all up away until tomorrow.

ella_ella_ella

Cant really advise on the age of your children as my daughter is only 18 months old but we have a playroom in the largest room, obviously most of her toys are in there but we also have a large tub of toys in the living room which I change every so often so she doesnt get sick of the same ones being downstairs.

I dont mind toys being in the living room but I dont have any in her room as I like it clutter free and tidy....obviously that might change once she is out of her cot but at the moment it works fine.

I wouldnt leave her playing alone at 2 years old but our playroom is at the top of a three storey house so not just one flight away IYSWIM

I agree that children shouldnt be restricted to playing in certain areas of the house, by the end of the day we have toys in every corner of the house but I love it

Gingham_Ribbon

Ours are 5 and 2. They play everywhere, but pretty much where I am, they are. My husband calls them the magnetic children. They don't always want me to join in; they just like me nearby and that's fine with me.

The dining room has string round the top of the walls and is hung with their pictures and paintings. There are the kids' posters up in there too (a phonics poster for the little one and an atlas for the older one.) There is a kid's desk and an art easel in there too. It's pretty much the 'playroom' as well as where we eat and where the computer is. I've had to move the piano to my bedroom to make space, which is fine, because I get peace to play it. We have vinyl on the dining table that is easy to clean because I was sick of scrubbing paint off it.

In the lounge there are a lot of books which are much easier to cope with now the little one has stopped tipping them all off the shelf at once. There are a few toys in there and jigsaws etc.

Most of their toys and books are in their bedroom but they don't play in there alone - there's a bunkbed and I don't trust the little one on it yet. He's still in a cot at night but there's nowhere to keep the top bunk in the meantime.

They play in our bedroom too but they're not allowed to bring their toys up there. There are some of their books and DVDs in there though for lazy mornings or when they can't sleep.

Edit: our house is ALWAYS messy. I've given up caring.

ella_ella_ella

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Our house is ALWAYS messy. I've given up caring.

Same here, most toys are put away on a night (playroom stays like a bomb site) but in my mind toys are GOOD mess and I love it

teacherandmum

my lo has a few toys upstairs in her room to play with when i'm upstairs. not many either as she'll play when the door is shut for bedtime!!!
majority of toys, dolls pram, rocker downstairs. she also has a pram, play kitchen, table and chairs, plastic food, dolls highchair etc (all freebies from a friend!) in an old shed outside which i cleaned out and transformed into a playhouse.
she was 2 in april. she plays upstairs when i'm upstairs and downstairs when i'm downstairs. she's allowed in the garden when i'm in the kitchen.(secured back garden. (no way in or out!!) i like watching her play and it extends her play by having me interact with her.

jackomdj

Most of our toys are downstairs in the dining area of our open plan living/dining. My girls are 4 & 2, although the 2 year old has gone up to play in her sisters room when my neices are over I would not be happy with her up there without someone old enough to know if there was an issue.

My ideal, when we move, would be to have a play room which we (children & I) would use during the daytime. Then in the evening OH & I would use the living room.

Currently every night before bed all toys are tidied away & the downstairs is back to a reasonable adult room.

Nicky

milliebear00001

It doesn't matter where you keep the toys, but it does matter that your children get plenty of adult interaction at their ages. Talking and playing with your children in these early years is the best thing you can do for them from a developmental point of view. There are also safety aspects in terms of having the kids unsupervised at this age. If it's mess that's a prob, be strict about 'one toy out and one put away' etc. My kids are similar ages and I've largely accepted that for several more years my lounge will be given over to their stuff, but I am clever with storage and wouldn't say we are too overrun with bits of plastic! Make the most of these years - soon you won't be able to persuade them out of their rooms!