It’s very easy for kids playrooms to become a constant source of mess and clutter. We strive to keep ours not only clutter-free, but ensure that it is fun, functional, contains educational play, and that toys are rotated out and donated to local thrift stores once the kids no longer play with them, or have outgrown them.

Although our kids playroom is a constant work in progress (and is not always quite so tidy), we recently included something new that the kids absolutely love–a wall map. They point out where our extended family live, and we show them where we are going on vacations, and where we have been. This is also a great tool for them to learn about the world, and will help them to remember the names of oceans, continents, countries, and states.

Here is how we’ve organized their playroom so that there are lots of opportunities for them to learn, as well as play.

• School role play - Miss M collects their work from school, and keeps it in a bin, which she uses to ‘teach class’ at home. She uses the white board to write lessons and mark which of her students are being good or naughty.
• Art – they love the buckets filled with pencils, glue, crayons, and markers. There is also a blue wood bin on the floor next to them filled with coloring books, activity books, and plain paper.  These items are constantly stocked, and pencils sharpened so they aren’t constantly looking for drawing materials.
• Homework station – as they bring home books from the school library, and weekly homework packets they place it in the green submarine bin next to their art supplies.  Inside that bin are tubs with pencils, erasers, glue sticks, rulers, scissors, and pencil sharpeners – everything they need to complete their weekly homework packets. They also have back-to-back computers to complete their nightly computer homework, Rusty and Rosy activities, and watch their LEGO YouTube playlists without fighting over who’s turn it is. These are placed on an old table that I painted with chalkboard where they can write notes, or doodle, and can be quickly wiped clean – and saves our walls.
• Artwork on the wall – as they bring art home from school (or do fun projects at home) I rotate it on the wall. The art that comes down is photographed (and then recycled) and is printed in their annual art photo books.
• Storage tubs – storage tubs underneath the television contain items such as Hexbug sets, puppets, felt creations, and DVD’s. This makes it easy for them to clean up these items after playing with them.  Two large buckets with lids near the bookshelves contain toy cars and miscellaneous toys such as blocks and balls.
• LEGO/Train Table – this table is multipurpose. The LEGO boards on top can be removed quickly to reveal a train track mat underneath for building train sets.  Their are large rolling bins underneath the table.  One contains trains, the other contains LEGO.
• Art Easels – we have had these art easels /chalkboards from IKEA for a few years.  Behind the chalkboard is a roll of paper that can be quickly pulled over the top and secured with large wooden pegs for painting and drawing. Recycled cans covered in scrapbook paper hold white board markers, paintbrushes, and chalk.  There is also a rag, and whiteboard eraser for easy clean-up and art smocks hanging off each easel to protect their clothes.
• Music – there is a keyboard (that once belonged to their older brother), as well as a CD player/Radio for playing music and dancing to reduce television time.
• Books – their bookshelves are somewhat organized.  On the left side are chapter books (for when they are at that level that used to belong to their big brother), as well as geography and nature books.  On the right side there are younger picture books on top that they still like to flick through, the books that they are able to read now on the next shelf, and their larger picture books and comic books are down the bottom.

Do you have any other tips for organizing playrooms?  I’m always looking for new ideas.