It's been a good while since I had a really good blitz of the play space and did a proper toy roation. My HG has meant that I keep starting little projects like this to keep my brain busy, but then end up getting too sick or tired to finish them... meaning areas of the house often are ending up in worse states than they were before! I was determined though to regain a sense of calm and order in the main family living space - as it's got to work for both us as adults, and for Mr 2.5!
Not seen the full walkthrough tour yet?
Watch it here on The Know & Play Space Youtube channel!
The Play Space
Since turning 18 months, having a designated playroom upstairs in our house just wasn't working, so we decided to use some of the familiy living room to create a space for play in the centre of our home. This means that not only does the space have to change to meet Mr 2.5's needs, but it also has to change to ensure it is meeting our family dynamics too!
As Spring has finally (although this weather!?) arrived, and Summer is on its way, we knew that we would undoubtably be spending more time outside in the garden, and therefore wanted to minimise what we had downstairs inside to make it as purposeful and open plan as possible to allow for that free flow between inside and outdoors.
The play space now feels open and inviting, but also contained in a way that the toys don't spill out all over the room, as this is also the walkway through the main part of the house and so needs to be as clear as possible to avoid trip hazards! Splitting the units to give multiple points of entry and different surfaces to be able to play around and on I think will work, as it still provides a visual barrier to the play mat.
The Shelves
We've reduced the amount of furniture downstairs in the play space, and now are left with just two shelves to home the toys and resources out this month. We have the IKEA Trofast units and have DIY-ed our own shelves as it worked out much cheaper this way!
Toys and Resources
Here are the toys and resources that are out on Mr 2.5's shelves this month. Click each picture to get the link to the product (or closest alternative I could find!).
A note to add... although it's lovely buying new toys and resources, it does become costly! A lot of the toys featured this month I actually purchased on Vinted, so it's worth checking on there to see if you can get them at a discounted price if there are any you think your little one(s) would love too!
Other Parts of the Play Space
We use this for sensory tray play, as well as a multi-purpose play surface and snack table! It's a great table if you have the space for it and would definitely recommend it for under 5s.
We love the stool too and infact have 4 of them around the house! We have cut a few of them down which were great from 12 months, but now at 2.5 years the original size is perfect!
A great solution for smaller spaces to still have books front facing!
We have multiple of these little tables as I used to use them all over my classroom in little areas. They're fab as you can remove the legs when you don't need them so are easy to store. They work perfectly with the FLISAT stool height wise, but admittedly the rainbow chair is a little too tall really so we'll swap that out.
These are actually outdoor children's chairs but they're SO goregous! Definitely suited for 3 years + really as they're taller than toddler chairs.
Hopefully this was helpful and that you enjoyed the full wakthrough video on YouTube too! If there's anything you'd like the link to that I've missed, leave a comment below and I'll get back to you asap.
Happy Knowing & Playing!
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