Playroom ideas: how to get organized and STAY organized!

Quick version: this is a roundup of the best playroom ideas – how to make it cute, and how to KEEP it organized!

When you walk in your kids’ playroom, do you want to curl up and hide because it’s like a bomb was set off? Or do you feel like it’s a room you can keep under pretty good control? After a few different playroom refreshes, it’s always the best feeling afterwards when everything is decluttered and has a “home”. BUT it’s crazy how quickly that can turn into a mess again, with the actual organizing tools destroyed!

We’ve found some solutions to these problems, and perhaps this post will be helpful to you, too, if you’re desperate for some playroom ideas + organization tips to refresh your kids’ play space!

In a hurry? Shop our playroom below:

#1 playroom idea: use durable bins for toy storage

Kids of all ages are usually really hard on stuff over time, so bins that’ll last with plenty of storage are a MUST. Plus, having it look uniform and not mix-matched is important. Corrine has these storage bins, and she LOVES how they look. Plus these bins are SO sturdy, actually really affordable, and you can buy all of them in the sizes needed to fit in all of your little cubbies or shelves in your closet.

It’s helpful to be able to have your kids clean up and makes it easy for them to know where each toy belongs. One of the best playroom ideas is to make sure every toy has a “home.” Then it’s soooo much easier to maintain organization, and avoid the chaotic mess of toys/art supplies everywhere when they play!

Labels are KEY

Corrine said a big mistake they’ve made before was using sticker labels on all of their bins. The labels fell off and got lost in the mess of everything.

What works best is having these black bin labels on each box – love how durable and sturdy they are! You can write with a white sharpie paint pen to label each bin with what kinds of toys go in each, and they’re just all-around wayyyy better than sticker labels that’ll keep peeling off.

It’s SO nice not having to worry about the stickers falling off the bin, and it’s a much better solution to keeping things organized. Corrine said her kids have been doing a great job at keeping their stuff in the particular bins, too! A MAJOR win!

Sort + simplify

In the past, Corrine’s tried to involve her kids in the process. She had them pick out the things they loved, things they wanted to donate, and things they wanted to throw away that just weren’t functional anymore or were broken.

But the last time she did a playroom refresh, she spent two mornings *by herself* just throwing things away that were junky or broken… and there were a LOT. Sooo satisfying to simplify in this way. Then she took it upon herself to organize all the things that she knows they really care about – My Little Pony things, all the Toy Story toys, cars/trucks, etc. – and she sorted them all into their own bin.

Donate the forgotten toys

You might also experience such a headache fighting with your kids over the toys that they say are important to them, but you know they really never play with. If they disappear, they wouldn’t even realize. Sound familiar?

Corrine saved herself the headache and took matters into her own hands here as well! She donated so many toys that she knew her kids didn’t even care about, which some parents might not agree with and that’s okay – you do you! She just said it was total peace of mind being able to fully declutter and simplify everything.

It’s incredible how much of a difference it makes by simply cleaning up and creating more stable and organized spaces. The secret key is using the durable bins and black bin clips.

Fun playroom idea! Sort books by color

One other organization tip: rainbow sorting is SO FUN (thanks for the inspiration, The Home Edit!). If you have a lot of something (anything really!) and you can rainbow sort it, we highly suggest involving your kids and having them do that. Even things in your kid’s bedroom like clothes in drawers!

Corrine’s girls LOVED sorting all the books they owned into a rainbow in their reading nook, and she didn’t even need to tell them how to do it. When she said “oh my gosh there are so many books, where should we start?” her four-year-old Lyla at the time replied as if she was crazy to even ask, “MOM! Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, don’t forget the purple, too!” Incredible how smart kids are 🙂 It makes for some beautiful, organized, bright colors, too, in your playroom!

Here’s a similar bookcase that’s under $50 and has amazing reviews!

Floor playroom ideas: tiles

Beautiful? Check. Easy to install? Check. Super affordable? Check, check, check! When Corrine moved a few years ago they replaced the carpet in every room but the playroom. She knew she didn’t want to keep the old carpet, but also knew she didn’t want to put the same nice (and expensive) carpet in there that they were doing in all the bedrooms.

What she wanted was playroom flooring that’d be durable, easy to clean, and economical. Carpet was a no-go because thinking about kids spilling on it or coloring on it gave way too much anxiety. Carrying their existing oak hardwood floors into that floor space was going to be a budget-buster so that option was out, too. Enter the peel and stick tiles!

These pretty peel and stick DIY tiles are super highly rated and ridiculously affordable. She’s really really happy with how it turned out and says it was super easy to do – no special tools or experience required! They ripped out the carpet, and just to make sure they’d stick well, Neil put down a primer coat on the floor first. A playroom design idea they’re still happy with – and a great idea for an unfinished basement playroom, too!

Bonus: A couple FUN playroom ideas + faves

Baby ball pit

A really good friend of Corrine’s suggested this really cute ball pit when she was thinking of some gift ideas for Harry’s first birthday. She’s a mom of five boys and said get him a foam pit and some balls, and he’ll be in heaven… and HE LOVED IT. One of the best playroom ideas ever!

BIG playroom idea: bounce house

Corrine had the idea of adding a bounce house to the playroom, which was a great idea, but she didn’t measure so the execution wasn’t totally on point haha. LUCKILY since she lives in Southern California where they have almost all sunny days, she put this super cute bounce house in the backyard! Use code MINTARROW for $30 off! See it in a reel here:

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Table + Chair set

Corrine’s kids love having a table and chair set in the playroom, and having a sturdy one is KEY. Before they found this, she said they had a super cheesy and cheap plastic desk that was forever breaking. The kids now have a cute (and useful) zone in the playroom to read, color, do crafts/artwork, complete homework, or host an impromptu tea party – inviting ALL things with creativity!

Well-loved playroom idea: wooden indoor slide

This gorgeous white wood slide is absolutely timeless and it’s the perfect combination of beautiful and fun. Mrs. KKW herself and the British royal family both have this exact slide in their playrooms. It’s very aesthetically pleasing, very safe for playtime, and very highly rated.

Clean AND cute playroom ideas

There are so many kids playroom ideas out there, especially when it comes to organizing – and it feels so dang good once you’ve put those ideas to the test! It makes the play area so much more pleasant to be in, especially when we’re talking about a room that we all can probably agree gives us anxiety! These bins and bin labels make all the difference whether you’re working on a toddler playroom or one for older children – and the quality is perfect for how hard kids play. We’ve rounded up our very favorite playroom ideas below! Hooray for organizing!!

P.S. These ideas would work great in regular kids’ rooms as well.

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