Sophie Shay | September 2023

I’ve heard from many of you on my Instagram page asking for help with playrooms in particular. While I have so much to share with you about all things kids’ space design, I thought I’d kick things off with an introduction to The 6 Zones of Play, which is a framework I apply to my client playroom designs, as well as my own.

In this blog post, I will cover:

• The 6 Zones of Play

• Do I Need All 6? A Note about Layout Planning and Sibling Spaces

• And a Bonus Tip :)

Let’s get right into it!

THE 6 ZONES OF PLAY

1. Gross Motor

Gross Motor Zones is one of my favorite things to incorporate into my playroom designs. Not only are they perfect for getting the wiggles out, the list of developmental benefits really goes on and on, such as:

• Teaching kids decision making

• Building body awareness and a strong core

• Boosting their confidence

• Helping them focus

If you have limited floor space, a climbing wall is a smart way to add gross motor play. Depending on the size of your playroom and your kids’ interests, other gross motor ideas can include a balance beam, stepping stones, wobble boards, Swedish ladders, monkey bars and sensory swings. (not affiliated)

Safety Tip: Make sure you have at least 3ft of crash space underneath any vertical climbing structure, and 6ft in front and behind any ceiling-mounted swings. Play on!

2. PRETEND PLAY

This is what childhood magic is made of! Through pretend play, kids learn to do things like:

• Negotiate

• Consider others’ perspectives

• Take turns expressing and listening to thoughts and ideas

• Assigning tasks and roles

• Process events from everyday life through reenactment

Having open-ended and accessible toys or costumes can turn unstructured downtime into an imaginative role-playing adventure. My favorite elements for Pretend Play are a dress-up corner, stuffies, and a classic play kitchen.

3. Small World Play

Small World Play is another important aspect of imaginary play. Not only do kiddos have the rewarding experience of building a whole city or kingdom using blocks or magnetic tiles, adding little vehicles and characters can allow your child to build on their language skills.

Key benefits include:

• Exploring new vocabulary

• Organizing ideas

• Developing sequencing skills

Watch your little one become effective storytellers as they narrate their miniature adventures!

4. Reading Nook

Encouraging childhood reading is what we all strive for, right? Can one really have too many books? My unpopular answer is “Maybe?”

Well, see, it depends.

When books are stacked in a pile or sitting in a basket, one of two things is likely to happen. Either “out of sight, out of mind” comes into play or it all gets dumped (more on the psychology of storage and organization in a future blog post!)

When a select few are displayed with their front covers in full view, it makes you actually want to pick one up! You can see why open book displays and book ledges are a staple in my reading nooks.

5. Calming Corner

A calming corner provides a child a place to calm down and take a break. Grownups can help children learn how to take a break from activities or interactions that become too overstimulating or overwhelming to them in the moment.

Plus, little kids just love hiding out in cozy little nooks!

To learn more about building emotional regulation skills in kids, Generation Mindful has great resources! (not affiliated)

6. Arts & Crafts

Having a dedicated space for your little one can promote so many wonderful skills, but let’s be real, it also means diverting the piles and piles of artwork and materials away from your dining table and into its own intentionally designed space.

Art can promote:

• Fine motor skills (little hands need opportunities for micro muscles to strengthen to enable pencil-gripping by school-age)

• Scientific curiosity (the power of trial & error)

• Perseverance (process over results - more on the Montessori principle of "process art" later!)

• Visualization & conceptualization (important for story comprehension & doing mental math)

Do I need all 6?

The short answer is "No.” If there are space constraints, you do need to make priority calls based on the layout of your home and the interests or desired developmental areas of your little ones. (However, smart space planning is kind of my secret sauce so if you need more tangible solutions, I’m your gal!)

A smaller play room may have a smaller scale version of the Gross Motor Zone, or simply no Gross Motor Zone at all, while prioritizing other zones likes a Pretend Play or a Reading Nook.

Another way to incorporate all 6 zones in less obvious layouts is to weave them into more than one space throughout the home. In my own home, our Arts & Crafts Station is not in the basement playroom, but rather the main floor. Our daughter loves to independently access her markers, paints, scissors and other craft materials and create art all day.

SIBLING SPACES

My approach to designing multi-age spaces is first by taking into consideration the different developmental stages of each child and the activities they most gravitate towards. I envision the flow and functionality of the shared space and ensure that it provides age-appropriate activities and opportunities for growth, and that each child feels seen and cared for.

For example, in an Art Room shared by a preschooler and a toddler, I would have safe materials open and accessible for all, but trickier and smaller materials stored in harder-to-open containers placed and placed at a higher level that only the older sibling can access. The same space then feels intentionally designed for independent exploration for both siblings.

Bonus Tip

Don’t forget comfortable seating for the grownups (yes, you)! Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the kids’ stuff, we forget that this is meant to be a shared space for the whole family.

If you really want the playroom to be well used, especially when the kids are younger and want you close by, comfy seating can help everyone want to stay and play a little longer!

It doesn’t have to be a full sectional or couch - just a spot for the grownup that makes sense in the space you have.

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If you’re still a little overwhelmed about setting up your playroom, I’ve got you covered! Check out which kids’ space design package is right for your family or book a free discovery call.