Creating a space to play

By choosing a design for the area with a theme based around your child's interests, you are filling the room with images that will indulge their imagination. So begin by brainstorming with the little people who will be using the space. Talk about interests and hobbies and tease out favourite colours and characters.

This is a space where your child's imagination will roam free and their creativity be inspired, so what better way to get them going than by having them put their artistic touch to the design?

Buy white sheets and let your older children tie-dye them in the colours they want, or create their own designs with fabric paint. Cover a standard corkboard with fabric and use it to hang up artwork, photographs or pictures. Using cork tiles instead will enable you to make the board as large as you wish. Hang it close to a desk or table where it can inspire your child as they work.

A good way to encourage your child to keep their new play area tidy is to introduce fun storage systems into the design of the space. You could string a series of storage boxes together to make a toy box train, or paint wooden crates in bright colours and arrange them on top of each other.

Other ideas could include a trunk that both serves as a seat and storage area, a net hammock, hat boxes, drawstring bags, mini plastic drawer sets and so on.

A tall bookshelf works well if you are creating space to play in the main living area. Items can be kept on the lower shelves within easy reach of your child.

Every play area needs a resilient washable surface for arts and crafts projects. Include a scrap box in which your child can collect odd bits of materials, such as fabric scraps, packaging and other potentially useful recyclable items. Include a tray for scrap paper and a hook for aprons. You will find it handy to keep a sponge close by to clean up spills and old newspapers to protect floors or surfaces.