You also don't need a lot of space, a corner of a room is fine. We live in a small, two bedroom fibro with a sleep out. The sleep out has been enclosed and houses a laundry, what is supposed to be a third bedroom and an extra room that leads outside. We have used this for many things, but at the moment, it is where the computer and desk is, where the amp and a gazillion guitars and other stringed instruments live and tucked away in the corner is Master Z's play area. For the time being, I like Master Z to have his toys outside of his bedroom, so that he is really only in his room for sleeping. I know this will change when he is older and if we have more children, but for now, it works for us.
A play area is an excellent idea to try to minimise clutter and to keep toys and activities in the one space. Kids are kids, and by the end of each day, there is always a trail of toys traipsed through the house, but we can only try - I said try, I didn't say achieve!
There are so many elements that can go into a child' play area, my top six are:
Colour
It is thought that babies learn to distinguish colours right after they are born. They show a preference for bright colours, particularly yellow. Different colours have been shown to enhance our creativity and learning and research also shows colours affect our moods.
Red, orange and yellow are known to promote learning and cool colours like green and blue soothe and promote relaxation.
Toys, books and furniture for children are often brightly coloured, so it is very easy to get some colour into your kids play area.
Storage
This is a big one for trying to keep things organised. Fortunately there are many things that can be used to keep toys in one place.
Shelving units can be found relatively cheaply - I got a second hand Ikea shelving unit off gumtree for under $50 - or can be recycled from old book shelves. Shelving with baskets and boxes is ideal to keep different toys separate - I have a box for cars, a box for blocks, a box for trains and a box for lego along the bottom shelf. On the next shelf, I have a basket of musical toys, a basket of random toys and then a shelf of puzzles and one of books.
The top shelf is for toys I don't want Master Z to use without my supervision - paints, crafts, special books - I am fortunate he is not a climber, so I know he wont try to get those things himself.
Another great idea for storage is a number of large tubs - the only thing I find with these is that usually your child will want the toy at the bottom of the tub, so everything gets flung out onto the floor in the search for it.
Table and Chairs
A kid sized table and chair set is perfect for craft activities, drawing, reading and puzzles. There are so many on the market and range from beautiful, hand crafted, expensive wooden furniture, to plastic ones. We have a cheap, plastic set and it is brilliant. It wipes easily, I can take it outside to hose it down if it gets too sticky and as it was cheap, I am not worried about the paint, or marks that are being scratched in. The chairs even take my weight (that is saying something - don't think that is what they were intended for though...), so it means I can be at Master Z's level when doing an activity without putting too much pressure on my ageing knees :o)
Blackboard
I had to include this one as this is Master Z's favourite thing to do at the moment. He spends ages drawing on the black board, or I will use a bull dog clip to put some paper on there and it becomes an easel for painting as well. I would love to have an area on the wall with blackboard paint for him - that is one of my dreams for our next house!
Pin up board
We have a pin up board that was actually from my room as a kid. I use it to put up Master Z's latest art masterpiece as our fridge is too full of birth announcements and bills to pay!
This way, he sees his art and craft on display for a while, and then when the new piece arrives, I can take the old ones down and file them in an appropriate place (the bin, or the folder I have of his special work that I am saving for him to throw out when he is 20 :o))
We also use the board to put up the day of the week (for days we are at home) and also for the season. When he is older, I plan on using it as a weekly calendar, so he will know what is coming up in his week - at 2.5, he is still a bit young for this.
Blocks
If your child has no other toys, blocks are the must have right up until primary school age. The educational value from playing with blocks is amazing. They can help improve physical, social, language and mathematical development.
From a physical point of view, blocks come in different colours, shapes and sizes, so can help with fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination when building towers and sensory awareness with the different colours and textures blocks are made from.
They are excellent for counting, naming colours and shapes, facilitating spatial development (over, under, through) and for learning sharing if more than one child is playing with them.
And finally, blocks are great for imaginary play - a whole world can be created with a simple set of blocks.
These are probably just the tip of the iceberg - what do you think every play area needs?
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