Is the playroom buried under stuffed animals, dress up clothes and a hundred tiny blocks? These 12 DIY playroom ideas help you corral the chaos and make the room a lot more fun at the same time. You’ll find clever storage like branch swing shelves, a dress up closet made from a bookcase and a beanbag chair that secretly holds stuffed toys. There are play builds too: an indoor climbing wall, a ceiling swing, a Lego table and a canopy reading nook. Plenty of these use thrift store finds and cost under $20. One tip from a busy mom: give every type of toy its own home at kid height, and cleanup suddenly gets so much easier!
1. Drop Cloth TeePee
A drop cloth teepee for about $20 makes a perfect first birthday gift or a cozy reading corner. Cut four 5 foot lengths of PVC pipe and spray paint them. A 4 by 15 foot canvas drop cloth gives you four trapezoid panels, and the hemmed edge becomes the top so there’s less sewing. Cut one panel, use it as a template for the rest, and flip the cloth each time to save fabric. Sew the panels together with a channel for each pole, then lash the tops with rope.
Get the full tutorial at Thrifty and Chic.
2. Branch Swing Shelves
Branch swing shelves give stuffed toys a whimsical place to hang out, and they cost next to nothing. Pick dry branches about 1 and a half to 2 inches thick that are fairly straight, and saw them to length. Drill a small pilot hole about 2 inches from each end, then step up the bit size until the rope fits through. Wrap the rope ends in masking tape so they feed easily, thread them through and knot underneath. Screw through the top knots to hang them, and add as many swings as you like.
Get the full tutorial at Garden Therapy.
3. DIY Dress Up Closet
A DIY dress up closet ends the hunt for the matching princess shoes. Start with a small IKEA Billy bookcase, about $40, or any mid-size bookcase, and assemble it without the upper shelves. Cut a wooden dowel to the width of the opening and fasten it in place with a nail gun or a couple of screws for a hanging rod. Paint it a bright color with a sprayer, add a coat of polycrylic, and mount a mirror inside. Low shelves hold hats, shoes and sunglasses.
Get the full tutorial at Rain on a Tin Roof.
4. DIY Playroom Indoor Swing
A DIY playroom indoor swing turns empty ceiling space into a burst-the-wiggles-out zone. This basement playroom hangs gymnastics rings and a trapeze bar from the ceiling, plus a pirate ship swing, alongside a rock wall and sensory boards on the walls. The layout tip is worth stealing: don’t push everything against the walls. A couch and a toy shelf break the room into zones for cooking, building and active play. Bright paint, carpet and wall decals finish it, and a car drip pan makes a cheap magnet board.
Get the full tutorial at Fun at Home with Kids.
5. DIY Portable Lego Table
A DIY portable Lego table starts with an old wooden TV tray, the kind thrift stores always have. Paint it to match your room, about four coats by hand or much faster with spray paint, and give the leg tips a gold accent. Trace the tray’s rounded corners onto a 15 inch Lego mat, trim one row of studs if needed, cut the curves with a fine tooth saw and sand the edges smooth. Glue the mat down on one side and add a word in vinyl on the other.
Get the full tutorial at Craft Your Happiness.
6. Whimsical Canopy
A whimsical canopy turns any corner into a dreamy reading nook once the teepee gets too small. The key is a little curved curtain rod, about $15, that adjusts from 28 to 48 inches so it fits snugly into a corner and can grow later. Hang it just under the ceiling, then thread on three pairs of sheer lace curtains. Screw-in hooks and a bit of jute make easy tiebacks. Toss in pillows and a soft rug, and hang tissue paper pom poms from the ceiling for extra charm.
Get the full tutorial at Thrifty and Chic.
7. House Bookshelf
A house bookshelf like the pricey store versions is easier to make than you’d think. It’s cut from 3/4 inch MDF, about a quarter of a 4 by 8 sheet, with a 1/4 inch plywood back. Cut the pieces from the free plans, dry fit them with clamps, then pre-drill every screw hole, since MDF splits easily. Glue and screw it together, hide the screws with wood plugs or filler, sand, and paint it a soft color. The peaked roof and little cubbies are perfect for picture books.
Get the full tutorial at Lindi and Russ.
8. Indoor Climbing Wall
An indoor climbing wall gives kids a place they’re actually allowed to climb the walls. Sketch the layout first, then draw the shapes onto 3/4 inch plywood like a big puzzle, about one 4 by 8 sheet plus a 2 by 4 piece. Label each piece, cut them with a table saw, circular saw or jigsaw, and bolt on the climbing holds. Anchor every panel into the studs. Folding floor mats go underneath, and they can be rigged to lock over the wall when no grown-up is around.
Get the full tutorial at The Created Home.
9. DIY Ladder For Kids
This DIY ladder for kids is two narrow euro pallets mounted on the wall, one above the other, so the slats become rungs for climbing. Sand the wood smooth, wipe it with a damp cloth and let it dry, then screw the pallets into the wall with wall plugs. Tear about 2 meters of colorful cotton sheeting into 3 to 4 centimeter strips and wrap them around most of the crossbars, so the rungs are comfy to grip and look cheerful. Lay a big mattress underneath for safe landings.
Get the full tutorial at ALT.dk.
10. Stuffed Animal Chair
A stuffed animal chair is a beanbag that hides the plush toy pile inside it. The outer cover is sewn like a big round beanbag with a zipper, and the toys go straight in as the filling, so the more animals you own, the comfier it gets. Free printable pattern pieces come in two sizes, and the bigger one may need a spare pillow on top until the collection grows. Bright chevron and polka dot fabric makes it fun. No sewing machine? Fill a store bought beanbag cover instead.
Get the full tutorial at Thread Riding Hood.
11. DIY Rag Rug
A DIY rag rug is the best scrap buster ever, and you don’t even tie a single knot. Cut fabric into thousands of strips about 1 inch by 5 inches, then poke them through the holes of a non-skid rug mat. Skip holes here and there if you’d like it less full, or fill every one for a really shaggy rug. It takes a long time, so save it for movie nights or audiobooks. Mix two colors, like pink and blue, to match a shared room.
Get the full tutorial at Craftaholics Anonymous.
12. Tissue Paper Pom Poms
Tissue paper pom poms are the cheapest way to make a playroom ceiling look like a party. One package of 20 by 20 inch tissue gives you five poms in three sizes. Split the sheets into two stacks, fold one accordion style and cut it into a 6 inch and a 14 inch strip, then fold and cut again for the smaller sizes. Twist floral wire around the middle, round off the ends with scissors, and gently pull each layer apart. Standard 15 by 20 inch tissue works too.
Get the full tutorial at Two Twenty One.
