Disclosure: Some items in gift guides were sent for the purpose of review. As always all opinions are my own.
It’s hard to believe that I began shopping for my kids 9 years ago. I remember adding toys and books to my baby registry and thinking how it seemed so far away that I’d have a baby, never mind kids that could read and play on their own. Over the years, toys and playroom set ups have been trial and error. There were toys I was certain they’d love only to find them pass that toy by to play with a cardboard box. There have also been toys that have been played with for years and passed down amongst siblings. When it comes to holidays and birthdays, I like to stick to adding onto some of our “playroom favorites” (more ShapeMag tiles, new dollhouse furniture, etc) while also adding in some of the “trendy” toys they are wishing for.
Tonight I’m sharing 10 playroom favorites. These are toys that have been tried and true, well loved and often played with. These are also all toys that both my boys and girls have played with. They’re toys that if I went back in time, 9 years ago, and had to set up a playroom with only 10 things, these are what I would pick.
Below the toy picks, I added some of my favorite playroom storage options. Enjoy!
10 Playroom Must Haves:
1. Teepee or tent: These look cute in a playroom and are so much fun to play in. We love the Crate & Kids teepees and tents and also the KidKraft teepees.
2. ShapeMags: My sister in law got my oldest a set of ShapeMags when she was 2… we still have that same set. If there’s 1 toys that’s played with almost daily in my house it’s ShapeMags (also go by Magnet Stick n Stack). From the oldest down to the youngest. I add on to the collection every Christmas and now they build cities! These are a must.
3. Books: Every play room needs books! Follow #chirpingmomsbooks on Instagram or browse our books lists. One of my favorite lists to stock a playroom: Books That Make Us Smile & Laugh
4. Play Kitchen: From when they can first stand up and play to being a “big kid” and playing restaurant, play kitchens are endless fun. My favorite is the KidKraft Vintage Kitchen
5. Dollhouse/ Boys Firehouse: My girls have had their doll house for 7 years. As they grow, it’s been something we can add onto: new people, furniture, etc. Even at 7 and 8.5, they play dollhouse almost daily. We’ve since gotten a big KidKraft dollhouse that fits Barbie’s too. Their brothers love the dollhouses too but since they spend hours setting them up, they’re not too happy if the little brothers make a mess of them while they’re at school!
This Christmas Tommy is getting one of these two KidKraft Fire stations: Fire Station Set or Deluxe Fire Rescue Set
6. Play table: my favorite is the adjustable play table from Crate & Kids. There are 3 heights, so it grows with the child and can eventually be a desk.
7. Pretend play toys: Dress up, dolls, these pretend play sets from Eeboo are amazing, etc (like the cards)
8. Animals: toy animals are something nice to start to collect when they are little and grow the collection. They’re fun to play with in the playroom or bring outside to play (or in the bath!). For little ones, I like the Little People animals and as they grow, the Schleich are our favorites.
9. Outdoor playhouse: OK so this can’t really fit in the playroom but an outdoor playhouse is a great gift for a child. It’s fun to play in when they’re tiny and now my big kids use it as a club house. We’re actually surprising all 4 with a new outdoor house this Christmas! After much reading of reviews, I chose: Kidkraft’s Bancroft Wooden Playhouse
10. Arts & Crafts Supplies: Here’s a list of arts and crafts supplies to stock a playroom (click here)
Playroom Storage:
1. Cubes with canvas bins: we’ve had this thing for ages. While the bins wear, they’re easy to replace. To help the kids clean up, I ordered a few canvas bins with logos on them (example: a Batman bin for the boys to know where to put all their superhero figurines).
2. Crate and Kids Book Caddy: We’ve had our first Book Caddy, in the girls room, for 7 years and it still looks new. I have since ordered one for the boys room and playroom. It holds a ton of books and looks cute too.
3. Low Profile Bookcase: This is my favorite recent purchase! This is fun for books but a friend pointed out that it would also be great for organizing toys (think cards in one spot, trains in one, etc). I actually just ordered a 2nd! It’s currently on sale for under $50 at Target.
4. Toy Box: I know this sounds old school but a toy box fits a ton of toys and the lid shuts so you don’t have to see the jumble of toys inside. It also doubles as somewhere to sit in the playroom. We have this one and it’s held up very well.
5. Basket with a lid: this might sound silly… but I had so many toy baskets in the playroom but they still looked kind of messy, my favorite basket is one with a lid. Makes cleaning up the playroom much easier! We have this one.
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