Creating a dedicated space in your home for your kid’s toys and activities is a great way to help reduce clutter in your common living areas, provide your kids with their own space, and promote learning, imagination, and play, but it can get expensive really quickly. So, we’ve put together this list of amazing playroom ideas on a budget for you to steal!
Whether you are looking to create an entire playroom, a dedicated play closet, or even a play corner in a common area of your home like the living room, your kids will love these playroom ideas that you can set up on a budget!
We hope that you love these budget playroom ideas as much as we do!
Best Playroom Ideas on a Budget
1. Utilize Storage
Storage is one of those things that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and it can:
- keep the space organized and tidy
- add decoration to the space
- be reused as your kids get older
So while it may cost a little bit of money to get everything you need initially, storage is always something that can grow with your family!
There are many different types of storage you can utilize in your playroom or playspace.
i. Shelving Units or Wall Mounted Shelves
The great thing about shelves is how versatile they are.
In the playroom, you can use them to hold storage bins, organize books, and more!
And because these furniture pieces are quite common, you can wait for things to go on sale which will help you save some money.
You can also look to your local resale markets like Facebook Marketplace to buy used bookshelves that people no longer need. And if the used bookshelves aren’t in the best shape, it can be a great DIY project for you to do with your kids to fix them up.
ii. Unique Shelf Options
There are also some really unique shelving units that you can find, like this one found on Amazon, that is made specifically to hold and display your kid’s books. Not only is this great for storage, but will also make the playroom look a little bit more unique.
And it doesn’t end there. You can also find shelves that hold the bins at an angle like this one so that your kids can easily pull out their toys without having to lift heavy bins or this hammock where they can keep their stuffed animals.
iii. Storage Benches
Storage benches are a really versatile piece you can add to your kid’s playroom that will give you more storage, but also provide seating in the room.
This storage bench is neutral which is a great option if you want to reuse this piece of furniture somewhere else in your home down the road.
iv. Storage Bins
The great thing about storage bins is you can get them in so many different sizes and dimensions so that they work really well in your space.
Plus, you can find them almost anywhere including the dollar store which is great when you are building the playroom on a budget.
And if you want to add a little decoration and added organization to the bins so that you can easily identify what is in each one, check out these decals that you can peel and stick right onto the bin!
v. Rolling Cart
Rolling carts are great, especially if you have a small space and need to be able to move things around easily.
You can purchase carts to hold books, art supplies, toys, and more. If you want to be really organized, you can even theme each cart.
These rolling carts come in 5 different colors, and their design makes it possible to reuse these in other areas of your house when your kids grow out of using them for their playroom.
2. Add Color To The Space
Color can make a space feel really inviting and unique, and it is so easy to do on a budget!
You can add color to the walls by painting or adding wallpaper.
If you don’t want to paint or put up wallpaper, you can also utilize wall decal stickers, like these ones, that will add some color and decoration to the space.
You can also add pops of color with the furniture you choose, colorful storage bins, an area rug, and wall art.
3. Create Zones
It’s really easy to go over budget when creating a playroom when you try to add anything and everything to it. Instead, it can be really practical to create zones within the playroom, and then only purchase pieces you will need for each zone.
This is something you can also build on over time.
Some different zone ideas could include:
- arts and crafts
- builders corner
- lego land
- dress-up
- learning new things
Get creative and even try to come up with some fun names for each one. Your kids will definitely love having cool names for the different areas in their room.
DIY Playroom Ideas on a Budget
There are so many DIY projects that you can do that will make your kid’s playroom functional and special! Here are some of my favorite ideas.
1. Add A Chalkboard Wall
Nothing is more fun than being able to draw on the wall! So why not add a chalkboard wall to the playroom or playspace?
2. Add An Art Section
A great way to add some decoration without breaking the bank account is to utilize any artwork that your kids are creating!
For paintings, drawings, etc., you can create a feature section by hanging the artwork on clips like these, or you can even go a step further and put them into frames and hang the frames on the wall.
And for other types of artwork like sculptures and crafts, you can add them to shelves, which is a great way to break up storage bins and boxes.
3. Create Fabric Storage Boxes
If you need some bigger sturdy storage boxes for the playroom, but still want them to look cute without breaking the bank, then check out this tutorial from RaeGunRamblings.
The banker’s boxes are sturdy enough to hold some of your kid’s heavier toys, and you can customize them with some really cute colored fabric or even patterned fabric to add some texture and variety to the space.
4. Build A Table & Chairs
A table and chairs are a must-have for most playrooms. They give your kids space to sit down and draw, do interactive activities, and can be great for learning and homeschooling as well.
To save some money on these furniture pieces, you can build them yourself. AnikasDIYLife shares how to build a table and chairs step-by-step including what materials you need, measurements, etc.
5. Make A DIY Toy Chest
Toy chests make for really fantastic toy storage… but they can be pricey to purchase brand new.
Tidbits-Cami created this DIY toy chest tutorial including a removable section within the chest for added organization within the chest.
6. DIY Bean Bag Chair
Adding space in your kid’s playroom for seating is always recommended, and these DIY bean bag chairs are perfect for any space!
All you need is some fabric, bean bag beans, a zipper, and sewing supplies.
7. Add A Rock Climbing Wall
Amazon has rock climbing holds that you can use. Then, all you need to do is anchor them to the wall.
*Tip – If you don’t want to drill a whole bunch of holes into the wall for the rock climbing holds, consider building a wall out of wood that you can anchor to the wall in the playroom instead.
8. Build A Fort
What kid doesn’t love a fort to play in?
MomJunction shares 15 DIY fort ideas that you can easily add to your kid’s playroom that they will absolutely love.
9. Create A Lego Table Tray
BusyCreatingMemories shares how they built a custom lego table using an old table tray which is such a genius idea.
This DIY project is perfect for a smaller playroom space as well because it will help keep the lego contained in one area.
10. Dress Up Station
If your kids love to play dress-up, you can utilize Ikea’s furniture to create a cool dress-up station. RainOnATinRoof shared how they did this DIY project using the billy bookcase from Ikea.
Another easy solution is to find an unused nook in the playroom and simply add some hooks to the wall to hang everything up.
Ikea Playroom Ideas on a Budget
1. Activity Tables
Whether your kid likes to do crafts, build with lego, or play with their favorite dolls, you can utilize Ikea furniture to create activity tables.
TheCrazyCraftLady shares how they did this to build a train table, and TheDecoratedCookie shares how they did this to create a lego table, and it was all done using Ikea tables.
2. Craft Workspace
Ikea has so many great budget-friendly products that work really well for creating a craft station in your kid’s playroom. Here are some of our top picks:
3. Kitchen Playspace
Ikea also has really great toys to create a kitchen playspace for your kids. Here are some of the most popular products used:
4. Play Area Rugs
Area rugs add comfort and texture to a room, but with Ikea’s play area rugs, you can also encourage play for your kids!
Ikea has two rugs that have roads, parking, etc., perfect for playing with cars!
They also have a hopscotch rug as well.
5. Storage
And of course, we can’t finish this section without talking about Ikea’s storage options. They have so many different styles so you can choose what will work best for your playroom.
Plus, most of this furniture can be painted if you want to add some splashes of color into the playroom as well.
The most popular kids’ storage solution is their Trofast lineup. The shelves themselves come in different configurations and sizes, and they also come with storage bins so you are getting everything you need in one bundle.
Small Playroom Ideas on a Budget
If you don’t have an entire room to dedicate as the play space in your home, don’t worry! There are other ways you can create dedicated play spaces for your kids.
Here are our top favorite small playroom ideas.
1. Utilizing A Closet
Closets are a really great space where you can add shelves, hooks, storage bins, and over-the-door organizers to help you organize your kid’s toys, books, etc.
Plus, closets have doors which is never a bad thing when you have company coming over!
2. Section Off An Area In Your Shared Living Space
Do you have any awkward, unused spaces in your shared living spaces? Or is there a corner where you could set something up?
Adding some storage and seating in a small area of your common living space is perfect for a play area, and you can set this up using the same budget ideas shared in this blog post.
3. Rolling Activity Cart
Those rolling activity carts are great to use in a small space because you can organize your kid’s toys, books, and crafts, and you can roll them around to whatever area you are in.
They also have a small profile so they can be easily tucked away when not in use.
These ones from Amazon come in a few different colors, so you can pick one that will go well with your space.
There is also this style where there are actual drawers built right into the cart, perfect for storage as well.
Building a really cool playroom for your kids does not have to be expensive. With some practical furniture and storage selections, a couple of DIY projects, and activity zones, your kids will have a play space that they and their friends love to use!
Love this post? Drop a comment below and let me know which budget ideas you are going to add to your playroom!
And don’t forget to pin it for later!
Thank you for sharing these tips. Trying to find space is something that is very hard to do when trying to create a playroom.
You’re welcome, I hoped it helped! Thanks for visiting!