Building an indoor play space, it is not necessarily required large areas or expensive equipment. Through DIY design, well-planned play area, and choose suitable play structure, parents can create an interesting and practical activity space for kids. Whether use unused corner, or specially build a for house small play area, all can combine climb, slide, building blocks and sensory games, enable children play to their heart at home.
Home Indoor Playground Targets
1. Promote physical activity
Through climbing frames, indoor slides, balance beams and soft obstacles, enable children run, jump, climb and keep balance at home, reduce prolonged sitting.
2. Develop creativity and imagination
Use building blocks, tents, role-play toys and DIY game facilities, enable kids design gameplay by themselves, change common corners into castles, shops or adventure base.
3. Enhance independence
Design play areas that children can independently use, place toys in the location that easy to take, encourage them to choose activities and sort out things by themselves, and gradually develop habit of playing independently.
4. Support the growth of different ages
Choose facilities according to children's ages and abilities. Toddlers can use cushion, sensory toys and low climbing equipment, older children can challenge balance games, mini obstacle routes and complex building blocks.
5. Create parent-child interactive space
Set tabletop games, puzzles, hand-make and collaborative building areas, enable parents participate in, increase parent-child communication through playing together.
6. Make reasonable use of family space
Determine play area's functions according to room's size and layout, does not have to pursue large equipment. Small size can use foldable toys, wall storage and multifunctional play structures, enable limited space combines play, study and daily life.
7. Safety is the base of the design
Consider anti-slip floor, corner protection, equipment stability and activity space in advance, avoid equipment too high, passageway too crowded or toys scattered, enable kids move in the safer environment.
The Best Designed Home Indoor Playground
1. London Residence: Bring the tree-house indoors.
Case: A London family home designed by 2LG Studio.
This design integrate a birch climbing frame about 9 feet high into residence, with curved slide, build indoor play facilities similar to a large tree-house. Ground lay and cut into specifically shaped recycled vinyl flooring, provides buffer for activity areas.
Excellent design lies in the utilization of vertical space. Designer did not lay all the equipment on the ground, but rather use the room's high ceiling, combined climbing, climbing high and sliding into a complete play structure. In this way, not only can create abundant sports experiences, but also can retain other activity spaces.
2. Children's play space: Use geometric structures to create exploration routes
Case: Children's Playspace designed by Architensions, Located in Brooklyn, USA.
This children's play space about 81 square meters did not rely on traditional slides and swings, but use three groups structures of different shapes to create play environment: Semicircular tunnel, green tree-house climbing space, and enclosed small space similar to igloo. Set geometric openings on the tunnel, colored border and translucent roof enable light become a part of design.
Excellent design lies in the same equipment can produce many gameplay. Tunnels not only can support children to crawl, but also can become hiding space. Tree-house structures not only can climb, but also enable kids observe surrounding from high space. Enclosed space offers chances for quiet and solitude. Play facilities will no longer tools to complete some actions, but environment to spark imagination.
3. HAO Design: Change common furniture into play facilities
Case: The Lego Play Pond residential project designed by HAO Design
This residential project integrate children's imagination into daily furniture. Round blue sofa designed to be visual imagery similar to pool, stairs, drawers and other architectural details are also added sense of games, make the whole space looked like a “Magic Island” that can be explored.
Excellent design lies in let space take part in games. Common furniture usually only bear sit, put, storage and other functions, but this project through shape, color and space relationship, change furniture into a part of imaginative stories. Kids needn't continuously add new toys, can find new gameplay from familiar environment.
The most important inspire: Good family indoor playground needn't copy large commercial play center. Instead of stacking amount of equipment, it would be better to according to children's activity habits, design an interesting play route, then pair quiet corner and practical storage. In this way can let space not only attractive, but also truly suitable for daily use.
Create Your Ideal Home Indoor Playground with Tongle
Tongle Play provides flexible customized solutions for family indoor play space, help clients according to room areas, kids' ages and family budgets, to plan practical and interesting home indoor playground. Whether install small slides, climbing frames and soft game facilities, or build play areas that combine sports, exploration and role-play, all can make design according to actual needs. Tongle pay attention to equipment combination, space utilization and safety, help clients achieve more gameplay in the limited indoor areas, and balance daily use and cleaning and maintenance at the same time. For families that hope to create specialized activity space for kids at home, Tongle can offer supports from project planning to equipment configuration, make ideal family playground easier to implement.
FAQ
1. How much weight should a home indoor playground support?
Load-bearing requirements depending on equipment type, number of users and children's weight. Should confirm equipment's maximum usage weight, load-bearing limit of a single platform before purchasing, and if it allow multiple children use at the same time. Shouldn't only look the total load-bearing of complete set of equipment, because local structures may have different limits.
2. How can I reduce noise from an indoor playground in an apartment?
Inside the apartment, should preferred choice low-impact activities, such as soft building blocks, balance games and silent sensory toys. Bottom of the equipment can use shock-absorbing pads that match floor type, to reduce shock caused by jumping and moving. At the same time, avoid placing high-frequency activity facilities in neighbor's bedrooms or areas with thinner floor slabs.
3. What materials are easiest to clean and maintain?
High-frequency contact surfaces should preferentially consider materials with scrub-resistant and low water absorption, such as suitable solid plastic, sealed wood and removable and washable fabric cover. Should confirm cleaning agent's compatibility, if it prone to accumulating dirt, and if cushions and fabric covers can be disassembled before purchasing. Different materials need to adopt different cleaning methods, can't default all surfaces suitable for disinfectant.
4. Can a home indoor playground be installed in a rental property?
Can consider detachable, no need for permanent fixation play equipment, but must confirm house rental terms and landlord's requirements in advance. Large climbing frames, hoisting swings or equipment that needs to be drilled for fixing may involve wall, ceiling and floor structures, can't only with equipment size to adjust if it can be installed. Before moving, also should consider disassembly difficulty and reassembly cost.
5. How often should a home indoor playground be inspected?
Suggest fast check clearly loose, damaged and strange noise before each use, and conduct regular check according to manufacturer requirements. Pay attention to fasteners, connection points, ropes, mesh surfaces, weld points and load-bearing components. Once equipment appear crack, structural shaking or protective components damaged, should stop use, until repairs completed and ensure safety.
