Playroom Ideas for Tweens

Tweens... kids between the ages of 9 and 12. Too old to play with toys/dolls, but not ready to be called teenagers. Their choices, when it comes to decorating their rooms is very peculiar. This is the age when their decisions keep changing every half an hour. This in between age (child and teen) is wonderful but it comes with tons of confusion. Although they aren't teenagers yet, they surely don't prefer being treated like small kids as well. They want things in a certain way; it is a part of their growth and development. So when the matter comes to designing and decorating a playroom for them, it can take some parents/guardians a while to circle their head around it. Again, because of the conflicting ideas they keep giving you. Then how are you supposed to come up with fun, acceptable playroom ideas for tweens? Simple. By reading this article.

Ideas for a Playroom

As kids grow up, faster than you can ever imagine, they tend to require more space. Not because they have extra stuff to store but they want to have their friends over for sleepovers, birthday parties, or even study. At such times, you might want them to have a space of their own where you can keep an eye on them without letting them know. Your basement or an outdoor shed is a great place. But you surely don't want their "playroom" to be a room with four boring walls, now do you? In that case, why not come up with some fun and exciting playroom ideas so that they enjoy their personal time with friends or by themselves.

So to help you come up with some ideas, we have listed particular areas and items in the room which need to be worked on. And to keep this project from going as smooth and as stress-free as possible, here's an advice for you - take suggestions from your tweens and mix some of your own as well.

Playroom Theme
The most important element in a playroom (or any room for that matter) is the theme. Once you have the theme in mind, you can literally do wonders with a room. For tweens, the theme of the room has to reflect their personality. And of course, depending on guys and girls, their tastes will have night and day of difference. So if you are looking for playroom ideas for girls, then they will have absolutely nothing to do with the ideas for boys. To help you brainstorm various themes for your tweens, here are few suggestions from our side.

For Girls	For Boys
Beach House	Lost in Space
Alice in Wonderland	Harry Potter
English Tea Room	Sports Room
Garden w/ Butterflies	Under the Ocean
Paris Fashion Room	Video Game Room

Sit down with the kids and discuss what their interests are. If they like a particular movie, music band, actor, actress; you can use those ideas to create a personal room for them. This way, even they won't be able to complain and the project will be done with sooner than expected.

Playroom Walls
According to the theme of the playroom, the walls will get the same treatment. For example, the theme of the room is Paris fashion, then think extravagant for the room. You can choose one or more colors to paint the walls. Hang fancy mirrors on all walls so that the girls can wear their outfits and do a mini fashion show. Now on the other hand, the theme of the room is sports, then it can concentrate on football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, etc.; this again depends on what your tween is into. If he likes soccer or basketball, then the walls can have posters of his favorite players. You can even personalize the room by writing an inspirational quote from that player.

The colors on the walls will surely depend on the tweens' choices. You can even go overboard with wall hangings or just keep the area neat and clean. A good way to involve kids here is by involving them to paint the playroom as well. This way, they can choose the colors and you won't have to go through the hassle.

Playroom Floors
Didn't think that you could do something for the floors? Think again. There are few choices when it comes to ideas for floors - carpets, area rugs, and tile/hardwood floors.

• Carpets - They are a natural selection when it comes to playrooms as they cover the entire room and will eliminate extra cleaning. But you can go beyond the boring beige carpet and match the carpet with the theme of the room or go contrast.
• Area Rugs - If your tweens are asking for a more elegant look and want more diversity in the room, then area rugs and floor mats can be included. You can place these rugs near the bed, bookcase, bean bag, and near the bathroom. You can match the area rugs or do a mismatch with colors. You can keep 2 or 3 rugs of the same size but of different colors.
• Hardwood Flooring - This is a simple, no hassle option for playroom floors. All you require is hardwood or laminated floor tiles and you're all set. Choose either dark or light colors for the tiles. They are easy to clean and can match almost all colors for the walls and theme of the room.

Playroom Furniture
Finally, the furniture in the room. Boy, there are so many options. You can have furniture for reading and writing area (of course, a desk with lamp), toy and book rack (stocked with their new toys and books), and a comfy couch. Now even for the furniture of the room, we will again go back to the theme of the room. For example, the theme of the room is garden with butterflies, then the furniture in the room can reflect that. You can have a bench instead of the couch; basically we are looking for garden furniture. You can include a one-seater swing in the room as well.

On the other hand, if the theme of the room is space, then seating arrangements, you can place a rocket-shaped bed or couch. Apart from that, you can use big, comfy pillows and arrange them in a way that it looks like a spaceship. You can even have furniture that's shaped in an unusual manner; round or oval chairs, triangular table, or egg-shaped book case.

As I mentioned earlier, the playroom ideas will differ because boys and girls have very unique choices. Even though this may seem like a tough and long project, in the end, your tweens will have a space of their own which they can call theirs.