Theme

• Pick a theme for your children's playroom. Themes make the room more fun and kid-friendly. Get your kids involved in the project by asking them to help you come up with a theme. Theme ideas include dinosaurs, under the sea, camping, race cars, boats, trains, a particular sport, a favorite Disney movie, a favorite cartoon or even a favorite color.
  
  

Decorate

• Bring your playroom theme to life when decorating the playroom. You can paint the walls a bright, cheerful color or design a mural on one or all of the walls. Since your children's interests will change over time, use removable wall decals so the room's theme can evolve. Pick fun light fixtures, kid-sized furniture, pillows and curtains that reflect your theme. Put a large throw rug over a hardwood floor so your kids have a soft place to play, or invest in a module rug for the floor. Module rugs allow you to easily replace a stained or worn portion of the carpet.
  
  

Zones

• Kids like doing different activities, so divide your space into at least four different zones. Set aside one corner of the room for crafts so the kids have a place to keep their craft supplies as well as a table to work on. Assign another part of the room to toys. Here kids can pull out their toys from nearby storage and play. Kids also spend time watching cartoons, movies and playing video games, so make part of the room a TV area. If your kids like to play make-believe with a play-kitchen or dress up in costumes, dedicate a space to make-believe play.
  
  

Storage

• To make a playroom efficient and keep it tidy, you need lots of storage so everything has a place. Invest in bookshelves. Use the higher shelves for books, games and decorations and stock the lower shelves with storage baskets, bins or boxes for toys. Buy a toy chest, if you prefer to put toys there, or use a toy chest or wicker trunk for dress-up clothes. Use nets for stuffed animals. Keep art and craft supplies in clear bins. Purchase video game organizers and label them clearly so your children put things back in the proper place.