Build HappyKidsLifestyle

Let’s Play School

By January 10, 2020No Comments

Does anyone else have a kid in that elementary age range where they have pretty much outgrown toys, but they still love to pretend?  That is my Ensley!  My soon to be eight year old (who are we kidding, she’s really going on 18) loves nothing more than to come home from a day at school and play “school” in her room.  She just loves to make believe that she’s the teacher; reading to her class, showing them new ways to solve math problems, or writing rules on the white board.  So, when it was time to update her room from the little girl decor that once hung on her walls, we wanted to give her a space that would be perfect for exactly the way that she likes to play.

This corner of her room has become her go-to spot, and we just love that it supports her creativity.  It all started from an inspiration photo that I found on Pinterest, but I wanted to share some of the fun features that make her room and teacher area special to her.

White Board:  This HUGE white board from Hobby Lobby is by far the focal point of her pretend classroom.  I think she (and other kids who come over) love it so much because it’s so big and at their level.  This one is 3′ tall by 4′ wide and I feel like it’s the perfect size for them.  Bonus:  Keeping a white board in your kids’ room or just in the house somewhere is such a great way to keep them practicing their letters and numbers.

Shelving:  These floating wood shelves are also from Hobby Lobby and I love how we were able to use multiple shelves to create this corner look.  I’ve also seen these done higher up on the wall with a larger desk underneath them too, which is another great thought – especially for teens who need a homework station.  Ensley uses these shelves to keep all of her treasures, special art from school, shells she’s collected, etc. – you know, lots of important seven year old girl stuff.

Décor:  We found some of the cutest room décor this year at Target – where else, right?  The curtain lights were one of the favorite additions so far.  Adding any type of lighting to your kids’ bedrooms can be really fun and make it seem almost magical.  This curtain light doubles for us as décor and then also a night light for sleeping too!  The white furry ottoman is also a Target buy from the Project 62 brand!

Letterboard:  I was so excited to find this cute letter board shelf from Hobby Lobby when we were gathering ideas for the room.  It’s extra fun because we can change out the message any time.

School Stuff:  If your kids love to play school too, some other accessories that can add to their play space are:  post-its, fun pens and markers, lanyards that look like what the teachers wear, a laptop (we were able to purchase a refurbished one that was very affordable!), a printer so that they can make their own worksheets, a Hue document camera (it hooks up to the computer and allows them to zoom in and show things closeup on the screen), nametags, certificates, stamps, etc.

Here are the links to items above!

White Board: Here’s a link to a similar one but with a different colored frame–> whiteboard

Shelves: –> floatingshelves

Letterboard Shelf: –> letterboard

Curtain Lights: –> lights

Ottoman: –> ottoman

HUE Document Camera: –> documentcam