The community quarantine has affected us in different ways, but it seems parents chose to look at the brighter side of things and decided to take advantage of the extra time by doing home improvement projects. We’ve seen how they made the most out of a small balcony — now they’re sharing quarantine makeovers of their children’s bedrooms and play areas.
5 ideas for your kids’ bedrooms and play areas
On our Facebook community, Smart Parenting Village, moms shared that they finally had time to declutter the home and redesign their spaces thanks to the quarantine. For some, all it took was a little rearranging here and there, while some really invested in furniture and renovation.
If you’re looking to transform your children’s bedrooms and play areas, take a look and be inspired by these ideas:
1. Install a loft for additional space.
Mom Kenzie Viray shares that she bartered the white racks, where she stores learning materials, for Php200 plus four packs of dominos (toys). What a steal!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Kenzie VirayADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWMom Kenzie Viray, 26, and her family are still living with Kenzie’s parents and only had a room for themselves. So, she and her husband, Ronel, thought of installing a loft before their second child (Brienne, now 8 months) was born to have additional space for their growing family.
Her 4-year-old son, Brylee, was supposed to start formal schooling this year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenzie decided to pursue independent homeschooling for him (which was practical since she is a SPED teacher turned online English teacher).
“Sa kagustuhan kong magkaroon ng learning area ang anak ko, I removed our kutson (on the loft) and turned our room into a study area/storage/closet,” Kenzie told SmartParenting.com.ph. “Where do we sleep? Sa sala hahaha!”
She adds, “The cost of the loft is P8,000 including the customized study table. The blue shelves on the left are actually much older than me, we just had it painted to match the room and the bed.”
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch now2. Have a spare room in the house? Turn it into a playroom!
Moms Marga Bautista, 25, and Glema Blando, 30, both had spare rooms in their respective homes, so they decided to turn it into a playroom for their kids.
Glema only had to clean this unoccupied room and fill it with her daughter’s toys. Her inspiration? Kidzoona!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Glema BlandoADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWGlema, a stay-at-home mom and an online seller, shares that the playroom was a birthday gift from her and her husband, Mark, for their 2-year-old daughter, Allison. “Since mahilig siya sa Kidzoona, gumawa na lang po kami ng paraan para kahit hindi nakakapag-mall ay nalilibang siya,” Glema shares.
Glema would wait for online sales to buy these big toys at discounted prices.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Glema BlandoADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW“Paunti-unti po namin binibili ang toys online kapag may mga malalaking discount kaya halos naipon na po ‘yung toys niya bago pa man din siya magka-playroom,” the mom explains.
Apart from playing, Marga Bautista shares that they use this space for studying and reading books.PHOTO BY courtesy of Marga BautistaADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWMarga, a business owner, says it’s always been her dream to build her son, Gabe, a playroom, so she converted a hall in their third floor into a Montessori-inspired play area. All it took was to buy a few shelves and transfer his toys from their room.
She even installed a self-care station in their bathroom for her son. How pretty!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Marga BautistaADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWWhat other parents are reading
3. For those with limited space, dedicate a small area in the living room!
The total cost for this renovation was just Php4,900 for the tables, chairs, and shelves!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Maricel AsañonMaricel Asañon, 33, a stay-at-home mom and business owner, decided to upgrade her toddler’s play area by removing the play fence where all her toys used to be and investing in kid-sized furniture.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW“I observed that my daughter, Anaya, seldom plays with her toys so I thought of organizing her play area since we are all required to stay at home during the quarantine,” Maricel shares. “I started to look for online stores where I can buy new furniture and I came across a store on Instagram that sells the designs I like — a minimalist theme because our area is small.”
After organizing Anaya’s toys, Maricel says that her daughter started playing with them more. “The set-up also encourages her to grab only what she wants and bring it back to the shelf when she’s done,” the mom explains. “We also do study time at her table. So happy with my renovation!”
4. Change up the theme of your child’s bedroom.
From pink to purple! Mom Bea Castillo shares that her daughter’s room is still a work in progress but it has become their bonding activity.PHOTO BY courtesy fo Bea CastilloADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWMom Bea Castillo, 34, shares that she was finally able to fulfill her 8-year-old daughter’s request for a room redesign because she worked from home during the quarantine. “Part of our house was destroyed by a fire last year. Though my daughter’s room was not damaged, we decided to grant her wish to change the motif to purple as she outgrew her pink obsession. Sinabay namin ‘yung paint and tiles sa construction nung fire damage, but this quarantine lang namin fully naayos since I was working and had no time before to fix her room,” she says.
The room before the renovation. “All the other items na hindi na niya ginagamit, binarter ko sa bartering community naming so wala akong tinapon and nasayang,” Bea says.PHOTO BY courtesy of Bea CastilloADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWBea shares that she and her daughter became closer because of this room project. “It was my daughter talaga who pushed for this new room since she is already 8 and starting to be more independent. I just helped her achieve that.”
She adds, “Paint job and tiles lang talaga ‘yung gastos (around Php10,000 to Php15,000 because it was done with the construction). For the other items, we just used what’s available in our house and added a desk for her homeschooling.”
5. Turn a rooftop into a cozy “tambayan.”
There was a big space for the kids to play, but couple April and Mark Reyes wanted to spruce up the rooftop some more.PHOTO BY Courtesy of April ReyesADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWFor those with older kids, a hangout spot where the family can bond may be more beneficial. That’s what couple April and Mark Reyes, both 35, decided to do with their roof deck.
“Originally, the third floor was used to breed Peruvian chickens, which was my husband and brother-in-law’s business. But because the kids can’t go out during the pandemic and business was slow, my hubby decided to put the roosters in a vacant lot beside our house and renovate the roof deck as a playroom for the kids,” April explains.
From a vacant space, this room can now be used for swimming in the inflatable pool, biking, playing, studying, karaoke, or just hanging out. It has its own bathroom and sink, too!PHOTO BY Courtesy of April ReyesADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWThe couple decided to invest around Php80,000 to Php90,000 for the renovation, including the furniture. “We had difficulty sourcing materials because of the total lockdown but it was a huge help for the construction workers who had no jobs [during the quarantine],” she says.
Have your own home improvement projects to share? Comment your photos below or email us at smartparentingsubmissions@gmail.com with the subject "Home Improvement Project." We'd love to hear from you!
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