Playroom // Boho + Montessori Inspired

This playroom was a dream of mine from the moment we moved into our home. Now, four years later and this room is finally finished for what I believe it was always purposed for!

From a dull living room, to a cozy and peaceful playroom… this is truly one amazing transformation that my husband and I are very proud of!

I am so excited thinking about all of the memories that will be made in this room over the years ♥

I feel like I need to start off by asking this question…

Does your child need a playroom? Absolutely not. But what your child does need is a parent who loves them unconditionally with all of their heart! So as long as you’re doing that – that’s truly all that matters.

As I mentioned above, when we moved into our home, I always envisioned this room being a playroom. Now that it actually is, it truly brings tears to my eyes. While children don’t need playrooms, I am very grateful we are able to have one. As a stay at home mom, I am with my son 24/7 and value our time together more than anything. It’s been really great to have our own space to play in all day. It’s surreal to me that my husband and I have been able to create a space like this for our family.

Before I get into all of the fun details of the room, I really want to share my thoughts on this space and why the playroom is so special + important to me.

Play is essential for our children. Children benefit IMMENSLY from their exploration during playtime. While I believe in giving my child independence to play as part of our daily routine, I do also think it’s our job as parents to not only provide age appropriate play items, but to more importantly model correct play for our children. When a new toy comes into a child’s hands, it’s crucial to show them how to properly use it. Respect for our toys is so important. It can help foster respect for other things in life, too. I am inspired by the Montessori way of learning, where each toy has it’s own space. You will notice in these pictures that each toy is intentionally placed on the shelf in order from easiest to hardest. I believe this, in combination with a calm atmosphere, provides a better learning environment for a child. Knowing where toys are at, gives the child a sense of predictability.

My son is a year old, and since the day he started sitting up on his own, I began strategically placing toys in the same spots within our home. Shortly after he started crawling, at a very young age he began to crawl to toys that I would ask him where they were. I was amazed that he learned this so quickly. He also quickly began to identify the names we had for our toys, which has thus helped his speech and language development. When my son started walking a month ago, I then began to try and encourage even more strategic play in our environment. Our playroom has really helped me do that for him. Even before the crawling and walking, I remember a time when my son was maybe 2 or 3 months old; we were laying on the ground together looking at one of his rattle toys, and I remember pointing out to him every detail of the rattle. I spent a good 10-15 minutes talking about the rattle: the shape, the color, the texture, what it reminded me of, etc. Instead of just placing the rattle in his hands and walking away, our conversation (and babbles! lol) encouraged focus. I want to always model focused play to my children. For my child to play correctly with his toys is very important to me. When we take care of our toys, we are showing respect and modeling good behavior. When a toy is used correctly, it’s purpose has been developed!

It might sound funny to some, but toys to children are pretty much their jobs! Every day, when a child wakes up, it’s their job to play and learn! If we are not providing them the right tools, are we setting them up for success? A child who does not have age appropriate toys may begin to feel frustrated while they are playing because they cannot use the toy for what it was purposed for. I am not going to hand my 6 month old a shape sorter when he has not yet mastered how to place objects into a container. On the flip side, I am also not going to hand my 3 year old child a shape sorter, and expect him to be engaged for long.. this toy would be too easy for him. Finding the right balance to where you are practicing new skills but also having toys a child has mastered, is going to be unique for each child, since each child is different. That’s why having a variety of toys is important. Toys a child is practicing will encourage the practice of new skills and necessary development, while having a few toys out that a child has mastered, will also provide confidence!

There are a lot of toys out there- so doing your research is important! I see many families these days purchase the Lovevery toy kits. Lovevery takes out all the guesswork- and with a toy subscription, they will send you age appropriate toys for each stage of your young childs life. I personally do not have the Lovevery subscription, but I know a few people that do and they cannot rave enough about it. No matter what toys you buy or are given, all toys will be unique to you and your family! I personally love a good balance of toys: wooden, plastic, colorful, neutrals and light-up toys! It doesn’t have to be all or none.

As a mom with a bachelors degree in early childhood education, as well as an extensive background in the childcare setting, young children are right in my wheelhouse! I love being a mom more than anything. It’s a job I do not take lightly. I try my best in every moment of my day guiding and teaching my son. Giving him every ounce of my energy is what I love and thrive doing every single day!

With all of this talk about toys, I hope I encouraged you to think of play a little bit differently. At the end of the day, play should be FUN! Enjoy playing with your child. It’s a blessing! And half the time, it’s us adults who end up learning the most ♥

Let’s move on to the details of the playroom! Below you will find some staged pictures of the playroom that I had fun capturing. As we all know, the playroom doesn’t stay clean for long. I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow to toy cars and trucks all over 🙂

If you have any questions about anything in this post, please leave a comment or feel free to shoot me a message on my Instagram

At the bottom of this post, I will have a link to everything you see in the playroom, in case something catches your eye!

Thanks for reading – stop by again soon!

xoxo Candidly Cady

ABC + Number posters above our cube shelves. In the corner we have my husband and I’s little section of the room. We’ve been enjoying sitting here on the weekend mornings while we drink our coffee and let our son play on his own for a few! Along the back wall is a board and batten accent design that my husband made – it’s stunning in person! We also have our sons “cozy corner” with pillows, stuffed animals, and his chair!

The cube storage shelves offer the perfect shelving for Montessori inspired learning. Each toy has it’s place.

Our giant boho sun decal is one of my favorite parts! It brings such a warmth to the room and makes it feel nice and cozy! It was a great accent on top of the moody board and batten wall. We also have rattan clouds and mirrors in the back corner, too! A beautiful + timeless accent to the cozy corner.

Carefully curated under the window we have 3 floating rustic bookshelves. I prefer bookshelves to be at the child’s height so that they are encouraged to grab books as they please!

In the center of the room (or sometimes the side wall) we have our Battat brand kids table. It’s durable and lightweight, and also the perfect color for the theme we have going on.

On top of the cube shelf we have out iHome. We LOVE listening and dancing to music all day! The big cream totes on the bottom shelves are all from Target. I love that they’re flexible and can hold all kinds of things inside!

The tassel garland adds the perfect touch to the cozy corner!

The beautiful up-close details of the rattan sun mirror.

Light fixture is from Menards Home Improvement store. It’s a unique design perfect for our boho playroom.

I added some pampas grass to the top of the board and batten. It adds a simple touch of boho style.

An array of construction vehicles sits inside the tag frames I got at kohls. These frames add a rustic vibe. The construction vehicles are some of my sons favorite! VROOM VROOM

On the top of the cube shelves, I keep some of the more special toys like puzzles, word + color books, and art supplies.

A nice selection of age appropriate toys that we can rotate in and out as we need!

This large wall sign is from a family friend with a special note written on the back. Above in the corner are two DIY snowflakes hung with ceiling hooks and jute twine. They add a cozy vibe to this wall since it’s kinda awkward space.

These large white letters are from Hobby Lobby. Underneath, I have a strand of jute twine I made that I hung family and friend pictures on. Underneath the pictures, I have a strand of all of my sons artwork! Sitting on the floor is a plastic kids table and a large basket of soft stuff – blankets + stuffed animals!