When it comes to playroom paint ideas, choosing a theme and characters can be an exciting weekend and even a bonding experience with your child. The idea of picking paint colors for the playroom that will stay a favorite for longer than a season can also be a little stressful.

Here are some playroom paint ideas:

Prepare, plan and organize

It is always a good idea to set aside a weekend for any painting in the house. If possible, hiring an actual painter might alleviate a lot of stress. But if you are up for the challenge, make sure you have all the supplies before you start. Choosing a color can be tricky. Do you go with your child’s favorite color for the week or one that goes with the rest of the house?

Neutral is always better

I remember the days when I wanted everything in orange, from clothes, to what I ate, to accessories and anything else in my room. This phase lasted a few months, and then I sat with a lot of orange…everything. When choosing a color for your child’s playroom, it might be best to go with a neutral color. According to Stern-Ellran et al. (2016), a color background compared to a more neutral one increase disruptive behaviors.

Interests-based characters and toys

Just like favorite colors, favorite characters and games can also seem to change rapidly for our children. It might be a good idea to have a few characters or toys as part of the room’s decoration and play options, to keep children’s attention and motivation to occupy themselves in the room. There are some great wall stickers on the market featuring children’s characters that don’t leave marks when removed – this could be an option for adding a little flair to a neutral paint palette.

Include your child in the choices

When deciding on paint colors and characters to choose from, provide your child with a selection of some of these. If they are part of the process from the start, they might feel more in control and take responsibility for wanting to change the color and characters on the walls frequently.  You can also get your child to help with some of the painting. I changed my classroom’s walls when I worked as a preschool teacher. The entire class was part of the first layer of paint, and then we had someone a tad bit more “professional” complete the additional coats. At the end of the painting experience and from that day onwards, the children all felt part of the reason the walls looked beautiful. 

Document it

Taking “before, during, and after” photos might remind you and your child to rethink changing the color anytime soon. It might also give your family a fun memory of working hard while bonding if you take this job on yourself.

If you keep rotating toys in your child’s playroom, it might be an excellent way for you to get some needed breaks too. Your child might be motivated to keep themselves occupied for longer, and if you add a novel toy or activity ever so often, they might surprise you with some extra “me time.”

Stern-Ellran, K., Zilcha-Mano, S., Sebba, R., & Levit Binnun, N. (2016). Disruptive Effects of Colorful vs. Non-colorful Play Area on Structured Play-A Pilot Study with Preschoolers. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 1661.

Karla Pretorius

A registered counselor with a MA in Psychology. Co-founder: AIMS Global & Leadership at: Augmental