Updated Play Space For M at 21 Months

I finally updated our play space and oh how it has changed!

Below is the before photo:

We now have a music area with a children’s piano that I picked up for $15 at Once Upon a Child. I was pretty excited to say the least.

I played a few songs for M from one of his Music Together books and then he ran to get one of our favorite books, The Wonderful Things You Will Be and put it on the piano assuming that all books have music that accompany them. So of course I made up a little tune for this book as well.

We do not have a ton of plastic toys, but the Fisher Price Classic Record Player is well worth an exception. M loves it so much and honestly so do I. My husband and I have a huge collection of vinyl and we hoped this would help M feel included in the fun (he still really wants the real records and turntable).

We switched the placement of the reading nest and added an art table. This table was passed down to us and we are very grateful! M is working with the Stockmar Beeswax Bloc Crayons these days and with a thick colored pencil. Here is a photo of the crayons:

These are a little pricey, but they seem to last forever and they don’t break when children put pressure on them. They are also nice for young ones who are still working on fine motor control. They are also used in the Waldorf curriculum and that makes me want them even more. Wait are these for me or for my child?? The line blurs yet again.

We made some space for M’s trike indoors since it is so chilly outside and added a new shelf that can hold three works. The easel was a garage sale find by M’s grandmother. I was so happy to hear that she got it for $5. Go grandma! Good easels are expensive!

I am so happy to have a small round table as the center piece of the play space. This table is an old coffee table that my sister painted and decopagued for us. It is just the right size.

The final change that I am really happy about is the addition of low hanging art work in this space. The oil painting pictured above is M’s fathers first oil painting ever. Dad does not feel at all attached to it, so I figured it would be a great piece to use in the play space. You can also see our obviously faux Monet painting in the photos of the music space. I love this painting and so does M. He points out the boats and the people all the time. M has also taken to pointing at the paintings and proclaiming, “art!” I love it!

What do you have in your play space or house in general that you and your child love? Leave a comment and let me know.