Playhouses...Do Your DCKs Play With Them??

[SunflowerMama]

So a few weeks ago I found a great playhouse on craigslist so snatched it up.

This weekend I'm redoing my playroom b/c I have a dcm that stages rooms for Ikea so she's giving me some great storage advice so I'm redoing some things.

The thing about this house is that it's HUGE and takes up a lot of room.

It gets played with MAYBE 5 mins a day if that. The things inside just get tossed around and I probably play with it more than anyone::.

I would love the extra wall space but I'm worried if I sell it they will turn around and ask where the house went.

If you guys have playhouses like this do your dcks play with them? I just don't know if maybe one day they'll be interested but now it's just not their thing. Dcks are 2-5.

[Country Kids]

Mine would LOVE something like that but all the little pieces would be hard to keep up with. I might keep a special basket for the pieces that would be put up when no one was playing with it. If they aren't interested though time to get rid of it and move on with something they will like and play with.

[littlemommy]

Mine would LOVE something like that but all the little pieces would be hard to keep up with. I might keep a special basket for the pieces that would be put up when no one was playing with it. If they aren't interested though time to get rid of it and move on with something they will like and play with.

That's my problem with blocks and shape sorter toys. They get scattered around, and then when it's time to pick up toys they get tossed in the toy box and not with the big toy they are supposed to be with. When the kids get older I would like to get more toys like that. My dad built a big wooden toy barn for my younger brothers years ago. I'd love to ask him if DS could have that. He loves cows and would have a blast!

[nannyde]

We have three of them and they play the heck out of them.

We require them to put everything back in a specific spot at clean up so when they go to play it again it's fully set up. We don't allow them to just put/pile the pieces on the shelf. They have to "right" it and get it set up for the next play time.

The "righting" it IS where the respect for the pieces comes. The furniture goes in specific spot... the chairs... the babies go in the high chairs... the rugs in the right place... etc.

They learn to right it at about three so that's the age they can play with them. The kids that are unable to put them back don't have access to them.

[morgan24]

First let me say that is a nice house and I would play with it. I have the fisher price one and the 2 I have play with it a couple of times every day. I train them to know that when they are done with something it goes back where they got it from. I rotate toys in and out all the time. Can you put it away and bring it out in a couple of months, then they will think that its a new toy.

[kendallina]

I agree about having a place for all the toys, we keep ours in a basket next to the dollhouse and it works for us. You can also try taking out about 1/2 of the furniture and accessories. Sometimes when there is sooo much it can become overwhelming.

It's a beautiful dollhouse, btw.

[MG&Lsmom]

I'm in love with that house! My DDs have a huge FP Loving Family one. They played with it for about a month, then it just became DS' favorite toy to crash into and destroy. It got sent to the basement playroom where only the girls are allowed to play alone. I won't even attempt to put it out for DCKs.

I have a FP Little People castle that gets played with constantly. But it's only the people, not the accessories that they play with. Maybe try that? Just people and a few pieces of furniture.

[PitterPatter]

I don't have doll houses or play houses for my daycare. They have problems keeping things together even when I'm right there to help clean it all up. I may try 1 tho I loved my 2 houses growing up. 1 was a tree house that had a pop top. The other was a 4 room house that folded in half and had a working doobell!

When I had my son I wanted him to have an open mind and play with some girls toys as well. But I had to be careful what I bought for him because his Dad who lived with us at the time was anal about such things. 1 day I came across a picture of my tree house family and my son (then 4) said he wanted it. My Mom lost/misplaced all our early toys so it's gone. I went to ebay to buy 1 for him. They wanted $75 for it! It didn't even have all the pieces. Yep antique now . I passed of course not knowing if he would keep an interest in it and I wasn't doing daycare at the time so it may have gone to waste.

[juliebug]

my girls love that house!! they have on at the place we go play. the girls would sit there for 2 hours and play if i let them. the boys could care less. they just walk right on by.

[SimpleMom]

Mine p;ay with them allll the time. All ages and both sexes. I just keep the small pieces available for the older ones. The pieces are kept in a basket and they need to put them back when done. the younger ones get to play with it, but they get help with learning how to put them away. I'm also there with them if they play with them.

[momofsix]

I have an OLD little tikes (like 20 years!) with a ton of accessories. It too takes up a lot of room. I only take it out for about a week at a time, every couple of months. The kids love it, and having it our rarely really keeps it special. It's one of the toys I hope to keep nice for the "someday" grandbabies!

[Unregistered]

I would think that 2 maybe a bit young to appreciate something that cool but as they get older they should start playing with it more. The basket is agood idea. Do you have room to just take it out of the equasion for a while then reintroduce it? It would be a shame to get rid of it.