33 Easy and Fun Ideas for DIY Playroom Wall Decor for Kids

Make home the most fun place to be by using creative and fun DIY playroom wall decor ideas for all ages! From playroom to game room, these ideas can grow with your family and create a stylish living space for everyone to enjoy!

When I think about a playroom space, I am reminded at how our family’s playrooms have evolved over the years and in the different homes we have lived in. Certainly, it is a space that needs to grow with a family. We have been working specifically on a playroom makeover to transition into more of a game room space over the past year. While we are not totally done, we have found some really fun DIY playroom wall decor ideas that everyone is loving. At the same time, I’ve rounded up some other ideas that we have either used in the past or DIY playroom wall decor options that would be great for a variety of ages!

There are so many incredible playroom design ideas out there and it will be important for you to narrow down the ideas that fit your play area space, children’s interests, needs, and ages, as well as your budget and home style. Of course, no place space is complete without great solutions for a storage system and cozy accents too. It is important to us that this kids’ space has great options to entertain older kids as well as be safe and comfortable for small children who may visit. Basically, a game room for kids of all ages is our goal!

I’ve heard many parents say this over the years and it is true for our family as well. I would much rather have all of our kids and their friends hanging out at our home (or the homes of close friends and family.) This world can be an interesting place but our family feels that it is so important to continue investing in great kids by giving them safe and wholesome ways to have a great time! We are so thankful for our community and it makes me so, SO happy when our home is full of kids and teenagers having a great time together!

I can’t wait to show you some of the changes we’ve made and how we have found creative ways to make the space really fun for the entire family. At the same time, we have worked hard to come up with fun designs for the blank walls that still blend with the overall aesthetic of our home.

large felt black and white chess board on a white wall in the playroom

How to Decorate a Wall in a Playroom?

Here are 33 fun ideas you can use for DIY playroom wall decor for kids! Some of these are ideas we have used in the past, some are DIY playroom wall decor ideas we are currently enjoying, and others are ideas that look so fun and creative! Sadly, there are just only so many walls in a playroom or game room space, right?!

Some of these ideas require some simple DIY projects while others can be purchased already created and ready to hang in your child’s playroom or kids’ room if they do not have a separate play space.

To me, playroom decor is a perfect way to create a play space where children and families, alike, love to hang out. Therefore, it is helpful to have an aesthetically pleasing space while also using wall decor in functional ways too.

Here are 33 fun ideas to make a big statement and have a ton of fun!

Wall mural on an accent wall
Wall decals
Floating shelves for display craft projects or for storage
Floating shelves to display favorite books or rotating seasonal books
Awning over windows
Plush animal heads
Educational art
Interactive board games that hang on the wall
Chalkboard wall
Magnetic panels
LEGO panels
Pegboard for toy storage and display
Cork board panels to hang art projects and family snapshots
Letter boards for inspirational or fun quotes
Hanging pockets for stuffed animal or toy storage and display
Cable system to easily hang children’s artwork as a gallery wall
Inspirational or Scriptural artwork
Vintage signs or artwork that tie into a theme
Family pictures
Large wooden letters with a fun word or phrase: “Play”, “Share”, “Create”, etc.
DIY sensory boards or bins for younger children
Large tree shape with branches coming out from the wall, built from wood or cardboard, to create dimension and interest
Samsung TV with fun art from an Etsy shop
Drawing board with a dry erase marker
Colorful canvas art or pennants (fun way to personalize a space!)
Rock climbing wall (definitely a more substantial DIY but SO FUN!)
Fun hooks to hang dress-up clothes or buckets with art supplies
Upcycle wood to make a great accent wall (see picture below for Harrison’s room; this was old fencing that blew down in a hurricane. We collected it from the side of the road and turned it into a free accent wall!
Look for cool maps at thrift stores and hang for large artwork
Use a really fun shower curtain as a hanging wall tapestry (made also to camoflauge storage behind it?)
Over-the-door rack on the outside of a closet door for colorful storage and to display special toys or stuffed animals
Turn family snapshots into oversized wall art posters at an office supply store
Collect old fabric in your color scheme and make a cute bunting that hangs across a long accent wall.
Frame cheap pieces of fun scrapbook paper for easy art with a pop of color.
Indoor games like basketball and magnetic darts

view of a beautiful neutral playroom with a ping pong table, striped bean bags, and a TV

Easy and Fun Ideas for DIY Playroom Wall Decor for Kids

How to Make DIY Playroom Wall Decor with Board Games

How to decorate a large playroom wall?

Last summer, I learned about a new product and brand called Felt Right. I instantly fell in love with the concept and new it would be a great fit for our game room. Over the past year, we’ve been slowly been working on adding and transitioning this play room space to meet the evolving interests and needs of our growing children.

As a side note: they are growing way too fast! At the same time, it’s such a fun season of life and we are just trying to soak it up!

While Felt Right has an incredible number of options to add their specially designed felt panels in a variety of colors and shapes to create DIY wall decor for any room, they also recently launched some fun board games for the wall. Especially in a space where I want every inch to count, the board games are a great way to give kids even more fun ways to use the new playroom. I also love that the board games cover a large section of the game room walls for color, texture, and interest.

For our Felt Right designs, we decided on the game board that can be used for chess or checkers, as well as the 9-panel tic-tac-toe game. The colors are literally so perfect with our black and white color scheme. The best part is the games encourage cooperative play and will be fun for our kids, their friends, and even adults who are hanging out in the game room to play pool, ping pong, or a variety of other activities!

The Felt Right product is super easy to hang and includes the adhesive tabs and all of the instructions you will need. Robb used a measuring tape and level to get the first panel started for each of the board games. Then, he worked off of the first panel, checking the level as he went to keep the board games going straight!

If DIY playroom wall decor in the form of board games isn’t the right fit for your space, still check out the Felt Right brand and product. They have amazing ideas to help you get started. Whether you want soft neutrals or vibrant colors, a large wall installation or an easy project to add color and interest to a child’s room, you’ll love what you find. We are huge fans of Felt Right and their amazing customer service support too!

a piece of the felt tic-tac-toe board turned upside down with the adhesive mount being put on

dark square of the felt tic-tac-toe board being placed on the wall

felt tic tac toe board behind a cozy striped chair in the game room

large black and white felt chessboard mounted on a white wall with all the felt pieces for chess and checkers on the sides

How to Use Floating Shelves for DIY Playroom Wall Decor

How do you decorate a small room wall?

While floating shelves could easily be used for a large playroom wall, I think they are one of my favorite ideas for a small wall too. At our last house, we had a small storage nook under our stairs. Adding book ledges, we turned the wall of this tiny space into a revolving library where I could display our kids’ favorite books and rotate fun books for the holidays and season.

Taking that same concept, I added floating book shelves to my classroom as well. It is the perfect place to guide the students to books that tie into our curriculum themes, activities, and Montessori-style lessons. It is also a cute way to incorporate different colors.

For example, with my current Community Helpers theme, many of the book covers display a color scheme of red and blue. However, soon we will transition into a Spring Garden theme and this DIY playroom wall decor opportunity will become an explosion of vibrant colors for spring. While the shelves make a fun wall decor spot, they are also super functional and help make books a huge part of our classroom design.

Harrison’s room is another fun example of using floating shelves for DIY playroom wall decor. We used these vintage metal shelves on the main wall over his desk. Since he is at that age to have trophies, LEGOs, and other objects to display, the shelves turn these special pieces into wall art instead of cluttering up the desk top.

Whether you have a rustic or modern playroom, there are many options of floating shelves that are pre-made and ready to hang. You can also turn floating shelves into a great DIY project for playroom walls that will be functional and add an aesthetically pleasing design style to the kids’ room as well!

adorable wooden shelves with various children's books and other kids' decor

view of Harrison's desk with his floating shelves to hold books and Legos

How to Create an Easy Gallery Wall for DIY Playroom Wall Decor

How do you decorate a simple wall?

One of my students’ favorite spots in our classroom is the simple gallery wall beside their cubbies. Why? Well, children’s favorite wall decor is definitely their OWN DIY craft projects and art projects. They are proud to display their creations to share with their parents and friends.

For the easiest DIY playroom wall decor, I highly recommend THESE simple cables with clips and hooks. It is an easy way to display those special papers from school and fun creations in their free time at home. At the same time, it is quick and easy for you to switch out their artwork as their inner artist is busy creating special new DIY playroom wall decor to hang up!

Pro Tip: If your children are younger, hang these cables at a height where the children can easily see them.

If you hang them very high, they are completely out of sight, out of mind for the younger children. However, hanging the cables where children can see their artwork is a really fun idea and allows them to be more interactive. Plus, it makes the space feel very special to them as they know their creativity is valued and encouraged.

The cable system is very inexpensive, making it great for tight budgets. You can also create a DIY version of this with hooks or nails and twine. However, I do love that the cable system is more secure and it will last you for years to come.

various pieces of artwork hanging on a line in a classroom

How to Use Plush Animal Heads for Fun DIY Playroom Wall Decor

One of my favorite things in my preschool classroom are the large, plush animal heads that hang around the room. The larger size allowed me to hang them high enough to make sense for the space but still be visible and fun for my young students. Also, the plush animal heads add a lot of texture and character to the room. Instead of all of the wall decor being flat to the wall, the cute animals add dimension. Plus, they are just plain fun while adding a little bit of whimsy to this early childhood classroom.

There are many different styles available and they are also really fun for a themed nursery. What babies or children don’t love cute animals?! It’s an all-time favorite and something that you can incorporate into different kids’ rooms as they grow and change too. Plush animal heads are a perfect idea to add safe and easy wall decor to a kids’ room!

adorable plush sheep head mounts on either side of a sign that says "play is the work of a child" in a classroom

plush llama head mount and swan mount staggered on a wall in a neutral classroom

plush ram and llama head mounts on either side of a whiteboard in a neutral classroom

How to Add an Awning for DIY Playroom Wall Decor

I love having a kids’ space that has a lot of natural light. Natural light is healthy and makes a space feel bright and happy for the whole family. At the same time, if you have a lot of windows, it leaves less opportunity for playroom wall decor ideas.

One way that I added interest and decor to the walls of my classroom and to my kids’ rooms at home also was to have custom awnings made to go over their windows. As you can see, it is a simple wooden frame with your choice of covering. While it is a relatively easy DIY playroom wall decor idea, we had a friend to make ours as we were renovating and had a lot going on! However, some simple knowledge of tools would make these simple to build.

You could choose bright colors with fabric, natural tones, or even shape that ties in with the rest of the playroom space.

Even though this is a non-functional wall decor idea, it is one that adds so much dimension and aesthetic fun to a kids’ room. It is a playroom wall decor idea that is good for making a big statement with tight budgets…remember, I said we were renovating at the time?! Haha!

white wooden scalloped awning over a window with plantation shutters in the girls' room

adorable wooden awning over the windows in a neutral classroom

How can I make my playroom look nice?

A playroom is always going to have some random things floating around and toys that don’t fit the color scheme. Unless you are really dedicated to spending a lot of time every day cleaning up the space, it’s likely going to often have somewhat of a mess in one corner or another. However, there are a few simple principles you can use as you set up a playroom space that will help you go a little less insane when you step into the play space.

Color Scheme
Simple Storage Solutions
Functional Decor and Organizers
Flexible Furniture and Decor

Color Scheme:

Choose a very simple color scheme and incorporate it throughout the space with paint color, a soft rug, comfy pillows, DIY playroom wall art, and large pieces. For example, when my girls’ were little, their play kitchen was white and gray. Play kitchens are large pieces that cannot be put away in a basket or in a closet. So, if possible, choose larger pieces that can fit with your color scheme.

Simple Storage Solutions:

I am a big believer in teaching children how to clean up and help themselves. A playroom space is the perfect place for them to learn. However, as the adult, you need to create organization and storage that makes sense for them and is easily accessible. Simple shelves that are uncluttered, storage bins with picture labels, and time spent training where to put new toys away will all make the kids’ playroom more enjoyable for everyone. The best part is that your child is learning valuable skills of independence and organization! Over on THIS blog post, you can get ideas for playroom storage and toy organization that we have found helpful in our family!

Pro Tip: If you don’t have a separate playroom, invest in a coffee table for the living room that has baskets. This is one of my favorite ways that even our babies and toddlers learned to start helping with playtime clean up!

view of a black and white ping pong table in a neutral game room

How do you maximize space in a small playroom?

Functional Decor and Organizers:

As much as possible, make everything in the room functional. While some DIY playroom wall decor is just cute and looks nice in the room, think of ways you can incorporate function into every square inch.

Bean bags that hold stuffed animals, ottomans with lids for storage and extra seating, cute shelves that double as wall decor to display storage bins and hide toys away, bright letters made out of cork board that provide inspiration with a word or phrase but also hold push pins with special art projects…each thing serves more than one important function for a kids’ playroom space.

Pro Tip: Be patient with yourself and your space.

I’ve been a mom for over 16 years now and a teacher for over 20 years. So, I have a lot of experience with trial and error in these types of spaces. It will take you time to tap into the best solutions for your unique space and the needs of your own family!

Flexible Furniture and Decor:

Many of the things in our game are modular. While the really large pieces are definitely permanent, many things can be moved around to accommodate different groups of people and activities. Here are a few examples:

The pool table benches open up for game storage and can be pushed out to the sides of the room for friends’ to hang out and watch. However, when not in use, they can also slide all the way under the pool table to leave more floor space for other activities.

The bean bag chairs are easy to move and comfortable for all ages. Adults, teens, and children alike can enjoy them and we can even move them into other rooms of the house for extra seating.

The baskets add texture and interest to the room. However, they are the perfect storage for cozy throw blankets for movie and game nights.

Large floor cushions rest in the corner of the game room and add a pop of color and interest. At the same time, they are easily accessible for a group of friends to watch a movie or lounge around playing games and chatting.

movie area in the game room with floor cushions, bean bags, and baskets to hold blankets

Have fun in your new playroom space!

There are so many ways to create a space that is so much fun for the entire family and functions well for the needs of your family!

As you work on creating a space dedicated to fun and creativity in your own home, whether it is a spare room, the corner of a home office, a big basement playroom, or baskets in your living room, I hope these ideas spark some fun for your family!