Creative ideas for play areas in primary schools
- Simple and inexpensive: laminate your IKEA children's furniture and classics with our custom-fit design decal.
- Child-friendly and hygienic: All our adhesive films are CE-certified and free from solvents and hazardous plasticisers. The films can be wiped with a damp cloth, making them quick and easy to clean.
5 reasons for a play corner in primary school
- Playful learning – Children learn through play and develop cognitive skills while playing.
- Promoting social skills – Playing together strengthens cooperation, team spirit and fairness.
- More exercise & creativity – A play corner encourages exploration and discovery.
- Promotes concentration and perseverance – learning is easier after short breaks for play.
- Fun without pressure – Not every game has to have a measurable learning objective – playing should simply be enjoyable!
5 ideas for the perfect play corner in primary school
A well-equipped play corner brings variety to lessons. Here are some creative ways to design an inspiring play corner:
- : play tables Whether street scenes or classic board games, play tables are flexible and encourage logical thinking and strategy.
- : role-play corner Children slip into different roles and practise social interactions.
- Maths play corner : Practise arithmetic in a playful way with Montessori materials or number puzzles.
- Puzzle & logic game corner : Promotes patience, concentration and problem-solving skills.
- Creative craft corner : Painting, crafting and designing – perfect for relaxation and imagination.
The play table - flexible and creative
In a well-equipped play corner, a good play table is a must. Our customised adhesive foils transform IKEA classics such as the LACK table or the TROFAST shelf into fascinating play worlds. From small streets and imaginative landscapes to colourful board games, everything is included. The robust and scratch-resistant surfaces are ideal for intensive use in classrooms. They are easy to clean so that everything is clean again in no time at all, even after a long day of crafting or colouring. With this hack, you can also add variety to the play corner!
The children's stool – the versatile everyday helper
Small stools can be used in many ways in everyday school life. Whether for circle time, as a craft area or as a support when playing. With our creative stickers, you can transform simple IKEA stools into real eye-catchers. With our customisable films, you can also design a unique stool for each child, which they can then use anywhere. The robust film is also resistant to the daily adventures of little ones.
Wall design - Colourful accents for a big impact
It's often the small details, that bring a room to life. With wall tattoos in a child-friendly design, you can achieve this easily, inexpensively and without much manual effort. The wall design is a clever way to beautify a room, define areas and create your own play worlds. The easy-care and hard-wearing films are quick to apply and just as easy to remove without leaving any residue - perfect for everyday school life!
TROFAST - storage and organisation
A smooth everyday life in the classroom needs good storage and organisation solutions. The TROFAST shelf with its large, removable drawer is the perfect solution. Our adhesive films help to transform shelves into practical and attractive organisational aids. With themed stickers or self-writable foils, toys, craft materials and books can be organised in no time at all. The shelf can be wonderfully transformed into an eye-catcher in the room with our patterned adhesive foils or customised to match the rest of the decor. The robust and durable films with a great design make tidying up a real pleasure.
Play corner in primary school: Playing is also part of the curriculum
Lena is a passionate teacher. She shows us how she incorporates games into the children's everyday learning. She shows us her play corner in the primary school and explains why playing should not be neglected at school.
Play is not a game, it is a serious matter and has deep meaning. (Friedrich Fröbel)
Playing sets a precedent
When we play in the classroom, we learn – but not vocabulary or arithmetic! We learn without even noticing, because the focus is on the game. And we learn a great deal. Playing promotes personal and social skills. Children learn to follow existing rules or invent new ones together. All this happens naturally in the play corner at primary school.
Those who play, learn! Those who learn, live! Those who live, play! (Jörg Roggensack)
Losing is also something that needs to be learned: primary school children often find it difficult to lose. But they have to learn to deal with this too. Children need to be able to recognise and accept defeat. And the winners? Children often celebrate their victory exuberantly, hurting the feelings of their fellow players in the process. Who hasn't said "gotcha" at some point? To ensure that both losers and winners want to play together again, it is important to play in a socially acceptable and fair manner. Fairness is a top priority in the play corner at primary school. Of course, this is also where the teacher comes in: we must support and empower the pupils. The loser is determined by something more than the winner. Teachers should set an example and make pupils aware that even a fun game in the classroom can be a win.
Play areas in primary schools strengthen team spirit
Christmas
magic in primary school: The elf
The Christmas magic of the elf is not only for your home, but can also delight children in primary schools. The elf brings joy and Christmas spirit, but can also convey educational content in a playful way and strengthen team spirit. He lives behind a small door and plays pranks at night, writes letters or brings the little ones tasks or Christmas carols. We'll show you the best elf pranks for groups and tell you how to best prepare the elf season for primary school.