A Kids Foam Play Mat for the Playroom

by Jen @ RamblingRenovators - Monday, February 24, 2014

Every once in a while, I get to indulge my inner child. I've always been a fan of cloud shapes and remember doodling them in the edges of my notebooks. Fat and puffy, they always reminded me of summertime and lying in the grass looking up at the sky. I've wanted a cloud somewhere in our house for a while and finally figured out the cutest place for it was to make a Kids Foam Play Mat:

yellow play kitchen with cloud shaped foam play mat, diy kids foam play mat

Foam Play Mats for Playrooms:

Foam play mat tiles are a necessity in a playroom, or any space where you're concerned kids might be tumbling or moving about. They provide cushion underfoot and a safe place for kids to land. I find that they are more enjoyable to stand on than rugs and absorb shock and prevent toys from breaking if they're dropped on the mat. But who says a kids foam play mat can't be stylish as well as functional? It can be!

We've had foam mats down in the basement near Chloe's play kitchen but I've never liked the typical colours that children's play mats come in. They're either in primary bright colours or cutesy pastel shades with cartoons on them. For the past few months, I have turned them over and have been using the grey side, but even that feels sombre and a bit industrial for a play room foam mat. The mats were looking a bit tired so this kids foam play mat idea was a great way to give them a whimsical and easy update.

Large DIY Kids Foam Play Mat:

The great thing about this DIY foam play mat is that you can make it any size to suit your playroom, kids bedroom, or small play area. This mat can also suit many ages. You could make this foam play mat for toddlers all the way up to tweens. I wouldn't suggest this painted foam play mat for babies as they could possibly ingest the paint or polyurethane.

This is a very simple and easy project and you can create this cute play mat very quickly, even if you have modest DIY skills. Here's the steps you need to create your own foam play mat for kids:

Materials:

Instructions:

Arrange the foam tile pieces together to the size you want. Ensure you use the large tiles plus the edging strips
Freehand draw a cloud shape on to the tiles. I copied the Apple cloud icon shape. Be careful that your shape doesn't fall strangely on a seam and create very small pieces on the edge of the mat, as these may fall apart when you cut them.
Cut out the shape using large scissors.
Using a foam roller and child labour (joking!), apply two coats of primer. Be sure to cover the edges as well.
Apply two coats of latex paint. Allow to dry very well between coats.
Apply two coats of water-based polyurethane. Allow 24 hours of drying time before using the mat.

I applied the primer and paint almost like a "glue", getting them really into the seams until the seams became almost invisible. The thick coats help the tile pieces stay together better.

Isn't this the sweetest kids play foam mat you've ever seen? The cloud shape has a large "centre" area and provides enough space for my daughter to stand on and move about while she's using her play kitchen.

I'm curious as to how the paint will hold up over time. For now, the cloud helps define the kitchen play area and makes it look even cuter. And that's really all my inner child cares about ;)