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DIY-Indoor Play Area for Kids

How to Build an Indoor Play Area for Your Kids

We have four very active children, so about a year ago we decided that we needed a place for them to play and burn energy in the winter and when they couldn't go outside. In our search for ideas we came across this blog, showing their indoor climbing wall and monkey bars. We really liked the idea and made our own very similar version. 



Climbing Wall

We used these rock climbing holds from Amazon for the climbing wall. We liked these holds because of the price, the natural rock look, and because they are installed with screws instead of with bolts.

To make the wall we used 3/8" sheets of OSB (oriented strand board) that we glued and screwed together to create a double thick board. I made two sets so we could stack one on top of the other to make a taller wall. We used OSB because my parents had some extra and we could get it for free. Plywood would look nicer, but is more expensive. After attaching the boards we sanded and painted them. Once the paint was dry I attached the rock climbing holds and used different screw lengths depending on the thickness of the holds. Some of the screws ended up sticking out the back, but because of how they attach to the wall this doesn't matter.

To attach the climbing wall to the indoor wall we used a stud finder to locate two studs. I then used 1x4s and attached them horizontally across the two studs to match up with where the top and bottom of each section of the climbing wall would go. The 1x4s should be attached directly to the studs using 2" screws. This creates some space to not damage the baseboard and so that the tips of the screws sticking out of the climbing wall doesn't damage the wall. It also makes it so that you can take down the climbing wall if you don't want it later or so that you can move it to another location. Once the 1x4s are securely attached to the students you can attach the climbing wall sections to the 1x4s.


Monkey Bars

Across the top we have two 2x6 beams turned on end. The 2x6 provides enough rigidity that our kids (and the grownups) can safely use the monkey bars. We used these monkey bars from Amazon.

To attach the 2x6s we painted 1x4s (see picture) and anchored them into the wall studs above the climbing wall. We then attached the 2x6s to the 1x4s using 2 x 6 fence bracket. The fence brackets screw into the 1x4 then slide the 2x6 in and screw through the sides of the fence bracket. The fence bracket holds the 2x6s up and keeps them from torquing if the kids swing side to side.


One more thing

We also decided to add some swings and other accessories to increase the options for our kids. We had from a few years ago a Gym1 Indoor Playground, but we didn't like how it attached to the doors. So with this set we repurposed the play equipment using a axle strap (or two) and carabiners.




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