How to create your own cheap play silks for your playroom or play space.
I follow a lot of accounts on social media of mums who have the most incredible playrooms and resources for their little ones. Their pages can be so inspiring and disheartening at the same time. Because wouldn’t we all love to have the space and the toys that these mums have? But at the end of the day, we have to live within our means so we make do!
Something I have seen a lot of lately is ‘play silks’ or ‘play silkies’. At first I wondered what the big deal was. Essentially they just seem like bits of fabric for children to play with. Which is exactly what they are. So simple. The more I thought about how simple the idea was, the more I loved it. It definitely aligned with the Montessori approach to play, where something so simple can be used in so many different ways and by children of all different ages. They really encourage children to use their imagination and embrace creativity. However, like many other quality resources available for education play, these too come with a big price tag. Some brands are $25 for one play silk. And I am not someone who is prepared to spend that sort of money on something I don’t even know if my daughter will play with. My solution – Spotlight. I went to spotlight and found their fabric section. I think what I chose was just a plain satin, but it was only $5.50 a meter, and on top of that, it was on special. So I picked out a rainbow of colours and had the assistant cut me half a meter in all the colours I had chosen. Each piece came down to about $2.
This to me, felt like a great way to see if the real thing were something I should invest in in the future. If I wanted to do that, I could then add them to either the Christmas or birthday list. Why does it never feel as bad blowing big money on things when it’s for a special occasion?
Anyway, my daughter loves her rip off play silks! She plays with them all the time. She uses them to create water and land, and places her animals on and around them. She wraps her baby dolls up in them to carry around. She even asks me to make her dresses and skirts out of them and prances around the house. It makes me very happy! I don’t even mind that by now, a good six months later, they are starting to fray terribly. I just chop any bits of thread that bother me and eventually if they become too damaged, I can replace them.
Would I invest in the real thing next time? My answer is maybe! I can certainly see how they are a fantastic open ended resource that will last years. I can already think of so many other things they could be used for. But for now, my budget Spotlight fabric pieces are a sufficient addition to my little playroom and have provided plenty of fun along the way!
To read more about setting up a playroom for your little ones, click here.