With more and more people practicing responsible physical distancing, many of us are starting to feel its drawbacks. With your family less active and with less options to stay busy, it’s easy to retreat to the same familiar lounging spots and feel anxious. But your home can offer great spaces for activity both alone and together. With a little creativity, you can create amazing spaces for kids and grownups to move, play, and just spend quality time together.
Many families have been starting with their basements. These underused areas of the home are the perfect way to extend your living space. Here are some DIY tips to transform your basement into a cozy, inviting and functional place the whole family can enjoy:
Have young kids? Even a corner of unused space can easily become a great play area. But you don’t want your kids to play on cold, damp concrete, so make sure any makeover starts with DRICORE® Subfloor. The easy-to-install system of panels sits directly on the concrete to cushion against the hard concrete and to create a surface that feels warmer for your kids to sit and play on.
Once you have this solid foundation, a bit of paint and some creativity will let you put together a themed area for any little pirate, princess, or Potter fans in the family. If you’re feeling bold, all it takes is a bit of drywall or lumber to have a fort or indoor playhouse that’s sure to wow kids for years. Give them a space to call their own and their imagination will do the rest. The great thing about setting up in the basement is you can go as simple or elaborate as you like while keeping the upstairs rooms tidy.
Have kids in activities that are suspended? They’ll appreciate a practice space to channel their passion and stay active. Here again, using the DRICORE Subfloor will help create a more cushioned feel for a softer landing as the kids practice their karate kicks or gymnastics. To finish off the perfect practice area for any kind of dance or martial arts, go for some funky, colorful wall pads that can support them if they bump or run into it. Make sure it matches your kids’ heights and extends a few inches higher to capture any jumps or more vigorous play.
Have teens? A home gym will provide them not only activity but a place to be alone and center themselves. Best of all, when they’re not using it, it’s your turn! You can even use the same setup as the practice area to get started, then just lay out the equipment. Hard concrete is not easy on your joints, so make sure any home gym or workout area has DRICORE subfloor installed, so you can be active on it without the hard impact on your body, while your heavy gym equipment will have the support it needs. Finally, consider the mirror when you’re lining things up. It’s useful for correcting form in free weight exercises so don’t waste that visual aid by blocking it with an exercise machine, which guides your form anyway.
Find out more at dricore.com