Note: My daughter, Ava, age 3, recently started taking more and more interest in video games—specifically, Plants Vs. Zombies. I picked up some restickable wall decals for her closet door, and she loves them. It got me thinking about what other cool room ideas for kids I could come up with that were just as easy, just as cheap, but still loads of fun. For all you Moms and Dads out there, here's a great way to spend what otherwise would be a boring afternoon.
Follow these simple steps and recommendations to make a super simple, so easy—anyone can do it—DIY Super Mario Bros. Kids Bedroom. It's also a fun weekend project for you and your child to do together for some family bonding.
Step One (Optional)
The first step is entirely optional, and depending on your existing wall colors, you can completely omit this step. The backdrop to nearly every Super Mario game is the sky. For an extra added touch, you can get a $20 gallon of soft, sky blue paint to really sell this Super Mario theme. Plain white walls will also work fine, and really—your child will be thrilled just having Mario on his wall, so any color will do if you don't want to paint.
Step Two
Unless you're an artist, you're probably not comfortable painting a Super Mario theme on the wall. But that's just fine, because with our DIY Super Mario Bros. bedroom, you don't have to permanently mark up your walls with the Nintendo icon. Instead, for the sake of ease and because you can remove them without leaving any residue, we recommend using restickable vinyl Nintendo Wall Graphics by ThinkGeek. For $69.99, it comes with three sheets of restickable vinyl decals, available in Super Mario Bros. (8-bit retro), and New Super Mario Bros. Here's what the sheets will look like:
The Nintendo restickable wall decals are an excellent choice, simply because they are restickable, making it possible to stick and stick again if you're not quite happy with the location of where you've placed them in the room. It's also nice to change up the scene every so often, to make your child feel like he has a truly interactive bedroom.
Step Three (Optional)
Accessorize! To really sell the idea of Super Mario themed bedroom, you can fill the room with a number of Super Mario accessories. Anything will do, and here is where you let your own tastes and creativity shine. But for the sake or providing some guidance, we recommend the following items:
- Super Mario Coin Block Interactive Lamp (Yes, it turns on when you punch it!)
- Mini Mushroom Power Up Lamps for Nightstands and Desks (they look like they're coming out of warp pipes!)
Step Four (Optional)
Finishing touches! Depending on how much you want to personalize the room, here are some final creative ideas.
- Print out these Super Mario mini-blocks on heavy card stock, cut out, fold, then stick to the wall using push pins or double-sided stick tape in a pattern that spells out your child's name! (Click image for full size printing)
- Paint round trash bins and clothes bin/hampers green to make them look like Super Mario warp pipes!
- Purchase a second set of Nintendo Wall Decals by Thinkgeek to add more to the walls!
- Get creative and come up with new ideas!
Step Five
Enjoy! Your child will love his or her new room, and you'll be proud to have made them so happy. Plus, it's a great way to spend time together as a family and see your child grow into the little gamer you once were.
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