Decisive Living


Play Homes Provide Inventive Fun for Kids

(ARA) – “Mom, there’s nothing to do.” “Dad, I’m bored.” Parents everywhere can expect to hear these phrases or a variation as children raised on video games attempt to entertain themselves during long, lazy summer days. What if your daughter could be transported every day to a make-believe land where she reigns as a princess? Or your son could head to the backyard fire station for hours of imaginative play?

“Playhouses really give kids a chance to put their imaginations to work,” says Stephen Chernicky, president of Lilliput Play Homes. “Playing is really a form of learning for kids,” he continues. Whether it’s learning to problem-solve by selling groceries, demonstrating self-expression while pouring tea for their favorite dolls or concentrating on sliding down the pole of their firehouse, what looks like play to grownups is really teaching a child about the world around them.

Lilliput Play Homes provides distinctive children’s play homes that truly allow kids to tap into their imaginations. The company offers 11 standard models, ranging from the popular Princess Cottage and spacious Cotton Candy Manor to the Neighborhood Market and Nickelodeon Theater. You can also order custom play structures, such as a replica of your family’s home.

The play homes include features like lofts, skylights, stenciling, balconies, porches and hardwood floors. “Our quality craftsmanship and attention to detail are what really sets our structures apart,” says Chernicky.

He founded the company when he and his wife, Caryn, wanted a play home for their daughter, but couldn’t find one unique or special enough for their little girl. They researched various architectural designs and decided to build a miniature Victorian mansion for their daughter. The play home created such a buzz in the neighborhood that Chernicky found himself spending all his free time building similar houses for family, friends and neighbors – and a business was born.

But play homes aren’t just for young children. As customers attest, the way children use the play home changes and evolves as the kids get older. “During their younger years, our three boys used their imaginations to play firefighter and other games in the playhouse,” say Rich and Diane Brendza of Park Ridge, Ill. “Now that they're older, they use it as a clubhouse, where they hold secret meetings.”

And although the play homes are meant to stimulate young minds, that doesn’t mean that grownups can’t stop by and visit. The homes are built in such a way that an adult can fit comfortably in the structure to participate in a tea party or go grocery shopping without being stooped over the entire time.

Lilliput Play Homes come in prefabricated sections that parents can assemble themselves if they desire. “It would take two people about four to eight hours to assemble a home themselves,” says Chernicky. No carpentry skills are required, and because the play homes consist of prefabricated panels, a family can take the structure with them if they move.

This summer bring out your child’s imagination (and the child in you) with a quality play home. For more information on distinctive play homes for children, visit www.lilliputplayhomes.com or call (724) 348-7071.

Courtesy of ARA Content