Soft Play Blocks for Your Playroom: Indoor Play Area Ideas With Giant Foam Blocks
American playrooms are something special. Many of the families we ship to have a dedicated room just for play, often in the basement, a bonus room above the garage or a corner of an open-plan living area. There is space, there is a soft rug, sometimes a wall-mounted climbing ladder. And then the question comes up: what actually belongs in here so the kids use the room every day instead of walking past it?
Our answer, after many years of building foam blocks for families on both sides of the Atlantic: big, soft play blocks that kids can build, climb, jump into and turn into something new every afternoon. In this guide we show you how to set up a playroom with soft play blocks, which set fits which room, what to look for in terms of safety and what US parents ask us most often before they order.
Why soft play blocks make a playroom work
Most playrooms fail for the same reason: they are full of toys that do one thing. A plastic slide is a slide. A play kitchen is a kitchen. After a few weeks, the novelty wears off and the room becomes storage. Soft play blocks work differently because they have no fixed purpose. In the morning they are a fort, after lunch an obstacle course, in the evening a couch for movie night.
Roland, co-founder of RIWI®, describes what a typical US playroom looks like for our customers:
"US playrooms are huge rooms, sometimes with a climbing wall. There is a lot of space, and that is where RIWI blocks are ideal, because with the 48-block XXL set you can build giant towers all the way up to the ceiling. You can jump onto the pile of blocks. You can build a huge wall, hide behind it and have a soft ball fight."
Roland, co-founder of RIWI®
That is the core idea: a playroom with soft play blocks is not finished when you set it up. The kids finish it, again and again.
What makes a foam block a good playroom toy
- Size. A RIWI® Giant Building Block measures about 28 × 8 × 4 inches (71 × 20 × 10 cm). That is large enough to build structures kids can crawl into, sit on and climb over.
- Light weight. Even a 3-year-old can carry a block across the room. Kids build on their own, without needing an adult for every step.
- Soft but stable. The foam is firm enough to hold towers and walls together without glue or magnets, and soft enough that a falling tower is not a hard-plastic crash.
- Load capacity. RIWI® blocks hold up to 110 kg (about 240 lbs). Kids can stand, sit and balance on them.
- Washable. Playrooms get messy. Being able to wash the blocks is a real argument, especially with snack time and sticky hands.
Indoor play area ideas: 6 setups for your playroom
You do not need to plan a playroom like an architect. Start with a few zones and let the kids rearrange them. Here are six setups that work well with soft play blocks, from small to big.
1. The fort corner
Push four to six blocks into a corner to form two walls and lay a blanket over the top. Done. With 24 blocks, the fort gets a door and a window. This is the setup most kids ask for first, and it often stays for days.
2. The obstacle course
Lay blocks flat as stepping stones, stack two for a hurdle, build a low bridge to crawl under and finish with a big pile of blocks to tumble into at floor level. Kids time each other, change the order and invent new rules. For more ideas, see our guide to foam obstacle courses for kids 3+.
3. The tower zone
Kids love building tall and knocking things down. Leave an open area in the middle of the room for towers. Tall towers are for building and toppling, not for climbing: if the kids want to go higher than they can reach, that is the moment for an adult to help stack. Roland puts it this way:
"The limit is simply the physical size of the child, because you can build as high as you want. You can basically build up to the ceiling, but then parents need to help if you really want to build to the ceiling. When the towers collapse, they are super soft and safe to play with. That is perfect for kids."
Roland, co-founder of RIWI®
4. The soft ball arena
Build two walls facing each other, about one block high, and hand out soft foam balls. Each team defends its wall. This is the game that gets siblings, cousins and parents playing together, and it is the reason many families eventually order a second set.
5. The climbing wall add-on
If your playroom already has a wall-mounted climbing ladder or climbing wall, soft play blocks are a natural partner. Build a low platform next to it as a starting step, or use the blocks as a fort right beside the climbing area. The blocks are not a fall-protection mat, so keep the setup low and stable, and stay close when younger kids climb.
6. The movie couch
At the end of the day, the blocks become furniture. With the RIWI® 2-in-1 Play Couch & Storage Kit, 24 blocks turn into a kids' couch. The rest go into the RIWI® 2-in-1 Bag, which becomes an ottoman. The playroom looks tidy, and tomorrow everything comes out again.
Want step-by-step building instructions? Our article on how to build a foam fort and our collection of 20 building block ideas are good places to start.
Which soft play set should you choose?
This is the question we hear most often from US families. In a typical American playroom, the answer is clear. Roland:
"I recommend the 48-block set, because it is really the coolest to play with. And the XXL is the one bought most often. Parents often buy another 48 later, because it is so much fun and the kids love it so much."
Roland, co-founder of RIWI®
Why 48 and not 12? With 12 blocks, kids can build a small tower, a tunnel or a bench. That is a nice start, but in a big room it gets lost quickly. With 48 blocks, the setups above become possible: a fort with a door, a full obstacle course, two walls for a ball fight, or a couch plus building material at the same time.
| Set | Price | Price per block | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RIWI® Giant Building Blocks, 12 blocks | $159.95 | approx. $13.33 | trying it out, small rooms |
| RIWI® Giant Building Blocks, 24 blocks | $279.95 | approx. $11.66 | one child, fort and couch |
| RIWI® Giant Building Blocks, 36 blocks | $359.95 | approx. $10.00 | bigger builds, 1–2 kids |
| RIWI® Giant Building Blocks, 48 blocks | $479.95 | approx. $10.00 | playrooms, siblings, our recommendation |
Prices as listed in our shop, October 2026. You will always find the current price and all options on the RIWI® Giant Building Blocks page.
How much space do you need?
Blocks need space twice: once to play and once to store. For play, a free floor area of roughly 6 × 6 ft is enough for a fort or a small obstacle course. For the big setups with 48 blocks, a typical playroom or basement area is ideal. For storage, the couch kit and the bag are the easiest solution: 24 blocks in the couch, 12 in the bag, and the room stays usable for everything else.
Adding covers
Some families add covers for an extra layer of protection and a softer feel. The RIWI® Velours Covers are soft to the touch, the Wipeable Faux Leather Covers are the practical choice for heavy use. Both are optional and can be added later.
Foam blocks vs. plastic play equipment
Many playrooms start with plastic: a slide, a climbing cube, interlocking plastic bricks. These toys have their place, but they also have limits. Roland sums up why he prefers foam:
"The blocks are simply much better than any plastic bricks, because they are soft. You can build higher, they are much bigger than plastic bricks, and they do not break, because plastic tends to break."
Roland, co-founder of RIWI®
| Soft play blocks (foam) | Hard plastic play equipment | |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility | Fort, course, couch, tower: rebuilt every day | Usually one fixed function |
| Falling pieces | Soft, no hard edges | Hard edges and corners |
| Durability | No hard parts that snap off | Hard parts can crack or break over time |
| Storage | Becomes a couch and ottoman | Takes up floor space permanently |
| Age range | Ages 3 and up, played with for years | Often outgrown quickly |
If you are still deciding on materials, our comparison of cardboard blocks vs. foam blocks covers another popular alternative.
Safety: what to check before buying soft play blocks
Kids climb, sit, lie and jump on soft play blocks. With that much body contact, it is worth checking how well a product is tested. These are the standards behind RIWI® blocks:
- ASTM F963 and CPSIA: RIWI® products are tested by an accredited laboratory to the US toy safety standard ASTM F963 and meet the requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
- TÜV Austria (EN 71): tested to the European toy safety standard EN 71, certificate no. ZSTS/APZE/1486.
- OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100: the XXL and mini foam blocks are certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 (no. 25.3.0293 INNOVATEXT), meaning the textile materials are tested for harmful substances.
- CertiPUR (EUROPUR): our foam is certified under the European CertiPUR program of EUROPUR. Please note this is the European program, not CertiPUR-US.
- Age: RIWI® blocks are designed for kids ages 3 and up.
You can view the certificates yourself on our Certifications & Awards page.
House rules that keep playtime safe
- Build tall, climb low. Towers are for building and toppling. For climbing and balancing, use low, wide structures that stand firmly on the floor.
- Clear the landing zone. Keep hard furniture, toys and sharp edges away from where kids play and towers fall.
- Use a rug or soft floor. Blocks grip better on carpet and stay where kids put them.
- Stay close with younger kids. Especially at ages 3 and 4, an adult nearby makes building and climbing more fun and safer.
Shipping and returns in the US
RIWI® ships to US customers from our warehouse in Houston, Texas. Roland on what to expect:
"We ship from Houston, Texas. The delivery time depends on how far away you are, but we ship on the same day the order comes in."
Roland, co-founder of RIWI®
According to our shipping page, delivery from Houston via USPS Ground takes about 2–5 days, depending on your location, and shipping to the US mainland is free for orders over $99. If an item is sold out in Texas, it can be shipped directly from our production in Europe by air freight, which takes longer. You will see all shipping options at checkout.
Not happy with your order? You can find all details on returns in our refund policy.
Playroom ideas by age
The same blocks get played with very differently as kids grow. That is exactly why they stay in the playroom for years instead of being passed on after one season.
Ages 3 to 4: stack, topple, crawl
Preschoolers love repetition. They stack two or three blocks, knock them over and start again. They crawl through tunnels, hide in simple forts and carry blocks from one side of the room to the other. Keep structures low and leave plenty of open floor. Our guide to stacking blocks for preschoolers has more ideas for this age.
Ages 5 to 6: plan, pretend, compete
Now the builds get a plan. A fort needs a door, a ship needs a captain's seat, and the obstacle course needs a timer. Kids at this age play together, negotiate rules and love little competitions. This is when the 48-block set really shows its value, because two or three kids can build at the same time without running out of blocks.
Ages 7 and up: design and challenge
Older kids design their own courses for younger siblings, build stages for puppet shows or set up a reading nook. They also enjoy challenges: the longest bridge, the most stable wall, the fastest rebuild. The blocks become a tool for their own ideas rather than a toy with instructions.
Is a soft play playroom worth it?
A playroom with soft play blocks is an investment, no question. But it replaces several single-purpose toys at once: fort, climbing toy, building set, obstacle course and kids' couch. And it grows with your kids. A 3-year-old stacks and topples, a 5-year-old builds a fort with a door, an 8-year-old designs an obstacle course for the whole family.
The best sign we know: parents who come back for a second set because the first one is in constant use. For most US playrooms, we recommend starting with 48 blocks and adding the couch kit for storage.
Roland, co-founder of RIWI®: "The blocks are simply much better than any plastic bricks. You can build higher, they are much bigger, and they do not break."
Roland co-founded RIWI® together with Nicola. The recommendations in this article are based on the experience the RIWI® team has gathered with families in the US and Europe.
Ready to set up your playroom? Find all sets, colors and current prices on the RIWI® Giant Building Blocks page. If you are equipping a daycare, preschool or therapy room, our soft play set guide for facilities goes deeper.
Frequently asked questions about soft play blocks for playrooms
What are soft play blocks?
Soft play blocks are large, lightweight foam blocks that kids use to build forts, towers, obstacle courses and furniture. Unlike hard plastic play equipment, they have no fixed function and can be rebuilt into something new every day.
How many soft play blocks do I need for a playroom?
For a typical US playroom, we recommend the 48-block set. It is enough for big forts, full obstacle courses and a kids' couch at the same time. For smaller rooms or a first try, 12 or 24 blocks are a good start, and you can add more later.
What age are RIWI® soft play blocks for?
RIWI® blocks are designed for kids ages 3 and up.
Are RIWI® foam blocks safe?
RIWI® products are tested by an accredited laboratory to the US toy safety standard ASTM F963 and meet CPSIA requirements. They are also tested to the European toy standard EN 71 by TÜV Austria (certificate ZSTS/APZE/1486). The XXL and mini foam blocks are certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 (no. 25.3.0293 INNOVATEXT), and the foam is certified under the European CertiPUR program. The blocks hold up to 110 kg (about 240 lbs).
Can kids climb on soft play blocks?
Yes, on low, wide structures that stand firmly on the floor. Tall towers are for building and toppling, not for climbing. If kids want to build higher than they can reach, an adult should help stack.
How do I store soft play blocks?
With the RIWI® 2-in-1 Play Couch & Storage Kit, 24 blocks become a kids' couch. The RIWI® 2-in-1 Bag holds 12 blocks and works as an ottoman. That way the blocks are stored and still usable.
How fast does RIWI® ship in the US?
We ship from our warehouse in Houston, Texas, and orders usually leave the warehouse on the day they come in. Delivery via USPS Ground usually takes 2–5 days depending on your location, and shipping to the US mainland is free for orders over $99.
Are foam blocks better than plastic play equipment?
Foam blocks are more flexible, softer when pieces fall and have no hard parts that can crack like plastic. They replace several single-purpose toys at once and are played with for years. Plastic equipment can be a good addition for specific activities, such as a slide.